I try so hard to find items I fully believe would be the biggest hits and this year we’re starting with my easiest gift guides to assemble: Kid gift guides! Are kids not just the most fun to shop for!? They have a million interests and get excited by a million different things. The tricky part is selecting something that will be used longer than one month and that’s the thought behind a lot of the gifts that end up making my gift guides for kids. Most of the items on these gift guides are tried-and-true favorites our kids have loved (and used for a long time!) or items we’ve gifted to others that we’ve heard back were a huge hit.
As in years past, I’m dividing this years’ gift guide for kids into four categories:
Something they want (subdivided into a few additional categories)
Something they need
Something to wear
Something to read
This is the way I approach gifting to our boys as it includes a mix of practical gifts as well as the fun stuff they love. I hope this gift guide gives you some ideas for the little ones in your life!
NOTE: You may find many of these items rounded up in one place in my Amazon shop for easy browsing: Little Kid Gift Guide (ages 3-5)
Gift Guide for Little Kids (Ages 3 to 5)
Something They Want
Physical Play:
- Ride-On Tractor: I cannot recommend this enough, as Rhett’s obsession with this only grows and we’re 1.5 years into owning this tractor. It has two speed modes (plus reverse), the battery lasts a long time (we’re talking 90+ minutes 3+ miles) and Rhett absolutely adores pulling the little trailer around all over the place.
- Sports Cones: A simple gift they’ll use for years to create obstacle courses, goals, games, playing Capture the Flag, etc.
- Scooter: Our boys have all started on this exact three-wheel light-up scooter at first and Rhett still rides it. It’s adorable and the quality is great as its passed the hand-me-down test!
- Gymnastics Bar: For the budding gymnast or the kids who just loves to hang and swing around (aka our kids)! This bar was our boys’ favorite in their MyGym classes for the longest time. Pair with a gymnastics air mat for little ones who love to tumble, too!
- Electric Dirt Bike: This won’t be for every kid, but oh my gosh Rhett LOVES it. It was his #1 favorite Christmas gift last year (he was almost 4.5yo). It goes fasts and the battery lasts forever (8+ miles of riding one time!). It’s been a game changer for us because it allows Rhett to keep up with his big brothers on their mountain bikes.
- Plasma Car: These make my gift guides every year for good reason. We discovered them through the boys’ preschool and all of the kids are still obsessed and love flying around on them. (Hooray for toy longevity!) We also have this Amazon knock-off version and the differences are very minimal if you’d like to save some money, though we have had to replace our knock-off version and our original Plasma Car has lasted 8+ years.
- Little Tikes Bounce House: Our quarantine discovery and was worth its weight in gold for indoor winter playtime. This is the bounce house we got for Chase and Ryder when they were younger and it’s the perfect size for toddlers.
- Side-by-Side Push Car: A push car that seats two! If you have multiples (or even one kid who likes a little more room), this push car is a gem of a find for kids ages 1-4 (aka little ones who may be on a stroller strike). The bigger size is great for slightly bigger kids, as it lasts longer. Rhett still rides in ours!
- Balance Bike: I credit a combination of the Balance Bike + a small bike with training wheels for making it so easy for Ryder to learn to ride a big kid bike in less than 5 minutes (yes, truly!) when he was 4-years-old. It blew my mind and was night-and-day different from Chase who never really go into the Balance Bike. Rhett is also obsessed with our Balance Bike!
- Bike: We’ve loved this bike for the boys’ younger years and have it in two sizes. It’s passed the hand-me-down test and our smallest version of the bike (12”) has now been through three boys and held up well.
- Chasing Fireflies Game: Such a fun one for kids who love to seek and find.
- Adjustable Height Baseball Tee: For little batters!
- Zebco Fishing Rod: The rod all of our boys used to learn to cast and fish.
Imagination Play:
- Pop-Up Play Tent: This hit of Rhett’s birthday this year! Pops up SO easily and fits a few kids! It also comes with colorful LED lights they can control which adds a lot to the fun of this one!
- Crayola Scribble Scrubbies: This is going under the tree for Rhett this year because he loves to wash his cars, toy animals, etc. This set lets you color cute little animal figures and then wash the color off in an adorable mini bathtub!
