150 Educational Toys Gift Ideas Inside: Over 150 recommendations for educational gifts and a free printable gift list!! With this list of over 150 gift ideas, your kids will never be bored. Yes, they may still play with the box, but they’ll love what’s inside as well! Just don’t tell them they’re educational toys! If you’re looking for recommendations for fine motor skills, gross motor development, STEM, games, outdoor activities, and of course, books, you’re in the right place! Free Educational Gift Organizer printable {download here} Portals and Prophets Biblical History and Time Travel theme Learn biblical history and geography as you play. No biblical knowledge required. Simple rules with strategic depth, multiple paths to victory, and scales well with different player counts Download: Get your extension activities here, turning this beautiful game into a full Bible Curriculum! Fine Motor Toys TINKER TOYS BUILDING SETS: The “SNAP & LOCK” design has been proven to have significant cognitive and academic benefits for children of all ages. Stimulate and encourage brain development with these kids connector toys. Prepare kids for school, sports and life = THE BEST BUILDING BLOCKS OF SUCCESS. Related: The Importance of Fine Motor Skill Development Learning Resources Mini Muffin Match Up Develop math skills, color recognition, matching, sorting, counting, and early math skills Squeezy Tweezers™ increase fine motor skills and hone skills needed for writing When your kids love the box more than the gift inside {free download} Learning Resources Avalanche Fruit Stand Game Spin the wheel – then use the jumbo tweezers to pick or place fruit Promotes fine motor skills, especially the pincer grasp Learn about colors, fruits, and counting Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards A classic math manipulative and learning activity Great for spatial awareness, color recognition, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving Related: The cognitive benefits of play: Effects on the learning brain Preschool Large Lacing Beads Gross Motor Toys Kinderfeets Wooden Balance Board: Created to help children develop a sense of balance, stimulate their vestibular system, and gain a deep sense of awareness of their body and body parts. Wobble, Spin, Rock, Slide GoSports Giant Wooden Toppling Tower GIANT-SIZE: Tower starts at 2.5 feet tall and grows to over 5 feet during play – Includes 54 Giant Blocks (18 rows) BONUS RULES WITH DRY ERASE BOARD: Includes bonus dry erase board to make your own optional party rules. Includes carrying case EasyGo Giant Checkers Game FUN, EYE-CATCHING CONVERSATION PIECE – Our checkers large folding board game is a classic!! Everyone loves a good game of checkers and multiply the fun by the size of the game set! Fun to play, fun to watch!!! CHECKERS ON THE GO – Take this folding oversized checkers game with you to BBQ’s, parties, church activities, classrooms, picnics, or use it at home as a fun family game! Exciting Giveaway! expired a Rafflecopter giveaway Geospace The Original AIR POGO JUMPER Kids are hopping up onto our AIR POGO JUMPER, gripping the ball with their feet, and bouncing away like a Kangaroo on a mission. Jump up and down, bounce up and spin, bounce your way across the room or down the street! FUN AND BUILDS STRENGTH Gogo Roller The GoGo Roller has been created from the idea that children can give it rough treatment without damaging it. The children will enjoy how easily it runs. The wheels, the strong steel shafts and the pedals form a unified whole, which radiates sturdiness and strength. Balance Board Maze The challenge is to move a ball around the top of the balance board Excellent exercise for coordination and muscle building Students will improve strength and balance Related: The Importance of Gross Motor Development Sturdy Birdy Game Fun and silly game of striking poses and balancing seed bags Roll the dice to determine where on your body to balance the seed bag and for how long you must hold the pose Improves gross motor skills, social interaction, self-esteem; No reading required Amazon best sellers STEM Toys Electric Motors Catalyst STEM Kit | Intro to Engineering, Robotics, Circuit Building Projects Build & rebuild endless robotic creations with a single kit Snap Circuits Snaptricity Electronics Exploration Kit Build over 75 projects Projects relate to electricity and magnetism and how they are used in the home Includes: meter, electromagnet, motor, lamps, switches, fan, compass, and electrodes <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Mini Explorer Light-up Terrarium Kit for Kids with LED It is a miniature garden within a container that simulates a natural environment Beneath the lid, there is a built-in innovative LED light that transforms the experience into something magical. It’s not often that a science project can be fun and engaging, but this terrarium kit achieves both! It fascinates children as soon as they pull it out of the box. Looking for a weird gift? {click here} Related: Why is STEM so Important? Scientific Explorer My First Mind Blowing Science Kit 20 piece kit allows your young scientist to explore and learn the basics of science from chemical reactions to the use of science tools GAMES ThinkFun Gravity Maze Marble Run Logic Game and STEM Toy Gravity Maze is a combination logic game, marble run, and STEM toy for boys and girls. Easy to learn with a