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Arts + Crafts
Washable Finger Paint
Why We Love This Gift
Anything that offers creativity + sensory play gets an A+ vote in our home. These classic colors wash easily from skin + washable clothing. Tip: Be sure to grab the fingerpaint paper (recommended next) because regular construction or computer paper gets soggy quickly.
Giant Fingerpaint Paper
Why We Love This Gift
This paper has a large, coated surface that keeps the paint contained + without color bleed-through. With easier paint spreadability, fingerpaint strokes can be more continuous + kids are less likely to get frustrated or distracted while painting.
Twistables Coloring Set
Why We Love This Gift
We can’t even begin to guess how many regular crayons the kids have broken — no matter the thickness — just from basic use. With the plastic hardshell case protecting the wax (much like a mechanical pencil), these crayons last all the way through to the end.
Ultra Clean Washable Markers
Why We Love This Gift
In all of Court’s years of nannying for the Ritz, there’s never been a time that a full set of ROYGBIV colored markers have stayed in-tact all at the same time. With this set of 40 vibrant colors, you’re not at a loss for another (whatever color) marker when someone inevitably leaves a cap off.
Kinetic Sand
Why We Love This Gift
We love this moldable, mess-friendly sensory play sand especially in the colder + rainier months because we can bring an outdoor activity indoors.
We purchased the starter box, which opens flat like a suitcase + assign each child a “side” to build on. This works great for parallel play across ages.
When the sand inevitably gets on the floor or across the table, it’s easily picked up by any vacuum. If there are handfuls of sand thrown on the floor, you can also pick it up with ease because the sand is magnetic in a sense + stays stuck together unlike traditional sand. Win!
Kinetic Sand Folding Sandbox
Why We Love This Gift
Similar to the waterproof suits, these thermal waterproof snow pants are essential to hitting our outdoor time in the cold New England seasons + not getting “cabin fever” with pent up toddler energy.
These are great quality for the pricepoint, which we love because kids grow so quickly! We use these snowpants for sledding, snowball fights, winter hikes + outdoor pond skating. Fits true to size.
Play-Doh Modeling Compound
Why We Love This Gift
While we’d prefer our children play with modeling dough that has less artificial coloring, you simply can’t beat the colors + consistency of the original Play-Doh.
The activity of designing + delivering creations keeps our 4-year-old highly engaged (we love to design cupcakes + cookies!), while our 2-year-old simply enjoys the squishy feeling of holding the dough in his hands + rolling “balls” as more of a sensory activity.
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Sports + Outdoors
Mini Hockey Goal
Why We Love This Gift
The mini hockey sticks fit full-size for little toddler players, while they’re a fun “disadvantage” size for the adults who play with them. We love pushing the coffee table aside for a full family room game. Each set only includes 1 goal net, so be sure to purchase 2 so that you have both ends of your “ice” covered!
Over The Door Basketball Hoop
Why We Love This Gift
Any chance we can bring an outdoor activity inside during the crazy New England weather months, we’re happy to do so! When the weather report says “feels like 5 degrees“, we’re turning up the heat on an indoor game to burn the kids’ energy (+ our adult energy, too!).
Toddler Bike Helmet
Why We Love This Gift
We’ve purchased this helmet for each child because of its durability + comfortable fit. This helmet is universal for use with scooters, bikes + even ice skating. We love that the color matches their Radio Flyer scooters + wagon, too!
3′ Trampoline
Why We Love This Gift
Actually, obsessed might be the better word for this one. This indoor trampoline is perfect for toddlers + kids with energy to burn + if they don’t have some way of actually burning it, it’s harder for them to concentrate or to get the constructive rest that they also require. As they work out their whole body, kids can develop better fitness, balance + coordination. This also folds away to tuck under a couch or bed with ease.
Razor A Kick Scooter
Why We Love This Gift
This scooter is a classic nod to our childhood (hey there 80s babies!) + we love it’s durability + lightweight folding. This is a no-brainer for easy carrying when littles get tired too quickly outside or you need space-saving storage inside.
My 1st Scooter
Why We Love This Gift
This scooter has been perfect for our beginner riders + is designed to help develop balance + coordination methodically. The wide base is low to the ground + has two wheels in front for maximum stability + safety. We swear we take a lot fewer “gasps!” watching the kids ride this scooter over other ones!
Waterproof Coverall
Why We Love This Gift
This is a favorite purchase! These unique waterproof coveralls from Tuffo offer kids full-body coverage + protection from the rain + other elements. Our kids are completely dry after coming in from wet hikes, playing in the snow, jumping in puddles… you name it. This suit is critical to us achieving our #1000HoursOutside goals.
