Calling all parents of a toddlers, I can deeply understand the anxiety of trying to find a gift that is both fun but also educational! As the parent of a fiesty and lovable three year, I have seen a whole lot of change since he was two. Toddlers are learning and growing at such a exponential rate, you too probably see a whole lot of imaginative play and desire for independence that can drive you just a little bit crazy! This 2018 STEM Holiday Toddler Gift Guide has everything you need to find the perfect gift for your sweet toddler friends! Get ready for Black Friday and use this guide to shop for everything you need!
Most three years olds around this age are becoming more and more verbal and want to ask and have answers to every question that enters their mind…that delightful “why” phase! My son included. He has always been very verbal and now he has connected so much context to his questions, my husband and I often turn around in surprise by the things that he picks up and asks about.
I have also noticed that my child wants to be more and more independent from when he plays games to brushing his teeth. He wants to do everything “by myself” and can become very easily frustrated if it doesn’t work out the first time, so we have to keep teaching him to try again and to not get frustrated!
This Toddler Christmas Gift Guide carefully addresses all the ‘three-nager” needs as well as supporting the STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Math) development of fine motor skills and discovering the world around them…see you can find fun and educational- they won’t even realize that they are learning!
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The Most Popular 2018 Toddler Gift Guide
The One and Only Kinetic Sand, Folding Sand Box with 2lbs of Kinetic Sand
Amazon, $27.25
Kinetic Sand Ultimate Gift Set Includes Kinetic Sand and Sand Sandbox. It’s more fun when it’s Wacky! Kinetic Sand is the squeezable sand where you can FEEL the fun! You’ve seen it before, but you’ve never felt anything like it! Pack it, pull it, shape it and love it, Kinetic Sand is so incredible you can’t put it down. It’s kinetic - meaning it sticks to itself and not to you! It oozes, moves and melts right before your eyes. It flows through your fingers like a slow-moving liquid, but leaves them completely dry. Kinetic Sand stimulates children’s creative skills allowing them to create anything they can imagine over and over again. Kinetic Sand never dries out and is gluten free. This soft and stretchy sand easily cleans up while delivering non-stop fun! It’s squeezable sand you can’t put down. Feel the difference with Kinetic Sand!
- Kinetic Sand
- Kinetic Sand
- Kinetic Sand
Colorforms Retro The Original Set
Amazon, $29.66
The award-winning kit that started it all. The Retro Original Colorforms Set is just like the set that launched our brand in 1951. In the set is 350 brightly-colored geometric stick-ons in 5 different colors with a reversible 2-sided play board. It all comes in an elegant spiral bound book, with a presentation case that features the history of Colorforms. Children can make hundreds of different figures, patterns and shapes with the amazing Colorforms that adhere to any surface like magic. Peel the Colorforms off, and use them again and again. Winner of The Parent’s Choice Award for Top Classic Toy. This is a great gift for young children, and will be used for hours of creative play. For over 58 years, Colorforms has inspired young kids to follow their own imaginations. There’s no learning curve, no complicated instructions - kids just pick up Colorforms and start to play.
- Colorforms Retro
- Colorforms Retro
- Colorforms Retro
Juratoys Confetti Music Live Musical Set
Amazon, $47.47
Let your little one jam out with the Janod Confetti Music Live Musical Set. Perfect for solo or group play, the Janod Confetti Music Live Musical Set inspires children to enhance their creative and social skills. Plus, the Janod Confetti Music Live Musical Set includes five pieces a tambourine with cymbals, a guitar, a harmonica, a trumpet and a clapper. The Janod Confetti Music Live Musical Set is for ages 3 to 8 years old. Made of wood and painted with non-toxic paints, these musical instruments are perfectly safe for young musicians. This Musical Set is perfect for saving time, money, and headache while doubling the fun for children. It will make a thoughtful gift for any young boy or girl!
