Even though I have lots of nieces and nephews to buy gifts for this Christmas, this gift guide actually includes all the gifts I’ve chosen for the charity gift appeal that I support every year. The Benjamin Foundation collects gifts to give to children aged 6+ within its family support service.
These are just some of the gifts I’ll be taking to the charity next week and I’m so excited to share these ideas for fun, funny and even educational presents that are suitable for primary-school aged children.
Tiny tech
Let’s take tech back to basics if you’re thinking of giving a tech-themed gift to your kids this year. How about giving them the gift of creativity with the Photo Creator Instant Print Camera? The touchscreen camera with LED flash is designed for young children to operate and provides the excitement of an instant print-out, so they can see their photos immediately.
The kit includes printer paper for 100 photos, but there’s no waste with this camera – the user can take 48MP photos and HD videos, which can be stored on the included MicroSD card, allowing them to print out just their favourite photos and delete the blurry ones!
I think it’s so great that everything the child needs is already in the box – the printer paper, wrist lanyard, memory card – plus, it’s rechargeable, so there’s a USB cable and no need for batteries on Christmas morning. The kit encourages creativity, enabling youngsters to apply filters, use flash, choose colourways for the prints and customise photos with the included stickers.
I can just imagine how much fun a child will have on Christmas morning after unwrapping this fabulous photography gift. They’ll be able to instantly capture your family gathering and can scrapbook the highlights of the rest of the school holidays with their print-outs, making this a present that they’ll use all year round.
If you were a child of the 80s, you probably remember digital pets being the must-have Christmas gift in the 90s. I was so happy when I received one and spent months feeding it, playing with it and keeping it alive. So why not bring a touch of nostalgia and the innocence of vintage tech when you’re choosing a festie gift for your family member this year?
That’s why I’ve chosen the Care Bears Digital Pet as a fun, physical techy gift – much better than a digital download! These pocket-sized pets blend end-of-the-century charm with modern play and bring the iconic Care Bears to life through expressive pixel animations, mini-games and daily care moments that teach empathy and emotional awareness.
Fun and games
If I’ve learnt anything from my nieces, it’s that they love playing with dolls. And specifically, they adore Our Generation dolls. I think it’s the fun of playing with a child-like doll who’s just like them – they can easily imagine the doll’s character, and it must be enjoyable to put together outfits to dress them up, just like having a fun friend to play with.
The doll I’ve chosen is one I haven’t seen before – the Poppy Hair Play doll. I remember it being the most fun to play at hairstyling, and this doll has plenty of long hair to brush, plait and put up. Poppy’s braid can be made longer or shorter at the push of a button, and she comes with two colourful hair extensions, heart-shaped clips, a comb, and a styling booklet to help little ones get started – perfect for kids who love to try new hairstyles.
With so many dolls, playsets and accessories available in the Our Generation range, this gift could be the start of a season of gifting for you; for each birthday and special occasion throughout the coming year, you can head straight to the Our Generation collection to treat your little one to a new outfit or themed kit for their doll.
A gift range that I return to time and again is the Natural History Museum’s online shop, where I can always find fun yet educational gifts for children. This year, I’ve chosen the Dinosaur edition of Guess Who? to give to the children aged 3+ through the charity gift appeal.
The classic guessing game has been given a dinosaur-themed makeover that not only makes it more fun for kids to play, but it also teaches youngsters about dinosaur names and features in a truly interesting way. It’s educational, without youngsters realising that they’re learning, which makes it the perfect gift for budding palaeontologists.
I’ve played all different kinds of Guess Who? games with my young nephews and nieces, and the best thing about this game is that family members of all ages can all enjoy playing it together, on a fairly even playing field. I don’t mind saying that I’m often beaten by younger competitors because they come up with the most interesting questions to narrow down the options!
Books, books, books
If you’re posting a present to a child, a book is a great solution. It’s easy to wrap and post and the books in this selection are light enough and slim enough to be posted alongside a Christmas card as a ‘large letter’. But it doesn’t have to just be one book – if you’re giving the gift in person, you could buy the whole collection, providing youngsters with plenty of reading options for the new year.
There are a couple of book series that I like at the moment, including the garden birds series from the ‘Enchanted Nature’ collection. These are beautifully illustrated books for children aged 5–7, that are fully decodable and aligned with phonics letters and sounds.
The collection follows some of the UK’s most popular birds through the seasons – including a festive robin and a snowy starling book – helping younger children improve their reading and speaking skills, while discovering the rhythms of the natural world. And, at under £6 each, it’s a frugal gift too.
Another series I love, with a very fun aspect, is the Stickery Stories range, including the newly published title ‘Casper and the Christmas Chaos!’. The books contain stickers so that children can create their own story as they work their way through the book.
Therefore, the collection sparks children’s creativity and actively encourages little ones to read. I’m impressed with the interactive learning element of this book series, plus the most recent release is packed full of festive fun, making it an enjoyable activity for family members to enjoy together.
Again, the low price point makes each book a perfect stocking filler, or you can group all three books together as a special gift for underneath the tree. The ‘Christmas Chaos’ book would also make a great addition to your family’s Christmas Eve box if you follow that tradition, or could be added to your DIY book advent calendar this year.
I hope this selection of gifts for primary-school-aged children has helped you to source some lovely gifts for the younger members of your family. Let me know in the comments below if you have come across any other must-have presents for this Christmas, I’d love to hear your ideas!
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Some items in this blog post have been gifted to me and the pink links indicate a gifted product, affiliate link or information source. All thoughts and opinions in this post are based on my own experience and I am not responsible for your experience 🙂
2 responses
Thank you so much Tamyra! 🙂
Wonderful ideas