- Amazon Retro Video Game: The cheap Amazon game our 3 boys think is super cool. Filled with retro picky-parent approved games. We save this one for travel only and it’s a big hit! Probably best for 4.5yo+
- Flat-to-Fast Car: A big-hit stocking stuffer. A car shoots out of a flat launcher and instantly morphs into a race car.
- Cash Register: They’ll get years of play out of this one! Our boys use it to “sell” tickets to their concerts, animal rescue center and zoo and also as a grocery store/shop cash register, etc.
- Picasso Tiles: These will make every kid gift guide I create for all time. The BEST. If you don’t have magnetic tiles for your little one, let this be the item you get them this year. I recommend getting a pack with at least 100 tiles because your child(ren) will play with them for years and make increasingly impressive creations!
- 5.5 Ft. Plush Snake: Rhett flipped for this one on his birthday this year and even brought it to school for show-and-tell. All of our kids play a lot of imagination games with their super-long snakes! It’s one of those gifts that seems HUGE to a little kid!
- Mini Bluetooth Karaoke Machine: Oh my gosh our boys cannot get enough of this thing. I cannot tell you how many “concerts” we’ve watched since we gave this one to Ryder a few years ago.
- Hot Wheels Transporters: This one for a splurge + This one for a lower price point. (Go for the lower price point option if your kids are on the younger side,
- as it’s a little easier to navigate.) Our boys have and love both. And if you’re looking for the ultimate Hot Wheels gift, the Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage my mother-in-law got for all three boys two years ago was truly the hit of Christmas! (Note: I think that one is best for ages 4+!)
- Costumes: You can never have enough! Costumes are the gift that keep on giving for hours of imaginary play.
- Musical Instruments: Another idea that will be used for years and years.
- Train Table/Activity Table + Trains: A big gift for sure but one we’ve had for 7+ years and an absolute favorite for our boys from ages 2-6.
- Pop-Up Play Tent: Great for imagination play! I cannot tell you how much time our boys spent in their pop-up rocket ship tent in their younger years. Bonus: It looks like a BIG gift to a little kid but it won’t break the bank. Also, one of Rhett’s friends has this air fort and he thinks it’s the coolest.
- Foamnasium Couch: Our kids drag these cushions everywhere. So great for fort-building, story time relaxation, imagination play, clubhouses, etc.
- Tonies: Great for quiet time and road trip entertainment. Our boys love listening to the stories from their favorite Tonies and often put on a Tonies story on to listen to for background entertainment. (Definitely get this carrying case to keep everything together!) Our youngers boys’ favorite Tonies characters: All of the Paw Patrol characters, Super Wings, Christmas Mickey Mouse, Daniel Tiger, Octonauts
- Walkie Talkies: For a three-pack of inexpensive walkie talkies, these have held up great for us over the years!
- Flexible Race Track: Kids can build and re-build these flexible race tracks to make a million different tracks. Our boys adore watching the cars fly around on their creations and they’re compatible with most other flexible tracks out there, so they’re a great gift you can build on over the years.
Educational / Creative Play:
- Sticker WOW!: Your kid will fly through this but they’ll also love it! Great for road trips/travel entertainment.
- Lite Brite: This retro toy is still an absolute gem! Rhett (5) and Ryder (7) love it so much. They also sell refillable templates for new designs if you already have this one an want to give it new life!
- Mini Sensory Activity Board: Another gem we like to throw in our bag for travel.
- Marble Run: Marble runs are absolute magic to kids. They entertain our boys for a LONG time which is a win in my book!
- Lincoln Logs: A toy I loved as a kid that holds up! My aunt got our boys two tins (and I’d recommend doing the same so they can maximize their creations) years ago and they are still a hit.
- Puzzle Track: Instant fun! Kids assemble puzzle pieces to make a track for a little battery-operated toy to zoom around. One of Rhett’s favorite birthday presents this year.
- Light-Up Terrarium: For any nature-loving kids out there, this terrarium is one that our boys loved and really enjoyed watching come to life.
- Munchkin Color Mix Bath Toy: Rhett constantly requests a “color bath” and loves mixing colors and playing in the colorful water. We have these Color Buddies that also use the color tablets for a colorful bath. So fun!
