Dear friends,
I know it’s only November, but in my experience, early gift purchasing is the key to a stress free Advent…
So if you’re after some inspiration for gifts for loved ones, I’ve shared all of the things our family have enjoyed and cherished over the years. No “new toys of 2025”, just solid, well loved toys in our home that have stood the test of time. For reference, we have a 8, 6, 2 year old and 4 month old twins.
I hope you find inspiration here! Enjoy!
P.s if you’d like to just skip to the Amazon storefront where all of these lists and items are found…
Otherwise, keep scrolling!
- We love all of Sarah’s silks products. They encourage imaginative play, fit any age, are exceptional quality and never grow old!
- Earth Paints face paint - they are truly non toxic, all natural ingredients and beautifully earthy tones.
- Perla beads have been something my daughter comes back to again and again.
- Heidi is such a delightful read for the whole family, but especially adored by little girls and we have the perfect faith based companion to go with it, helping you transform story time into a space for faith building conversations.
- Our daughter loves all of the animal bingos but especially this one!
- Pom poms are such an easy but satisfying thing to make and these Pom Pom makers make it even easier!
- The Flower Fairy poetry book is one of our most beloved books. Bethel always chooses this one to read from during Poetry Tea time.
- Watercolour paints are a staple in our home and this kit is particularly high quality, making it much more enjoyable and easy to use.
- Origami is also a real hit here and this nature based set is a delight!
- The Megladon remote control toy - this has provided hours of outdoor fun. It’s pretty indestructible, having lasted us 3 years now.
- Sillbird Robot - my son built this (with a lot of help) at age 6. He thoroughly enjoyed it and it was tremendous fun to play with once built as it’s remote controlled.
- Tegu - we have built up a large collection of these and they are played with almost daily (it does require buying a couple of sets to make it worth it, especially if you have multiple children). The story behind the company is a delight too, as they are a Christian start up, using renewable non toxic materials (wood) and providing jobs in a poor region of Honduras.
- This magnetic wooden chess set has been perfect for my son to learn on. It folds away nicely and has been great quality for the price.
- Makedo kits are great fun as they allow you to transform ordinary cardboard boxes into endless structures.
- 3 in 1 LEGO sets have been a hit here as they’re quick to build but provide lots of variety.
- The STEM electrics kit we bought last year has been played SO frequently. There are so many experiments you can do on it that it never loses its shine.
- Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is a fast paced, fun, silly game that we all just love!
- The Light Keepers set for boys is full of inspirational stories of great men of faith. Perfect to inspire the young boys in your life.
- Grimms - we have the pyramid, rainbow, semi circles and 1001 nights - the creative play has been endless, as well as loose parts to decorate with. My son, who loves to build, has built such varied and wonderful creations.
- These Tegu toys designed for littler hands.
- All of the Julia Donaldson books have been a hit here. They’re beautifully rhythmic, fun and have captivating illustrations.
- Orchard Games make perfect games for preschoolers. We have several different ones from their range and they’ve all been a hit for the whole family, particularly the Shopping List game.
- We take our magnifying glasses everywhere to help little hands fall in love with exploration.
- Elsa Beskow’s books are truly special. She is known as the Beatrix Potter of Scandinavia!
- Lastly, balance bikes are a true must! They have made learning to ride a bicycle much smoother for all of our kids (who could all ride by 3 years old).
Well done for getting to the end of this email, it was a long one! I hope that you and your family are blessed by this list and my lists for him and her (mum and dad) will be with you later on this week!
Many blessings,
Jessica
p.s if your head is not quite in Christmas yet, but you’re looking for a book to cosy up with the kids Autumn, may I gently encourage you to consider Anne of Green Gables or the Jungle Book. I have faith based companions available for both and you can find out what Beth @littleworldwanderers and Whitney @Brighterdaypress are saying about them below…
For the Anne of Green Gables guide, they're here:
For those in the US
For those in the UK
For the Jungle Book, they're here:
For the US
For the UK