We love the wet bags each suit comes with, so that you can easily roll up any soggy suits for mess-free transport + then simply lay them out to dry when you get home. They’re always dry before morning, too!
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Indoor Games
Perfection Game
Why We Love This Gift
While we are having a blast trying to fit all 25 shapes into their matching holes in the tray before the timer pops all of the shapes back out again, our kids are also practicing valuable skills including focus, hand-eye coordination + shape recognition. If your little one loves racing, tidying up or puzzles, then this is a great addition to the family game shelf.
CONNECT 4
Why We Love This Gift
This game is timeless + simple in instruction: Drop your red or yellow discs in the grid + be the first to get 4 in a row to win. Whoever wins can pull out the slider bar to release all the discs + start the fun all over again! We love how quickly this game can be played, so when we’re begged for “just one more game!” before bedtime, Connect 4 can be an easy compromise solution.
BOARD GAMES
Trouble Board Game
Why We Love This Gift
Trouble takes us adults back to our childhoods! The kids love moving the pegs around the board into the individual holes, which practices hand-eye coordination + counting skills. We always appreciate the turn-taking + patience lessons built into roll-the-dice (or pop-the-dice) games like this one!
Princess Board Game
Why We Love This Gift
In this classic 90’s game, kids play dress-up with their friends as they race to gather their complete sets of fancy jewelry. We’ve found easy lessons on patience, sharing + cheering for others as part of game play with our almost 5-year-old.
Story Time Chess
Why We Love This Gift
This game was rated Toy of the Year + we completely agree. Storytime Chess uses compound storytelling to teach young children the roles of each chess piece, so that by the end of the book, kids are able to play a complete game. Our 4-year-old LOVES this activity during her 1:1 time with us parents while her little brother is napping.
There are also free LIVE teaching classes via Zoom, which can complement your homeschool routine!
Story Time Chess Strategy Bundle
Why We Love This Gift
Once you’ve experienced the main Storytime Chess game, there are strategy books + workbook sets that take gameplay + learning next-level.
BUILDING Sets
Magnetic Building Tiles
Why We Love This Gift
This 3D magnetic building set is by far the greatest return on investment in a toy for our family. While one of the more expensive toys on this list, Magna-Tiles have been a consistent favorite toy in daily use at our house because of the open-ended play + creativity in building. We pull science, math + creative homeschooling lessons from this main set of 100 translucent shapes + love expanding our set on holidays + birthdays.
DUPLO Classic Heart Box
Why We Love This Gift
These starter building bricks are way bigger than the traditional (choking hazard) LEGO bricks for big kids. Our littles love putting their starter box in the tub for building during bathtime! There’s room in the starter box to hold additional smaller expansion sets, like this 80-piece addition. We recommend doing both for kids who like to play together!
train Sets
Battery Operated Action Train
Why We Love This Gift
Adding a battery operating train to our manual train sets gives us adults even more “busy toddler time” mileage. We can step away from the train set + have the entertainment continue around the track without us.
Wooden Train Tracks
Why We Love This Gift
These wooden tracks are simple to assemble + take apart, allowing children to add new dimensions to their railway play. We’re forever expanding our core Brio sets for bigger layouts + new adventures with straight, curved + switching tracks.
My First Railway – 33727 Beginner Pack
Why We Love This Gift
For young toddlers, this simple train set hits all of the marks: easy-to-connect railways, bright colors, ramps + a rainbow bridge. We started with this set + connect expansion packs as the kids get older.
Disney Mickey’s Deluxe Wooden Railway Set
Why We Love This Gift
Brio train sets are the most premium quality + are all interchangeable, which lasts for multiple children (or shares well secondhand). Our 2-year-old loved our recent family trip to Disney + we’re forever fans of the Disney+ app, so adding Brio-quality Disney classic friends to our budding train engineer’s collection only made sense.
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Music
Piano Kids
Why We Love This Gift
Fun Fact: Kev is a classically-trained pianist! With past teachers from Juilliard, Kev’s standards for music training are quite high! We wanted a way to infuse Kev’s great knowledge alongside a curriculum that prioritized making piano FUN + encouraging a love of music. These lessons fit the bill!
Loog Mini Guitar
Why We Love This Gift
This instrument + company was clearly built with so much intention + love for music. We love supporting small businesses like these! This perfect-fit-for-toddler guitar comes with flashcards with chord diagrams, free video lessons + full access to the Loog Guitar app.
On the app, kids can literally line up their fingers to match the chords on-screen + learn proper positioning. This is our favorite way to introduce screen time — by pairing it with a physical life skill to be done off-screen.
Tip: Definitely get the strap!