- Screwdriver Toy Set: Please don’t hate me for the tiny pieces in this one, but if you have a kid who likes to build things and play with tools, this screwdriver play set is one our kids love.
- Biggie Beads: Think melty/perler beads but bigger! Great for fine motor skill development. This kit comes with everything you need (other than an iron but honestly we don’t even iron their Biggie Bead creations that often)!
- Surprise Inside Bath Bombs: Our boys flip for these and have a little collection of their tiny bath bomb surprises saved in a box that we bring with us to sports’ games, restaurants, etc. for on-the-go entertainment.
- Water Doodle Mat: Create fun pictures using only water! The mat size is nice and big but folds up easily.
- Create-Your-Own Window Art: For the crafty kids. Our boys enjoyed making these and tying them onto gifts for friends/family.
- Kid-Friendly Digital Camera: The gift we gave to a bunch of the boys’ friends for various birthdays a few years ago. It’s a small camera that’s a HUGE hit for little kids, especially those with an interest in taking lots of pictures!
- Puzzles: We do puzzles in our house daily. These 4-in-1 wooden puzzles are high-quality and fantastic for younger puzzlers. We have every single one of them of them! Floor puzzles are also a huge hit in the younger years and this fire truck puzzle is one our boys reach for most often. And this is one of our boys’ favorite Christmas puzzles.
- V-Tech Rock and Bop Music Player: So helpful for us for toddler car entertainment! All three boys loved this one!
- Games: Snug as a Bug in a Rug (so cute and the game makes it so you can change the difficulty level as kids get older), Duck Duck Dance (an adorable game for toddlers that gets your little one laughing and dancing), Hoot Owl Hoot (a great game for collaborative play), Don’t Break the Ice (our kids get SO into this one), Zingo (Super-engaging Bingo for the younger years!)
- LeapFrog Learning Laptop: I swear this thing helped all of our boys learn their letters early. They still play with it and pretend to “work” on this laptop! It’s a go-to gift for me for a 2 or 3-year-old.
- Art Easel: So wonderful for endless creativity!
Something They Need
- Silicone Snack Box: We use our snack boxes every afternoon for healthier on-the-go after-school snacks. (This Amazon version is similar.)
- Art Supplies: I highly recommend one of these storage containers with deep bins for art supplies organization!! I gifted this to my nieces last year filled with some of our favorites: KwikStix Fast-Drying Paint Pens (the best for making posters/banners — we use our butcher paper roll all the time), Retractable Markers (to eliminate the frustration of losing caps), Crayola Twistables Crayons (for kids who get easily frustrated by broken/dull crayons), Gel Crayons (Rhett loves these!)
- Color By Number Coloring Book: I cannot tell you how much Rhett loves these right now! They somehow make coloring feel a little more fun to him. We also love this Christmas-themed big-picture coloring book!
- Memberships/Lessons/Experiences: The best gift!!! Consider gifting a membership to a favorite children’s museum, lessons for a favorite sport or activity, a local zoo, etc
- Water Bottle + Silicone Water Bottle Name Bands: We love these name bands because they can be used on any water bottle and they help easily identify the boys’ water bottles with their name! We went the tie-dye route for their name bands because they stand out a little more in a sea of water bottles. Pair this with a new water bottle (this Thermos bottle is great at this age and a decent price point) for a fun gift idea!
- New Bed: If your little one is still in a crib or in a transitional crib-bed, a “big kid bed” is a fun surprise! We did this for Rhett and he was thrilled! (This is Rhett’s exact bed in case you’re curious and we paired it with this rug. They both have been great!)
- PackIt Freezable Snack Pouch: Makes taking on-the-go cold snacks a breeze.
- Tangle Teezer Hairbrush: Easily glides through knots!
- Name Puzzle Stool: A hit for little ones who need to be able to wash their hands/reach things by themselves. We have stools readily available in every room of our house with a sink!
- Daily Task Charts: Our boys are majorly motivated by these charts and they’ve been great for teaching responsibility.
- Clear Backpack: This is one of my ultimate travel hacks. It makes it a million times easier for little ones to find whatever they might need on the go!
- Rotating Snack Tray: A novelty for little ones! We save ours for travel or longer stroller walks with Rhett so it’s still a fun thing for him.
