Gifts for Kids {Christmas Gift Guide 2012} with Two Giveaways

Winner of the Baby Gift Guide Giveaway: Congrats to Anne Marie who won the Taggie Blankie giveaway from Amy’s Monkeys.

Kids… They’re so fun to buy for! We’re always on the lookout for useful gifts, ones that we know Emma will play with for a LONG time. Trendy? Meh. That’s not our style.

Once again, I’m partnering with Amy from The Finer Things in Life to bring you some of our favorite products for babies, kids, grown-ups, and the home. If Amy hasn’t used it and loved it, I have, or one of us really wants to! Here are our top picks for kids.

1. Alex Toys Friends 4 Ever Bracelet Making Kit

I love gifts that don’t add to the clutter. This little bracelet making kit is definitely a consumable gift. It makes 22 friendship bracelets that kiddos can give their friends. Plus it comes with its own little storage suitcase to hold it all. Organized, fun, consumable.

2. Disney Princess Ariel’s Bath Time Playset

This bath toy has gotten some serious mileage in our tub! There’s a slide, a vanity with a mirror, a pearl necklace, a swing… all the fun stuff that a mermaid needs. Emma has really enjoyed being a bathtub mermaid with this one.

3. Green Toys Fire Truck

We got this truck for our nephew’s first birthday. He was captivated by the bright red color. We like how durable it felt. It’s made from recycled milk jugs and is recyclable. Bonus… There weren’t any twist ties holding it in the box!

4. Fisher-Price Little People Animal Sounds Farm

I can hear the littles saying moo and oink-oink-oink now. I LOVE toys that teach kids farm animal noises. I also love Fisher-Price Little People. (The Little People Nativity Set is a yearly favorite of ours!) Put the two together, and this is a fun gift for the little farmer. All the figures store inside for easy cleanup too.

5. Child’s Beanbag Chair (Flower, Jungle, Car & Spiderweb Designs)

We got the pink flowered beanbag chair for Emma two years ago and she uses it almost every day. She loves to crash there and read books or listen to music. Plus it still looks great years later.

6. Nickelodeon Dance for Wii or Xbox & Nickelodeon Fit

“Wow Mom! I really got a workout!” That’s what Emma says when she uses either of these. And quite honestly I know she’s right because I’ve played them with her. The games are fun and a great workout, especially during the winter months when we’re stuck inside. Emma loves working out with Dora, Diego, The Backyardigans, The Fresh Beat Band, and other characters.

7. Imagination Station Books

These faith-filled books are also action-packed and full of history. Kids can walk alongside people like Corrie ten Boom, Leif Eriksson, Miles Standish, and other famous people from the past. If your kids love the Adventures in Odyssey audio programs (or even if they’ve never heard them), they’ll love these awesome adventure books. Learning history while learning about faith? Sign me up! Plus these books run on Amazons 4-for-3 deal. Buy any 4 of them, and you only pay for 3.

8. Tangoes Junior Game

Being a teacher, I love a good educational game. This one gets the kids using tangrams to create specific pictures. I love that there are two levels, one where the individual shapes are outlined and one where they have to figure out how the pieces fit together. My husband and I even spent some time playing this one. Bonus… Everything fits inside the game tray, so it’s easy to store without taking up a bunch of space.

9. Time for Kids Books

These are filled with fun facts and vivid pictures of everything from lizards to planets to Benjamin Franklin. These books would motivate and hold the attention of reluctant readers. I’m guessing that they don’t even realize they’re learning as they read. 🙂 Double bonus!

10. Custom Tees from Petite Lemon

These adorable tees are made for girls or boys and are customized with the child’s name and initials. You can pick short-sleeved tees, long-sleeved tees, or baseball shirts in several different color schemes. I’m seeing an Emma tee under our tree this year. Shhh… Don’t tell! Be sure to check out the Petite Lemon website. They have the most adorable tees, growth charts, alphabet posters… all kinds of goodies!

11. Folding Trampoline

Getting exercise inside can be a challenge. Emma got this trampoline when she was 3. She used it with the safety bar then. She still uses it – DAILY – and will be able to up through 77 pounds. Ours has stood up to some serious use, and Emma’s friends love to use it when they visit.

12. Vtech InnoTab 2 Learning App Tablet

If you have an iPad, I’ll bet your kids are dying to get their hands on it. This is a great alternative. The Innotab 2 has a built-in camera, ebook reader, MP3 player, and video player. This might be a good way to protect your iPad and help them learn at the same time.

Don’t miss out on all of our gift guides. If you want to keep up with all of the gift guide posts, you can also click here to subscribe to the Saving & Giving Christmas Gift Guide email newsletter. (It’s free!) You’ll get an email any time we post a new gift guide. No gift guide… No email. We’re doing our best to make your shopping a little easier. 😉

The Giveaways

Now that you’ve checked out our ideas for kids, it’s time to give away a couple of gifts.

• One Saving & Giving reader will win a set of 9 Imagination Station books.
• One Saving & Giving reader will win a $50 gift card from Petite Lemon. 

Two great prizes that you could use for Christmas gift-giving! To enter just leave a separate comment on this post for each prize that you’re interested in. (Example: I’d love to win the books could be one comment and I’d love to get that tee could be another.) Be sure to say which you want (or leave a two comments if you want both).

Want an extra entry? Sign up for the Saving & Giving Christmas Gift Guide email newsletter and leave an extra comment saying that you did.

Entries will remain open until Monday, November 5, 2012 at 9 p.m. EST. One winner will be randomly chosen. The winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond. If there is no response, a new winner will be chosen.