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S.T.E.M.
(Science, Technology, Engineering + Math)
OSMO SYSTEM
Coding
Why We Love This Gift
This learning experience uses hands-on physical blocks to control Awbie: a playful character who loves eating “delicious strawberries”. In 3 different games in this set, Awbie’s snack pursuit actually teaches real-life coding techniques, which we love because we know that coding is a modern superpower + invaluable skill.
Little Genius Sticks & Rings
Why We Love This Gift
This set is such a fun way to learn shapes + numbers! We love that this set of sticks + rings encourages open-ended play + creativity, making screen time much more practical for our 4-year-old.
Genius Words Game
Why We Love This Gift
These tiles offer open-ended word play, which we love for teaching sight words, name spelling, letter identification, letter tracing + guessing the missing letters. This is a great way to change up the traditional “workbook”.
Genius Tangram
Why We Love This Gift
In the Tangram Game, kids arrange tangible puzzle pieces into matching on-screen shapes. Kids can play with a friend or challenge themselves to more advanced levels as their handy-work lights up with each victory.
Detective Agency
Why We Love This Gift
Put on your detective hat + get ready to solve the case in this search + find mystery game. Anywhere that we can digitally travel to 6 famous cities, inspect hundreds of clues with a magnifying glass + learn about geography, culture, history + landmarks around the world is a win in our book.
Super Studio Disney Mickey Mouse + Friends Game
Why We Love This Gift
In Super Studio Mickey Mouse + Friends, kids are the artist — they get step-by-step instructions on how to draw the scenes, then watch the story come to life in their first animation!
Osmo Grab + Go Storage Case
Why We Love This Gift
Taking Osmo with you on vacation + work trips makes so much sense because of the compact travel size + variety of open-ended play sets. With this organizer, you can simply zip up + be ready to go! This case is made with durable zippers + a handle, so you can pack up well together + then let your toddler carry!
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BOTLEY THE CODING ROBOT
Botley the Coding Robot 2.0 Activity Set
Why We Love This Gift
Botley 2.0 helps kids as young as 5 learn to code through 100% screen-free play. Botley 2.0 knows multiple ways to code right out of the box—code by color, make Botley move in six directions + even put on a light show!
Botley the Coding Robot Action Challenge Accessory Set
Why We Love This Gift
This interactive 40-piece accessory set contains everything kids need to set up STEM-inspired obstacle challenges for Botley to navigate. Kids can follow the instructions inside the included Activity Guide to create 9 obstacle challenges filled with falling dominos, rolling balls + swinging hammers, or design their own courses using critical thinking skills.
Aenllosi Carrying Storage Organizer
Why We Love This Gift
This storage case is made of supreme quality, durable EVA, crush resistant, anti-shock, water resistant material that provides adequate protection from bumps, scratches + splashes. With its internal mesh pockets, you can conveniently store other accessories as well.
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Organic Treats
Organic Fruit Flavored Pops
Why We Love This Gift
First, they’re DELICIOUS + we would choose them regardless of their health rank. They’re that good. More than that: These YumEarth pops are made of simple, organic ingredients free from the top 8 allergens. No high fructose corn syrup, artificial dyes or GMOs. These are staples in our diaper bags + adventure backpacks + we always feel confident sharing with other friends we meet along the way (asking parents’ permission beforehand, of course).
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Organizers
Stuffed Animal Storage Bean Bag Chair
Why We Love This Gift
We love any furniture that can serve as a dual-purpose storage solution. This bean bag chair is both a comfy seat + a stuffed animal/pillow/blanket storage solution all in one, made with 100% cotton that’s easy to clean.
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Bath Accessories
Bath Crayons for Toddlers & Kids
Why We Love This Gift
These beeswax + soy/beeswax bath crayons are handmade from 100% natural raw ingredients + non-toxic food-grade pigments. With kids who are sensitive to colored dyes, we’ve found these to be the most sensitive-skin friendly bath crayon option.
Bath Color Tablets for Kids
Why We Love This Gift
These non-toxic color bath drops fizz as they change the color of the bathwater. Our kids love experimenting with mixing colors together or setting up an imaginary story where the fizz is a volcano exploding or a science experiment has gone wrong. The open-ended storytelling extends those bathtimes when you need them to soak a little longer 🙂
Wild Animal Bath Toy Squirts
Why We Love This Gift
This adorable set of wildlife-themed squirting bath toys shines a spotlight on endangered species + at-risk habitats, while a percentage of sales goes to wildlife-protecting charities.
Hanging Bath Toy Storage
Why We Love This Gift
We love the quick-drying mesh + how easy bath toy cleanup can be with the “scoop” ability.