- Children’s Knives: For kids who like to help in the kitchen, these children’s knives let them safely slice softer foods (hard boiled eggs, toast, peppers, strawberries).
- Sporting Goods/Activity Supplies: A new soccer ball for a soccer player, a new leotard for a dancer, etc.
- Visible Task Timer: For kids who are motivated by a timer. We still use this all the time and I swear it helps with battles/expectations so, so much.
- Activity Bag/Kid-Friendly Luggage: For kids to keep their activity stuff organized (Etsy has adorable personalized options!) or for kids in families who like to travel. For a splurge gift that’s sure to be a hit, these scooter suitcases seem amazing!
Something To Wear
- Crocs: Are Crocs not just THE BEST shoes for kids? They can put them on and take them off all by themselves, they can get them as dirty as they want, wear them with or without socks and make them fun and unique with little charms. Our boys’ favorite shoes! Rhett especially loves his lined Crocs during the colder months.
- Target Shearling Slippers: I got these Target slippers for the boys last year and the next size up this year because they were such a hit.
- Shearling-Style Boots: All 3 of our boys have these Target boots. They’re so cozy and the side zipper is genius for little ones and makes them easier for them to get on and off on their own. The sole is also harder/more substantial than other similar boots we’ve tried in the past, making them more durable. LOVE them! (Note: At first glace the reviews are bad but it’s because Target majorly increased the price from last year. They go on sale a LOT — I got them for $16 this year! — so just be on the lookout!)
- Rain Jacket: We’ve had great luck with Target’s rain jackets.
- Pajamas: We’re a sucker for matching holiday jammies in our house! This print has been a favorite 2 years in a row in our house! I also couldn’t resist this print from Old Navy this year, too.
- Robe: I didn’t think our boys would care about a robe until they all started asking for one when they noticed me wearing mine all the time in the winter months. They adore their robes and I’ve had good luck finding them at Target or a local consignment shop. For a splurge-worthy robe, Pottery Barn Kids has some adorably plush and cozy options.
- Winter Jacket: We’ve had good luck with Patagonia jackets (they majorly pass the hand-me-down test), these packable Amazon jackets and these Amazon ski jackets.
- New Underwear/Socks: Not that fun but often necessary! I’ll add new underwear (our boys love this modal underwear) in the boys’ stockings and also love including fuzzy holiday socks for something a little more festive. (I almost always get them on sale on Black Friday online at Old Navy.) For more traditional crew socks, these have been a great find on Amazon!
- Winter Accessories: Hats (love that these are sherpa-lined, warm and not itchy), gloves, scarves, mittens… whatever they need!
Something To Read
- Elephant & Piggie (The stories that make our boys belly-laugh! Cute, funny and immensely creative!)
- Mercy Watson (Probably best for 4.5+ but Rhett loves this series about a pig who unintentionally seems to cause mischief wherever she goes.)
- Daniel Tiger 5-Minute Stories (Rhett’s 4-year-old obsession.)
- Have You Filled a Bucket Today? (The best book we’ve found for teaching kindness in a way young kids understand.)
- How to Catch a Reindeer (Our kids adore any and all books from this series.)
- Little Blue Truck (We have and love them all)
- Little Excavator (Adorable and loved by all 3 of our boys)
- The Circus Ship (Such a gem of a book!)
- Dragons Love Tacos (This one cracks our kids up and the story makes it easy to emphasize silly parts as an adult reading it aloud)
- Pete the Cat (We love this take-along collection, as it has many books in one case)
- Pout Pout Fish (One of my personal favorites! Such clever rhyming!)
- The Gruffalo (Cute, funny and fun to read)
- Excellent Ed (Sweet story and a simple way to teach kids about individuality)
- Cars and Trucks and Things That Go (Don’t forget to search for Goldbug on each page!)
- Press Here (Creative concept and a very interactive read)
- The Snail and the Whale (You can’t go wrong with a Julia Donaldson book)
- Paw Patrol 5 Minute Stories (For kids who are Paw Patrol super fans)
- Are You My Mother? (One of my favs as a kid and still a hit)
Question of the Day
Any big-time winners in your house for little kids ages 3-5? Please share your best gift recommendations below!
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