My children are still quite young (six and three) but already I feel that they have too many toys. It seems that with every birthday and Christmas we seem to be adding to the pile, and I don’t know what to do with it all, especially when it seems to get discarded way too quick.
For Christmas this year I’m trying to take a different approach. We’re lucky enough to have a big family and I know that my kids will receive some of the usual types of toys. So I’ve been putting in time to try and find gifts that will be a bit longer lasting and not so easily forgotten about.
Finding Ideas
My first stop has been the Good Toy Guide. It’s a website that’s been going for a few years and features products that have been tested by children and child psychology experts. They rate everything based on ease of use, skills developed and most importantly, fun. I really like this concept, there are plenty of ‘educational’ toys available, but often these can be of more interest to parents than children!
The Christmas Toy Guide is broken down into interests as well as age categories so there’s plenty to choose from. Each product has a £ price indicator too, and they’re not tied to a particular retailer. There’s a good mix of familiar brand names and items that I wouldn’t even have thought of. It’s a gift guide designed for grown-ups, but my kids still enjoyed looking through it.
You can find the Good Toy Guide on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Family Film Nights
My children are just starting to want to watch a film all the way through, and like nothing more than snuggling up together (plus it’s much cheaper than the cinema!)
I think they’d love it inside a teepee tent, with a big tub of microwave popcorn! The tent is from Argos and the popcorn maker is from Campus Gifts. There’s no need for any oil or butter, just plain kernels and you can experiment with adding your own flavours.
Thinking Inside the Box
As a family, we’ve really enjoyed the activities in the Willow and Wild box each month. I was very excited to find that they offer a range of Christmas products. There’s a Christmas bumper box full of festive tasks, a Grow Your Own Grass Head kit and also a 3 or 6 month gift subscription. I think the subscription would make a brilliant present; I know my kids would love it popping through the letterbox each month and we could prolong the Christmas spirit!
You can find the Willow and Wild box on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
For Little Ones
*This is a collaborative post