Christmas Activity Book for Kids (paperback)
112 holiday puzzles for ages 5 to 8, from easy mazes to kid-sized sudoku; a good stocking stuffer.
Price on AmazonSix to eight-year-olds want real things to do: build, experiment, read on their own and beat a grown-up at a card game. Each pick says why it works at this age.
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112 holiday puzzles for ages 5 to 8, from easy mazes to kid-sized sudoku; a good stocking stuffer.
Price on Amazon
Mazes that grow from easy to tricky; print a few for the car or a rainy afternoon.
$3.99 · instant PDF
Curriculum-aligned learning games for first graders: a small extra to set up on the family iPad, next to a book or a toy.
$0.99Open-ended building that grows with them: towers at three, houses and marble ramps at six.
Typically $25 to $50In cooperative games everyone wins or loses together, so little kids learn to take turns without tears.
Typically $15 to $25
Starts with 4x4 grids and works up to 9x9, so kids learn the logic step by step.
$3.99 · instant PDFTurns any afternoon in the yard into a party; no dipping wands, no spills.
Typically $15 to $25Moldable play sand holds its shape and stays in the tray, so sandbox play works indoors.
Typically $15 to $25A box of costumes gets years of use: pirates, doctors, chefs, whatever today is.
Typically $25 to $50For car rides and tablets. Look for an 85 dB volume limit, which is the usual guideline for kids.
Typically $15 to $25A tent is a reading nook, a hideout and a fort in one.
Typically $25 to $50
Holiday mazes, sudoku and word searches to print for the long days before Christmas.
$4.99 · instant PDFDinosaurs are a favorite for a reason; a bucket of them goes everywhere.
Typically under $15Their own camera makes every walk a photo hunt. A shockproof case is worth having.
Typically $25 to $50Real chemistry with a sparkly result after a few days of waiting and checking.
Typically $15 to $25A big mixed box of bricks with no single model to build means endless new ideas.
Typically $25 to $50Building the track is half the fun, and every run is different.
Typically $25 to $50
A small kind act for each day to Christmas; a calendar the whole family does together.
$3.49 · instant PDFA short series with pictures on most pages is the bridge from picture books to reading on their own.
Typically $15 to $25Short enough for a school night, and kids can beat adults fair and square.
Typically under $15Theme parks and year-round sun; give the trip and see cheap round-trip fares from their airport.
Flights vary by airport and dateColored pencils, crayons, markers and paints in one case that closes up neatly.
Typically $15 to $25Backyard missions, sleepovers and camping trips all get better with a radio.
Typically $15 to $25Adjustable sizes last through a couple of growth spurts. Add pads and a helmet if they don't have them.
Typically $25 to $50Budgets for gift ideas are what that kind of gift usually costs, not prices; the store has the current price.