- Live Musical Set
- Live Musical Set
- Live Musical Set
Mag-Genius Award Winning building Magnet Tiles Blocks Clear Colors 3D Brain Building Blocks
Amazon, $49.99
The Mag-Genius series 1 more value than any other set. The Mag-Genius 111 piece set includes 2 car bases with wheels and thirteen different shapes so that kids can now stretch their imagination to the next level. More shapes means more designs and more designs means more hours of fun play. Educational fun: Mag-Genius shapes and patterns provide great motor skills. Encourages imaginative and creative play and enhances math, geometry and science skills. From flat designs to squares, pyramids, plus many more unlimited geometric shapes. Tiles easily connect, which prompts kids to move from constructing two-dimensional to three-dimensional creations. Magnificent high rise 3D towers are designed by kids who have developed into critical thinkers through creative play. As they build, kids develop tools for spatial problem-solving tasks, logical thinking and math reasoning.
- Magna-Tiles Kit
- Magna-Tiles Kit
- Magna-Tiles Kit
- Magna-Tiles Kit
Tegu 14 Piece Magnetic Wooden Block Set
Amazon, $35.00
“Click-Clack.” It’s the iconic sound of two Tegu Blocks coming together. Tegu has reinvented the wooden block in a way that brings new life to a favored classic. By safely embedding magnets into each piece, Tegu Blocks become curiously attractive for both kids and kids at heart. Defy gravity and push your imagination in ways never before possible. No instruction manuals or electronics; just toys that demand imagination and inspire limitless creativity across all ages. Open-ended play is endangered, but we’re bringing it back. Created with beautiful Honduran hardwoods and safe water-based finishes, these blocks have proven wildly addictive for kids (and kids at heart) and will encourage the simple joy of creating for generations.
- Tegu Magnetic Blocks
- Tegu Magnetic Blocks
- Tegu Magnetic Blocks
- Tegu Magnetic Blocks
- Tegu Magnetic Blocks
Hape Playfully Delicious Cook ‘n Serve Wooden Play Kitchen
Amazon, $112.99
With the Cook n’ Serve Kitchen from Hape Toys, prepare for your child to take on a whole new love of cooking! Designed with kids in mind, this kitchen is set at the perfect height to accommodate little ones, with tons of features that kids and parents alike will love. Features hooks for convenient storage, a side shelf that comes out for additional counter space and storage, and even a black board to announce the name of your restaurant and the specials of the day. Sweet memories are sure to come with family and friends alike!
- Cook ‘n Serve Kitchen
- Cook ‘n Serve Kitchen
- Cook ‘n Serve Kitchen
- Cook ‘n Serve Kitchen
- Cook ‘n Serve Kitchen
- Cook ‘n Serve Kitchen
Learning Resources Gears! Gears! Gears! Deluxe Building Set, 100 Pieces
Amazon, $25.94
Vibrant, spinning gears set imaginations in motion. GEARS! GEARS! GEARS! is a child’s introduction to the world of construction and movement. Bright colors and easy-to-assemble pieces encourage children to create moving masterpieces. There are so many ways to build and open-ended components mean there are no wrong ways to build. The set contains 100 sturdy pieces that snap together, challenging your child’s creativity. Children discover something new every time they play.
- Gears! Gears! Gears!
- Gears! Gears! Gears!
- Gears! Gears! Gears!
Janod Bikloon Red and White Balance Bike
Amazon, $99.99
Janod Red & White Balance Bike is a real wooden balance bike for helping your child learn how to keep their balance. Helps teach your child how to ride a bicycle without training wheels. Inflatable tires and height adjustable seat. Maximum weight 66 lbs. Recommended for children aged 3-6 years old.
