Under The Tree: Kids Edition

This is it guys! This is when we add some JOY back into our lives and create family memories this Christmas. As sisters, we both know there is so much joy in finding something that you know your kids will love to open on Christmas morning. Isn’t giving gifts the best?
Whether it is a sentimental item in their stocking or a big gift under the tree, gifting to our kids just brings a whole lot of happiness and gratitude.
This year we have focused on books, activities and toys that spark creativity (and the cutest matching PJ’s). With so much time being spent at home, we know these gift ideas will help to inspire children to create and learn and imagine.

Janie and Jack - We love the idea of matching family pajamas for Christmas morning. We had them a few times growing up but having all our kids (and cousins) wearing these adorable Peanuts Christmas Pajama Set is such a sweet idea. They are SO cozy and it makes me want to be matching with them! The best part is that they have sizes from 6 months all the way up to size 12 for kids.

Zonderkidz - Bible activity books, devotionals, and an advent book are a few ideas to actively keep the focus for the Christmas season on Jesus. Our kids are at an age where they are still looking at pictures or starting to read through a kids bible, so reading these will definitely spark some good devotional time and remind us all to honour Jesus throughout our day. The Beginner’s Bible Sticker books are also handy for little hands to place the stickers on the correct pages while learning about important people from the Bible.

Ryan and Rose - This company is amazing and Lindsey has an incredible testimony that you can read about here. Ryan and Rose makes so many great items for babies and we have transitioned over to using their soothers, rattles and cutie clips for our babes. Their soothers are so safe and easy to clean because they are one piece and made of 100% medical grade silicone while doubling as a teether. Our babies have always loved their rattles which also double as a teether and they have been our go-to toys for the babies in our families.

Paint By Sticker Books - These are amazing for helping children with number recognition and art! The paint by number (and some letter) books allow children to create different themed pictures. It is a quiet activity that is easy to take anywhere. The pages tear out so you can share with your friends or display up on a wall. The Christmas theme is perfect for the holidays and there are so many others to choose from: Bugs, Dinosaurs, Unicorns, Zoo Animals etc.

Band-Aid - Ok this is so fun to give in a stocking because it’s a household item that you just need when you have kids, but all the special characters make it kind of fun to put a bandaid on when your child needs it. We’ll let you guess which kids of ours are getting which boxes ;)

Bendon Publishing - We actually use so many items from Bendon in our daily homeschool routine. They have so many educational puzzles that are bright and colourful which engage the children. One of our favourite travel items is Bendon’s Imagine Ink Magic Ink Pictures. Kids can colour each page using the magic white marker, revealing a beautiful picture. You can find many of Bendon items on Amazon, making it super convenient for gifts for family or friends that don’t live local.

Manhattan Toy - These Baby Stella dolls are the best because they are soft and cuddly and come in a variety of skin colours - yay! Not that we needed to encourage Ezri or Rayne’s mothering skills, because they are top notch, but we do know they will love carrying around these dolls and Manhattan Toys carries quite a few to pick from. They also have accessories for the dolls such as a diaper bag or clothing sets that you can take on and off. There is a lot of affordable toys on their site and something for every age. We personally really love the quality of the toys that Manhattan Toys stands behind as these ones will last years and be played with by a few of our kids.

Folkmanis - These finger puppets are so realistic and the perfect size for littler hands. Each puppet is exceptionally made and look so realistic. Kids will love how soft and cozy they are and can act out stories using their imagination. We actually see Chickadees outside our window all the time so the puppet is a perfect stocking stuffer. You can find these locally at Toy Traders in Langley as well as Dilly Dally Kids in Vancouver.

Raincoast Books - We always pick up a few new books to add to our holiday collection each year. When Christmas is over, we tuck them away in a special box and bring them out the following year so they are all brand new again. Our kids get so excited to read them and The Little Red Sleigh and Claris Holiday Heist are two cute additions. It’s always been tradition in the O’Reilly household to do a puzzle Christmas morning after the rush of opening presents has finished. Alice’s Adventures in Whiskerland puzzle by Mudpuppy could be a fun one for the kids to join in on this year.