clear, high quality instructions. Playing your way through the challenges builds spatial reasoning and planning skills, and provides a great stealth learning experience for young players. Related: the BEST game for active kids! {read more} Sleeping Queens Wake up the Queens form their royal slumbers! Play a Knight to steal a Queen or take a chance on a juggling Jester Watch out for potions and dastardly Dragons! Mattel Games UNO Card Game The classic card game of matching colors and numbers Players take turns matching one of their cards with the color or number card shown on the top of the deck Related: 8 Surprising Benefits of Board Games Settlers of Catan Picture yourself in the era of discoveries: After a long voyage of great deprivation, your ships have finally reached the coast of an uncharted island. But you are not the only discoverer. Other fearless seafarers have also landed on the shores of Catan: The race to settle the island has begin! Cranium Cadoo With a variety of hilarious activities, the Cranium Cadoo game gets kids thinking, creating and giggling as they play. Let’s play: play “combo” or go “solo” to compete in challenges from sculpting a clay object, solving a picture puzzle, and acting out a clue, sketching a target word or answering a trivia question Team play: players guess what you are doing. If a player shouts it out, you share the same spot on the board. Be the first to get four tokens in a row and win! but you can only win on a solo card Lattice Perfect for adults, small parties, kids (ages 6+) or families, fun for everyone! Simple rules that combine into surprisingly deep strategies as you learn the game. 3 minutes to learn, 20 minutes to play, a lifetime to master. Develops cognitive, spatial recognition, planning and interpersonal skills with no language, age or gender barriers, color-blind accessible through patterns on the tiles. Portals and Prophets Biblical History and Time Travel theme Learn biblical history and geography as you play. No biblical knowledge required. Simple rules with strategic depth, multiple paths to victory, and scales well with different player counts Free 26 Things Kids can Do with a Cardboard Box Printable a Rafflecopter giveaway Don’t Make Me Laugh Perform hilarious scenarios and acts. FOR KIDS 5+. ANNOUNCE YOUR ACT AND THEN PERFORM! Go Solo, With Partner, or For Everyone. ALL PLAYERS EARN AWARDS like “Silliest Performance” or “Bravest Performance.” For Moms For Your Chin Hair Friends by HomeschoolMagic “If you’re ever in a coma, I pinky swear to love your kids and sneak into your room and pluck your chin hairs for you!” Ladies Heart t-shirt by HomeschoolMagic Books! Books! Books! Naomi Home Kids Toy Sling Book Rack Product dimensions 24 wide x 10 25 depth x 24 inches height The innovative design allows books to be displayed by the front or back to make them easier to identify by kids Best collections of book recommendations 36 All-Time Best Picture Books Most Loved by Kids And Parents ~ Kelly Holmes Make Reading Irresistible Kids Pod Swing Child Hanging Chair Indoor Kid Hammock Seat Pod Nook THE FAVORITE SPOT, our pod swing provides a fun and cozy spot for kids to read, play, daydream, and relax with their friends and toys Durable Teepee for Kids Made of 100% cotton canvas and chosen pine. The costly pine has hardwood, looking very straight. The tent strap adopts professional nylon rope, which passes the strength test. You can use it for a long time! This is the BEST list of Delightful Books for Preschoolers (and their parents) ~Bekki Sayler While being engaged in fun activities, your children will be practicing important age-appropriate skills such as visual discrimination, sequencing, small muscle coordination, following directions, reading, and critical and creative thinking. The activities in The Never-Bored Kid Book, Ages 6 and 7 are organized around 17 age-appropriate themes, including: pandas pigs banks up a tree shoes happy birthday wild animals vegetables moon and stars kittens merry-go-rounds snails ice cream tracks trains a hole in the ground scaly creatures 120 Classic Books for you and your children~ Bekki Sayler Creative QT Extra Large Stuff ‘n Sit – Stuffed Animal Storage Bean Bag Chair Our stylish stuffed animal storage organizers help you take control of your entire stuffed animal collection, wrapping up to 90 toys in one comfy pouf ottoman to instantly clean up the room. Simply fill and zip to create a plush, stuffed animal bean bag chair in a matter of minutes. A Year of Picture books ~ Sarah MacKenzie Outdoor Fun! Life Best Kids Frisbee Rings The World’s Easiest Frisbees To Throw & Catch! Perfect for young children! Our unique design flies straight and can be caught in the smallest of hands, on your wrist or even your foot! Triumph 2-in-1 Three-Hole Bags and Washer Toss Combo Two sturdy, classic outdoor lawn games are combined for an incredible value: 3 -hole bean bag toss or 3-hole washer toss Includes two 26″ L x 10″ W game platforms featuring on-board scoring, with detachable legs for support Capture the Flag REDUX a Nighttime Outdoor Game Play Capture the Flag in the dark using futuristic lights — with 33 light up game pieces, 12-24+ hours of batteries, game variations, and ALL NEW games Exciting nighttime activity — without TVs, computers or tablets. Physical exercise becomes part of the fun as players run, hide and chase each other to win! Bring people of