Tech Savvy Mama

Parenting in the Digital Age

Best Gifts for Early Elementary Ages (grades K-2, ages 5-8)

By

The links in this post are affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on a link. 

In my former life as a first grade teacher, I got to know early elementary ages quite well. My students always had a wide spectrum of knowledge so I know that kids this age are the same way. Kindergarten through second graders are experiencing huge growth in their social, emotional, and academic skills so gifts for this age group should allow them to have fun while practicing what they know. Knowing your kids and their interests and skills should always drive your purchases but if you’re in need of ideas, here are my top gifts for early elementary ages that have the power to increase their confidence and self-esteem.

Best Gifts for Early Elementary Ages

Best Gifts for Early Elementary Ages

Recycled Paper Beads Kit ($12.50)

Kids can channel their inner crafter while you reinforce the value of recycling thanks to this recycled paper beads kit that makes it easy to make beautiful beads out of strips of paper. Simply insert strips of paper into the tool and turn the handle to create decorative paper beads that will be dropped into a plastic bottle. Making the beads is only half the fun because then they can be strung together to make custom jewelry that saves the planet! For ages 5+

Light-Up Terrarium Kit ($29.99)

Terrariums allow kids to discover the beauty of nature inside and there’s nothing better to inspire a love of the environment during the cold winter months than with their own living garden that they can keep in their rooms. This all-inclusive kit a 4×6” terrarium jar, light-up jar lid, Micro-USB charging cable, easy step-by-step instruction booklet for all ages, soil, blue sand, river rocks, wheatgrass and chia seeds, small bunny and mushroom miniatures, removable stickers for decoration, spray bottle, and wooden stick to aid in planting the seeds. Kids will also love the switching on the light and watching their terrarium turn into a gorgeous illuminated tabletop garden at night. For ages 6+

Color My Worlds Sand and Snow Coloring Kit ($23.99)

Snowy winter wonderlands are great but sometimes you need to add a little color and it couldn’t be easier for your kids to turn the white landscape into their technicolor dreamscape. Color My Worlds Sand and Snow Coloring Kit makes it easy to literally color your world thanks to a 14-piece kit that includes durable snow brick maker, 2 plastic spray bottles, 10 color tablets that make 100% washable colors, a colorful tote bag for easy storage, and creative building idea sheets to spark their creativity. Kids will love practicing their color mixing to create secondary colors out of primary ones to color their snowmen, snowballs, icicles, and more. This kit can also be used with sand in the summer. While you’re shopping, add on a Color My Worlds Refill Color Tablets (10 for $7.99) because what came with the set won’t be enough once your child gets started!

Hot Wheels Track Builder System Race Crate ($49.99)

Building, racing, creativity, and STEM skills come together in the Hot Wheels Track Builder System Race Crate that has everything your young thrill seeker needs to assemble and reconfigure stunts on tracks like Gravity Drop, Mega Jump, and Drag Race. With three stunts in one set, kids can race, stunt and challenge friends with everything they need for hours of fun thanks to options that create different obstacles. Parents will love that the crate is portable- just fold it up and place all the parts inside for easy transport and storage. For ages 6+

LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar ($44.48)

The fun of this advent calendar is opening a door to find 24 different LEGO Star Wars toys behind each one. It includes vehicles (The Ghost, The Phantom, Stormtrooper transport, Rey’s speeder, Millennium Falcon, Snow speeder, Kylo Ren’s Command Shuttle, Y-wing, TIE Striker, Hover tank, AT-ST), 7 minifigs, and a fun holiday themed figure that your elementary aged child will love playing with to create their own Star Wars adventures using playmats featuring Jakku, star killer bace, and deep space play scenes. A great companion gift is the LEGO Millennium Falcon™ Microfighter ($9.99), a pocket-sized 92 piece LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon toy that includes a Chewbacca figure. For ages 6+

Giant Cheeseburger Snow Tube ($24.99)

What’s one way to be sure you’ll never lose your child sledding? Have them ride down the hill on a giant inflatable cheeseburger! This 3 foot wide snow tube is made of heavy-duty PVC to provide a smooth, cushy ride for your child as they go barreling down the hill, gripping the handles. Not a fan of the Cheeseburger Snow Tube? BigMouth Inc. has a collection of inflatable snow tubes ranging From emoji sleds, animals (unicorn, flamingo, Yeti, etc) to pink sprinkle donuts and pizza tubes so you’ll be able to find one that your child (and you!) will love!

