Gift guide: Children's toys for many years of play
The cutest gift guide of them all
Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of The Bell! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.
Have you seen my four gift guides so far?
Today, my final holiday gift guide: children’s toys and games that are beloved for generations, bring lasting fun, and in some cases even look beautiful in your home. This was so fun to put together because I got to revisit nostalgic toys from my childhood as I researched these.
There’s an emphasis on unstructured building toys in my list (Brio, Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, and Grimm’s) because kids play in that way for many more years than they play kitchen or dolls or trucks. And they’re the kind of toys adults like to get down on the ground and build together with their children—that is, if the children let them touch anything!!
Brio trains
It’s so fun to build train tracks that loop around each other over and under bridges, through stations, and maybe around the Christmas tree! This starter set is a good place to begin to build a simple track with a few cars, and the add-ons are endless.
This company, like Lego, has maintained compatibility between old and new tracks and trains (praise be!!!), so if your child has any Brio hand-me-downs, they can easily build on the collection.
Lincoln Logs
It’s so satisfying for kids to use their problem-solving skills to build a log cabin that makes sense architecturally. The possibilities for additions and new wings are endless; they can build a log McMansion if they put their mind to it!
I actually loved to build these houses between my Brio tracks, so it felt like my trains were going around a town with buildings. No matter that the scale was totally off!
Grimm’s wooden blocks
German-made Grimm’s toys have literally endless possibilities for imaginative play; they can transform into anything! And the bright colors are appealing to kids of all ages. Maybe start with a stacking rainbow for little ones, then add more complex building blocks as they get older. Browse the amazing selection here.
Tinker Toys
My brother played with these engineering toys more than I did, but he loved them. Kids can make a house, a vehicle, or a totally abstract shape by snapping pieces together. I know MagnaTiles are all the rage this year, but these are the original concept.
Ravensburger puzzles
The original puzzle company that’s been around forever. Like the building toys, puzzles can be made and taken apart over and over, leading to more fun with less stuff for the kids. Start with a simple 60 pieces for little kids, then work up to 200 or more!
Windsor & Newton watercolor set
Last but certainly not least, art supplies are always an incredible gift. What kid doesn’t love to paint—indoors on a rainy day, in the backyard when the weather is beautiful, or on a trip to process and remember what they saw and did? Watercolor pans with a lid travel well (and many come with a brush), so all you need to set up the artist’s studio anywhere is some paper and a glass of water.
Talk to you Friday with this week’s recs.
xx Jane
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