all ages together — kids, teens & adults will all enjoy this awesome icebreaker and activity that develops teamwork, group bonding, comradery and strategy Playable anywhere with space to run Surprising Fun & Random Little Helper FunPod Kitchen Step Stool Tower with Adjustable Height Safe environment to get toddlers from 12 months up to six years up to the Little Helper kitchen worktop on their own safely constructed platform to help, interact, learn and play in the kitchen 5 height settings accommodating the average height of a 12-month baby up to a toddler of 6 The only toddler kitchen step stool tower that is fully enclosed Related: Choosing a Chore System that Works for Your family You’ve Been Warned! This Unsocialized Homeschooler will talk your ear off! Freebies Exciting Giveaway! Expired a Rafflecopter giveaway Homeschooling with Confidence {free}
What You Really Need to Homeschool Homeschool Supplies at Your Fingertips When we had our first son, we had all the gadgets. Bassinet, stroller, carrier, car seat, bouncy seat, playpen, baby gate, huge diaper bag, and a baby monitor for our 425 square foot apartment. By the time we had our fifth son, we had narrowed down what we really needed: a crib, a car seat, a diaper in my purse, and a fun toy for him to play with (my car keys). Homeschooling is like that. There is a never-ending list of “Stuff” to help you teach your kids about dirt, insects, and history. I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite things, but remember you just need a library card, a pair of hiking boots, and a set of keys. This content may contain affiliate links. It doesn’t cost you more to buy from one of these links, but it does help me buy coffee, which gives me the energy to work on this site. Thank you for keeping caffeinated:) Organization Household planner: This is for you mama Child’s Journal (fancy) This is what I use with my sons. photo by Bench Accounting Portable Classroom! “A small-ish tote bag that I can put just that day’s work in and then we can travel around the house, yard, or park and have what we need is a necessity!” ~Emily Schoolroom Kitchen Table Student Desk (I’ve never had them, but if I did…) Whiteboard (I can’t teach without one!) Many Sizes: Large (favorite) and Portable. In a pinch, you can use a three-ring binder and dry erase markers! Dry Erase Markers: Yes, My sons do school on windows and mirrors! Maps US Map (Or a map of your home country) Fancy (On my wish list) Plain World Map Fancy (On my wish list) Plain Pencil Sharpener that actually works for your entire homeschool career. “Hello again! I messaged you last week saying thank you for the pencil sharpener recommendation. Mine arrived Monday, and I LOVE it (as much as one can love an inanimate object). It works beautifully, and I’ve had the joy of sharpening pencils the last two days. Thank you for taking the time to share your review of the Carl Angel-5. It is well worth it.Thanks again!” ~ Diamond Some of my Favorites Creations- Yep, I made these… Bible Study Bundle Letter Writing (Kids write a letter to their future selves) Ant Unit (perfect with an ant farm! We waited way too long to do this! ) Butterfly Unit goes beautifully with a butterfly garden! Naptime Training Game Cooking Camp Bundle Teaching Kids to cook! Grab them an apron and make it a weekly routine:) My creations can be found here Related: Manipulatives Kids need to explore shapes, grouping, classifying, building, weighing, measuring, etc with “stuff” before they try to learn the abstract numbers and symbols. (Pro Tip: Only bring them out during school. Give them a few days of playing with them before trying to turn them into a lesson) Blocks (I always carried baggies of a variety of blocks to doctor’s offices or restaurants) Legos Clocks, counting bears, flash cards, pattern blocks… the possibilities are endless. I always have tons. I bought about 2 sets per year our first years of homeschooling) Science Kits Magnifying glass (Never go on a walk without one!) Microscope (Get the best one you can afford) My son is studying plankton right now and we are borrowing a scope… (Christmas?) Computers (These are the ones our sons have for school- supervised of course. In our home, technology is only allowed in plain sight) Gross Motor Development (Big Muscle Coordination- necessary for concentration, problem-solving, and brain development) Jump Rope (I found ours at a school sale. What a score!) You need some jump rope rhymes Slackline Swing (toddler- I’d put my little one in the swing and “talk through a lesson with my olders”) Big Kid Swing (Sometimes, simply swinging resets a bad attitude. Scientifically, swinging helps connect the two sides of a child’s brain. This one looks cool. My kids had a plain one) Mini-trampoline (Bounce, of course. But have theme recite things while they bounce: skip count, ABC’s, states and capitals, bible verses, anything) Hilltop Set Go-go Roller Fine Motor Development (No such thing as “too much”. Fine Motor is an essential building block for reading, math, and life) Play doe You can also make pretzel dough! Doll clothes (With buttons, zippers, and snaps. I don’t have daughters, so you’ll have to share your favorites with me here) Fine Motor Board Pegboard Lacing Beads Trains Hotwheels and a rug track Legos for Littles mini clothespins Or regular ones! Did I miss something? Share it with me here so I can add it to the list!