Tech Savvy Mama

Parenting in the Digital Age

2022 Gift Guide: Best Gifts for Toddlers & Preschoolers

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

Even though my kids are in high school and college, my Best Gifts for Toddlers & Preschoolers will always have a special place in my heart. The inspiration to start gift guides came from my kids when they were this age.

 Every year my Best Gifts for Toddlers & Preschoolers list reflects the innocence and curiosity of this age group. Toddlers and preschoolers have a pure view of the world yet are completely honest. They bring you into their fantastical minds through imaginary play and see the world as a wondrous place.

Best Gifts for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Best Gifts for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Kids between the ages of 2-4 need gifts that will let them explore, figure out the world through play, and engage their imagination. The best gifts for toddlers and preschoolers let them develop social and emotional skills while fostering a love of learning. Encourage beginning math and reading skills while stimulating social and emotional growth, but don’t push too hard. Let them be curious and explore through toys, experiences, and products that will inspire them.

Here are my 10 best gifts for toddlers and preschoolers.

Duck Duck Books Bilingual Books for Kids ($8.99 each)

Here to make early learning memorable and impactful, Duck Duck Books is a Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) certified publisher of the most delightful multilingual board books for children that represent multicultural values, with themes around emotional intelligence and early social skills. With themes around emotional intelligence and early social skills, each Duck Duck Book product is made with love by creators of color, with the goal to lift up unique voices, support BIPOC communities, and leave the planet better for young readers. Titles introduce language learning, cultivate emotional intelligence, and instill eco-conscious lifestyles. I love theDuck Duck Gift Swaddle, a zero-waste, reusable, washable wrapping cloth that’s an ecologically-friendly alternative to single-use wrapping paper that makes your gift immediately ready to give right out of the box.

Brio Builder Starter Set (currently on sale for $27.48 on Amazon, normally $34.99)

 Brio Builder Starter Set

The Brio Builder Starter Set has 49 pieces for creative toddlers. With nuts, bolts, a spanner, pliers, and more, there are plenty of tools and pieces for budding engineers to engage in imaginative play all day long. Best for ages 3+

Little Genius Starter Kit from Osmo (iPad version is currently on sale for $41.99 on Amazon, normally $79.99)

Inspire a love of learning with the award-winning Little Genius Starter Kit. Learning kit includes 4 educational game apps that help kids with letter recognition, phonics, drawing, social-emotional learning, problem-solving and more through hands-on play. Interactive learning games teach core subjects in the most innovative way possible. The kit includes: Osmo Base & Reflector for iPad or Kindle Fire, 19 cardboard pretend play costume pieces, 38 silicone sticks/rings (BPA Free and Dishwasher Safe) to practice letter forming, silicone game play mat, stackable storage for game pieces & 4 Game Apps: ABCs, Costume Party, Stories, and Squiggle Magic. iPad and Kindle Fire sold separately Best for ages 3-5

Puffer Hug ($39.99)

Nothing is better than giving a hug, especially when it’s a Puffer Hug! This stylish wrap features a durable puffer exterior and soft fleece interior to keep kids cozy and warm. The 2 deep pockets are perfect for keeping hands warm or gathering treasures on winter walks. The Puffer Hug comes in 4 different colors (red/gray fleece, gray/yellow fleece, gray/black fleece, or navy/gray fleece) and in kid friendly unisex sizes 60”L x 10”W.  Best for ages 4+

A Very Asian Guide to Korean Food ($19.95)

A Very Asian Guide to Korean Food is a wonderfully illustrated picture book that introduces young readers to classic and modern Korean dishes and provides fun facts about the foods and culture of Korea. It also teaches children about understanding the customs and traditions of Korea while celebrating them. You’ll love sitting down to read how kimchi is made or discovering what makes a Korean fried chicken so crispy. Author Michelle Li brings pride and energy for her Korean culture through her first book. Illustrator Sunnu Rebecca Choi does a delightful job using mixed media to create vibrant dishes on each page that are sure to make you hungry! Best for ages 3+

Blanket and Book Gift Set from Binks & Books ($36)