Baby Einstein - We are basically fostering budding musicians over here and we wanted to show you a few great musical toys from Baby Einstein. First is the Magic Touch Drums which is going to be a perfect gift for Cruz who can touch the wooden spaces and sounds will entertain him for minutes? hours? who knows, but every second is worth it. The Magic Touch Piano is going to be used plenty and I think it is safe to say that it will be used by every child because it even comes with sheet music! Plus we (by we, I mean Cruz) will be trying the Take Along Tunes Musical Toy and it will be perfect for his age because it’s easy to grab and there is 10 different melodies to hear.
Disney Baby - Any vehicles or toys that move are really fun but when they have Disney characters on them they are about 5x better and cuter. These Disney Baby Go Grippers Cars will be a hot hit in our household to race and move and chase!

Ravensburger - We are a games family and a new board game can bring any Friday night to a whole new level of fun while creating awesome memories and healthy competition. Ravensburger has been a fan favourite for games and puzzles so we are eager to try out Penguin Pile-Up, Ready, Set, Sloth, and My First Rush Hour over the Christmas break. We also love when games are really fun but are also teaching our kids to learn new things. GraviTrax encourages kids to build track systems and in turn develops their understanding of physics.

Sticker Book - “So. Many. Stickers.” is right! Our kids love stickers and they are so good for teaching fine motor skills in little hands. I know in our home we do stickers at least a few times a week and stickers make such a great little gift for under the tree or in a stocking. On a piece of paper you can even use a marker and dot little circles and then get your child to place their sticker on top of each dot they see to encourage spatial awareness and placement. Workman Publishing has so many sticker books to choose from and this sticker book is such a perfect place to keep all their favourite ones.

Disney - It feels like everything Disney does is magic and we wanted to highlight two items for any Disney lover in your family, especially one that loves princesses. First this small Anna doll and bed that comes in a sturdy carry case and even a baby doll and bed - hello adorable! They also created this Advent Calendar (which is a great alternative to chocolate) that has 24 doors to open and inside you will find a favourite Disney character or an accessory or festive item. Both would make really cute gifts this Christmas!

Spin Master - This company constantly promotes imagination and we are trying to always encourage that in our kids. Pretending, creating, and imagining are so vital to kids’ development and sometimes to foster that we can our kids a starting point with a small toy or activity. I can see Cairo pretending he is in some huge car race with this shark on wheels called the Megalodon Storm (fun fact: itactually drives on water). I know Cairo will think this is super cool and a remote controlled vehicle has been on Cairo’s list to Santa so I cannot wait to wrap that up for him for Christmas.
Spin Master has so many unique toys such as Twisty Petz, Hatchimals, Rainbow Jellies, etc. and our girls will love creating and pretending with a few of these.

Bright Stripes - This company is known for their creative activities and imaginative toys for kids. Of course our kids love toys but we also really love to gift them items that encourage their creative process. Bright Stripes has a variety of craft kits and activities such as DIY Lanterns, String Art, Metallic Watercolour paints, Tea Sets and LED candles that kids can colour to make them unique. Our favourite item is the magic reveal notepads as they are perfect for taking in the car because you just need water to reveal the pictures and there are so many different themes to choose from. In Canada you can find their items exclusively at Mastermind Toys and in the USA you can find them on Amazon and other retailers.

We know our kids will love any of these products we shared and we want you to know that we already use so many of these things already in our homes and love them. We hope our gift guide can give you an idea or two to share with your kids or to donate some of these items to a child in need.

Purdy’s - Every child needs a bit of chocolate in their stocking! Growing up we would always find a few Purdy’s chocolate bells at the bottom which were our favourite. If you are looking for an adorable advent calendar for your kids this year, Purdy’s created a winter village advent scene with chocolate in every house leading up to the 25th. This year, Purdy’s is selling a Dear Santa collection which benefits children’s hospitals all across Canada. You can purchase online or in store and choose which local hospital you would like your donation to go. What an incredible idea for this season we are in.

No matter what is on your kid’s Christmas wish list this year, I can guarantee they will remember the family memories in years to come and not the toys they got under the tree. So while we do love to give gifts, our heart for this season is and always will be about the reason for celebrating and to also create family moments that last in our kids’ hearts.