Holiday Gift Guide for Kids

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I love Christmas. I loved it as a kid. And I love it as a mother. I am not a morning person, but every Christmas since I was little, I wake up with excitement bursting out of me. As a kid, I couldn’t wait to see what Santa brought. As a mother, I can’t wait to see what my girls think of their gifts. To share some of that excitement with you, I wanted to share my Holiday Gift Guide for Kids. Some are things my girls get in their stockings every year and some are gifts that my girls love and are sure to bring a smile to your child’s face.

I love watching my girls open their presents and stockings. We have a rule in our house that the girls can open their stockings when they wake up but they can’t open any presents until both my husband and I are awake and ready (that usually means after my husband’s made his coffee). Even though I love my sleep, I’m usually up when the stockings are opened because I love to watch their expressions and hear their excitement as they see what Santa filled them with.

This will be the first year that both of my girls know the truth about Santa and are now Keepers of the Magic. This will change nothing about the excitement that fills our house Christmas morning, though. I hope this gift guide brings some of that same excitement into your home this holiday season. These gifts would be great stocking stuffers or wrapped under the tree. And they won’t break the bank!

Gift Guide for Kids of All Ages

Books

No matter the age of your kids, there’s a book for them. If they aren’t fond of reading, try a graphic novel or a magazine (like Highlights). When my girls become immersed in a book, they can sit quietly for hours. (It’s also a wonderful way to expand vocabulary.)

Every Christmas my girls receive a book in their stockings. I’m an avid reader, and so are my girls. Reading is a wonderful way to take a moment to yourself, go off on an adventure, or learn something new. It’s also one of the ways I practice self-care. To find your child’s next favorite read, take a look at Bookshop where you get the convenience of shopping online while supporting local, independent bookstores. A few of our favorites are If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy: A Graphic Novel, Rump, Storybound, and Keeper of the Lost Cities.

Highlights

If your child doesn’t like to read for long, a magazine might be just the thing. Highlights has a number of things to immerse your kids (from 0 to 12 years old) and give you a few moments of peace and quiet. A gift for them; a gift for you. It’s the perfect mix! My girls loved their hidden pictures (I have fond memories of them as a kid as well!).

KiwiCo

KiwiCo has a wide range of boxes to meet just about any interest and age. You can buy a single box or save a bit per box by subscribing. I was first introduced to them when I visited my sister right before COVID hit and was lucky enough to work on one of these crates with my then five-year-old nephew. Although I did the crate with him, he would have been able to make his automaton on his own with minimal help from me or his mom.

As soon as I got home, I looked them up and had my girls take a look to see if they were interested. They both easily found boxes they wanted to subscribe to. With the variety of boxes they have to choose from, it wasn’t hard. They really do have something to interest kids of all ages, including teenagers! (To be honest, my teen has received some Maker Crates that I’d like to do.) My nine-year-old loves her Tinker Crate. She lights up whenever it arrives and does it immediately. This gift is really a gift for both parent and child because as your kids happily works on their crate, you’ll get a few moments to yourself!

Safe Phones for Kids

Does your child keep bugging you for a phone, but you’re concerned about handing one over? Give yourself the gift of peace and make your child’s holiday by giving them one of the phones in this holiday gift guide. They’re all kid safe phones. If your child is too young for a phone, but you’d like the peace of mind of knowing where they are with a GPS tracker, the watches would be a great option for you.

Pinwheel Smartphone

Pinwheel is a smartphone but one designed for kids with safety in mind. It’s a phone that can evolve with your child when they are ready for more instead of them having to graduate to another phone. With Pinwheel, there is a caregiver portal that allows the parent to approve contacts and decide which apps the phone will have. There’s no app store on the phone. You can talk and text (both picture and group messaging is allowed) and there is a wide range of apps for the parent to choose from, including Kindle, Spotify for Kids, and school-related ones. A Pinwheel phone has everything your kids want and nothing you don’t, like social media and the internet. To learn more about Pinwheel, take a look at my Pinwheel Slim Review and my Pinwheel Pixel Reivew. (Use promo code exhaustedmama to save!)

Gabb Watch

The Gabb Watch is for kids who want or need a phone but aren’t ready for a full-on phone yet or don’t want to worry about carrying one around. The Gabb Watch comes with its own phone number and can text or call anyone in the approved contact list. It also has a game called the Gabb Go that helps kids stay active and get things done. To find out more about the Gabb Watch, read my Gabb Watch Review. (Save with code EXHAUSTEDMAMA!)

Gabb Phone (previously Gabb Z2)

If your child wants a phone but you don’t want to give them a smartphone (even a safe option, like Pinwheel), then the Gabb phone is for them. It looks just like a smartphone, but you don’t have to worry about apps. With the Gabb Z2, you can talk and text (picture and group messaging are allowed) and there are other essential tools, like a camera, calendar, calculator, voice recorder, and radio. To find out more about the Gabb phone, read my Gabb phone review. (Save with promo code EXHAUSTEDMAMA!)

If you’re looking for something for yourself to help with self-care or the mom in your life, take a look at my Self-Care Holiday Gift Guide for Moms. Whether or not you decide to stuff your kid’s stocking with something from my gift guide or put one of the items under the tree for them, I hope your holidays are full of joy and excitement. Have a safe and happy holiday season!