Winter is the perfect time for snuggling up and reading together, especially with Binks & Books Blanket and Gift Sets. I love the combo of a matching book and a fleece blanket centered around classic stories. Each set includes a super-snuggly printed Luster Loft fleece baby blanket and an extended version of a classic nursery rhyme board-book. Each book and blanket set comes packed in a beautifully printed gift set. Choose from these 4 cozy bedtime stories with a matching 28″ x 38″ blanket:

  • Hey, Diddle Diddle:14 Pages, Original Artwork by Mary Manning. Written by Melissa Everette.
  • Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star:17 Pages, Original Artwork by Oksana Pasishnychenko. Written by Melissa Everette.
  • Hush, Little Baby: 17 Pages, Original Artwork by Ivana Forgo. Written by Melissa Everette.
  • Itsy Bitsy Spider:19 Pages, Original Artwork by Sachin Gupta. Written by Lucy Bell.

Spin-a-Roo from ThinkFun ($21.99)

Spin-a-roo is a fun, fast-paced sorting and counting game with two ways to play. Early learners will enjoy the sorting game – a race to match the most numbers and colors on their card! Advanced learners will love the counting game – a race to collect the most tokens by counting up and down from one to ten. With a device that makes colorful tokens appear like magic, Spin-a-roo keeps young learners excited about practicing their sorting and counting skills in an engaging way. Best for ages 4+

Blast Off Backpack ($55) and Lunch Box ($35) from Wanderwild

A new backpack has the power to generate excitement about going to school and who wouldn’t love the Blast Off Backpack from Wanderwild! The fun print features a variety of spacecraft to inspire young STEMinists love of space and exploring. The durable backpack is designed to go to school with students through the fifth grade. It can be used for activities from PreK through 8th. Pick up the matching lunchbox (sold separately) to complete the set so they’ll be ready to blast off to school after winter break. I’m in love with the red trim on the lunchbox! Best for ages 3+

Mini Soccer Goal Sets from Franklin Sports ($24.99)

Keep kids active during the winter months with a backyard soccer goal set that is perfect for introducing kids to soccer or helping them practice skills in the backyard, at the park, or in the basement rec room. This set features quick fold corner joints that fold and lock into place for easy assembly or break down of the goal in seconds. It’s also highly portable and easy to move or store in seconds. Franklin Sports’ Mini Soccer Goal Sets comes with everything little athletes need to practice and develop their skills, including an easy-fold kids soccer goal, 1 rotation molded soccer ball, and 1 inflation pump (needle found in pump handle).

Melissa & Doug Examine and Treat Pet Vet Play Set (currently on sale for $25.99 on Amazon, normally $37.99)

Young animal lovers will love pretending to give stuffed pets checkups as they role play being veterinarians. This vet playset helps develop problem solving skills and promotes empathy through imaginative, role play as kids care for pets using instruments similar to those used by veterinarians. Best for ages 3+

Robot Factory Domino from Hape ((currently on sale for $44.89 on Amazon, normally $49.99)

Hape’s Robot Factory Domino set includes two double-sided ball tracks, which feature a normal track and a zig-zag track to teach physics concepts such as potential energy, momentum, and gravity in a hands-on way. With this exciting robot-themed domino set, kids will use stored potential energy to catapult a wooden ball into the air, watch as the momentum wheel turns, and experience the gravity release arm. This wooden toy set contains a tipper car, crazy ball track, tipper arm and series of ramps form an exciting robot production line that you can build again and again.  Best for ages 4+

2022 Holiday Gift Guides

2022 Holiday Gift Guides

AGE APPROPRIATE GIFT GUIDES

SPECIALTY GIFT GUIDES:

FAVORITE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDES FROM LAST YEAR

2019 Holiday Gift Guides

Need other ideas? Here’s a look at last year’s 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 and all opinions are my own.

 

Note to PR: The period for accepting items for age specific gift guides has ended but I am happy to accept items for review to consider for specialty guides. Please be specific about the products you’d like me to consider reviewing in your pitch and thanks for understanding I’m on a short deadline to get most gift guides wrapped up before Thanksgiving and do not have the bandwidth to return samples during this extremely busy time of the year.