- Janod Balance Bike
- Janod Balance Bike
- Janod Balance Bike
FAO Schwarz {150 Piece Set} Wooden Castle Building Blocks Set
Amazon, $39.99
Here’s the Kid-Approved & Parent-Recommended Building Blocks Set for Every Little Engineer, Knight, and Princess! Looking for a fun, exciting and stimulating construction set for your preschooler? Need a safe and durable building blocks set for your daughter or son? Presenting the Ultimate Educational Wooden Castle 150-Piece Classic Building Blocks Set by FAO Schwarz! Transport your child away from their “screens” and into a three-dimensional fantasy world. Spend endless hours building awe-inspiring castles, bridges and towers and role playing the medieval life of knights and legendary warriors! Spend quality time with your child and enjoy an amazing educational experience while having fun! STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) toys give kids the building blocks for future success.
- FAO Schwarz Wooden Castle Building Blocks
- FAO Schwarz Wooden Castle Building Blocks
- FAO Schwarz Wooden Castle Building Blocks
Melissa & Doug Order Up! Diner Play Set with Play Food - Be Cook, Server, or Customer
Amazon, $24.99
Who’s hungry for an extra-large serving of make-believe? This diner play set has everything kids four and up need to serve up heaping helpings of fun: a bell, tray, menu, play money, pitcher, reusable guest check, place setting, chef hat, apron, over 20 play food items, and lots more! The food pieces show uncooked versions on one side and cooked versions on the other side. The box sides flip down to create an authentic diner experience, with a cooktop on one side and customer counter on the other side. All pieces store inside the box for easy access and for fun on the go. This set encourages creative expression and imaginative play. Kids can be a chef, server, diner, or all three!
- Order Up! Diner Play Set
- Order Up! Diner Play Set
- Order Up! Diner Play Set
Boley 5 Piece Jumbo Dinosaur Set
Amazon, $28.99
Every Legendary Learning Dinosaur Set by Boley is a brand new opportunity for your child to dive into the world of exciting prehistoric creatures that once ruled the earth! Dinosaurs are real-life wonders of the world, with many weighing dozens of tons or towering over trees. Allow your children to experience the great and mighty creatures of old that dominated the world as apex predators. Early education has never been so exciting, wonderful, and awe-inspiring! Boley offers a wide variety of dinosaur sets with unique styles, different species of dinosaurs, and varying levels of fierceness catered to younger and older audiences. Embark on a legendary prehistoric adventure, and you’ll find that we never outgrow the child-like awe, imagination, and thrill that is inspired by the awesome and mighty dinosaurs from ages past.
- Boley Giant Dinosaurs
- Boley Giant Dinosaurs
- Boley Giant Dinosaurs
Take Apart Toys: STEM Learning Vehicles Play Set
Amazon, $35.99
Give your child every possible advantage
Nurturing mental and physical skills in your children is just as important as feeding and clothing them. The Toy Pal Take-Apart Vehicles Play Set exposes kids to important skills they’ll need to grow and thrive at home and professionally. This 7-piece STEM building kit sharpens fine-motor skills, hand-eye coordination and critical thinking, encouraging kids to analyze the world around them for a lifetime of possibilities. Our engaging take-apart vehicles are perfect for solo play or as a family activity. As kids become more adept at manipulating the tools and pieces, add a timer and race to see who can re-build each vehicle the quickest. Children will learn colors, simple construction parts and basic counting principles. When children work together, they’ll build communication and listening skills as they share assembly tips, and they’ll discover the value of teamwork. Toy Pal Take-Apart Vehicles are completely non-toxic for your peace of mind. There is no BPA, phthalates or lead used in their construction. Suitable for ages 3-8, there are 5 vehicles and 2 plastic screwdrivers. Kids will have hours of fun disassembling and re-assembling a train, plane, helicopter, motorcycle and ATV. These are the perfect rainy-day or quiet-time activities for curious young minds.
- STEM Take Apart Toys
- STEM Take Apart Toys
- STEM Take Apart Toys
Now that you have seen the official 2018 Toddler STEM Holiday Gift Guide…look out for our Mom and Working Women Guides too!
Read: How to plan & save money for the holidays on a tight budget
Read: 10 of the Best Christmas Holiday Traditions to Start this Year
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