What does a baby old play with? What's the best gift to give a toddler that doesn't have lights, sound, and require batteries? And what is an 8 year old interested in? These are questions we get all the time. So we gathered up our favorite toys and gifts in the shop for each age group to help get you started. (And hopefully it's one less thing you have to worry about this holiday season!)
BABY / AGE 0-2 For babies, you can never go wrong with clothes, bibs, swaddles, and burp cloths. But sensory toys, high-contrast board books, and soft rattles are also up there in our top baby gifts. Gifts that aid in fine motor skill development and hand-eye coordination (i.e. chunky puzzles and nesting toys) are also a win.
By the time baby is 12 months old, it's still pretty obvious that you don’t want to gift a set of Sharpies for a child’s first birthday. But what does a one year old actually play with? Unless you have a one year old, it’s tough to know what will interest them, stimulate their senses, and not drive their parents crazy.
We gathered up our favorite holiday gifts in the shop right now for babies. Here's your guide to the best gifts for babies, ages 0-2.
TODDLER / AGE 3-5 At this age, little ones are growing by leaps and bounds, physically & emotionally. These amazing developments can open up the doors for some amazing gift ideas, gifts that will entertain little ones and reinforce these important developmental milestones.
Check out our favorite gifts in the shop for the toddler age group.
SCHOOL AGE / AGE 6-7 Little ones that fall into this age category (6-7) often exercise their independence and do much more on their own, everything from tying their own shoes to brushing their own teeth (and doing it pretty well!). Children are often better at controlling their behavior and emotions, so more complex games with rules, winning, and losing, become relevant. And their interest in technology might start to become apparent at this age, so we love to point parents to more creative and imaginative gifts like "How to Draw" sets and HABA's Terra Kids outdoor exploration items.
Here's your guide to the best gifts at Bicycle Pie (in our opinion!) for this age group.
MIDDLE CHILDHOOD / AGE 8+ At this age, we like to recommend educational games and toys that enhance cognitive skills like attention, memory, logic, recognition, and information processing, since all these areas are in overload at this stage. They aren't tweens, yet, and many kids may find that they're interested in both "younger" and "older" toys - and that's ok! Gifts may get smaller in size, but they're just as important. Think STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) - gifts that appeal to their already-developing interests - and/or gifts that are just plain silly (like a light-up Santa nose!). Easier said that done, right?
Here's your guide to the best gifts for each this middle childhood age group.
Happy shopping!
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