MasterChef Junior Cooking Essentials Set ($39.99)

Inspire your kids to engage in some kitchen chemistry alongside you while they learn important skills thanks to this 9 piece set of cooking essentials. This MasterChef Junior set contains high-quality cookware that includes an apron, cutting board, mixing bowl, measuring cups, measuring spoon, spatula, spoon, tongs, and recipe cards to help them get started in the kitchen. I love that these cooking tools feature kid-safe, non-slip silicone grips that are perfect for chefs in training! For ages 5+

United States Geography Bingo ($18.95)

There’s no better way to inspire a love of geography than by getting acquainted with our country than playing United States Geography Bingo. Playing pieces feature icons symbolizing key industries and wildlife associated with each state plus additional information about the states can be found on the back of each card. The included cloth bag is perfect for storing the 6 bingo cards and 84 playing piece whether you’re playing at home or on your family’s next road trip. For ages 5+

The Incredibles Save the Day Game ($19.99)

Trouble is erupting across the city, but the Incredibles can save the day and your kids can help by working together. This game involves using each character’s unique power to complete challenges and thwart crimes all while trying to save Jack-Jack! As the alarm goes off across the city, players spring into action to stop a bank robbery, save a cat from a tree, or rescue people from a burning building. As each crime is revealed, tiles are flipped over on the game board changing the paths and creating a unique game with a different strategy every time. This game will build confidence as kids work together to be the heroes who defeat the villains and save the citizens.

Rainbow Scratch Art Notes ($9.99)

There is beauty in the simplicity of scratching off the black coating of these are notes to reveal a colorful rainbow background. This set of 125 square notecards is perfect for sending a note or greeting, jotting a reminder, writing a colorful poem, doodling, list making, creating mini works of art using the included stylus, and whatever else your child might imagine! The Rainbow Scratch Art Notes set includes dispenser box, two wooden styluses and four stencils with star, animal and flower shapes. If silver and sparkly is preferred over rainbows, check out the Holographic Scratch Off Mini Notes set ($9.99 for 150 sheets).

Yummy Yummy Scented Glitter Gel Pens– set of 12 ($9.75)

Fun pens encourage a love of writing and art and this set of 12 glitter gel pens is as yummy as they appear! Amazing gel ink color sparkles with amazing glitter and the pens provide a smooth and precise writing or drawing experience, making them great for coloring and art projects. The assortment consists of 12 fruity scents including: lime, banana, orange, cherry, strawberry, grape, green apple, black berry, blueberry, watermelon, coconut and pineapple and comes packaged in a clear plastic box so they’re easy to take anywhere and everywhere!

KiwiCrate ($19.95/month)

While Tadpole Crate is for toddlers and preschoolers, KiwiCrate’s is specifically designed for early elementary ages. Each month’s box provides kids with a maker project to explore art, science, and engineering through hands-on creative learning. Explore! Magazine contains just-right comics, experiments, and games to extend learning and parents can access online tutorials and DIY projects to further develop their child’s interests. For ages 5+

Card Games from Hoyle ($5.99 each)

Highly affordable and effective in teaching academic and social/emotional skills in a fun way, these card games from Hoyle make a great gift because each can be played in 15 minutes or less by 2-4 players. Here’s a summary of each of the different games designed for ages 4-6

  • Sharks Are Wild– Teaches sequence building and numeral identification
  • Catch ‘N Fish– Teaches number sentences and numeral values
  • Monkey May I?– Teaches counting by fives and TENS and simple addition and subtraction
  • Super Me!- Helps kids learn empathy, helping others and social skills
  • Piggy Bank– Teaches counting by fives and TENS and simple addition and subtraction

2018 Holiday Gift Guides

AGE APPROPRIATE GIFT GUIDES:

SPECIALTY GIFT GUIDES:

NEED MORE IDEAS? VISIT MY PAST EARLY ELEMENTARY GIFT GUIDES:

I hope you enjoy this year’s picks and wish you happy and stress-free holiday shopping!

Samples were received to facilitate this post and affiliate links are included. No compensation was received for this post or hosting this giveaway and all opinions are my own.