Educational Gifts for Kids – and Win!

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As the years go by there are so many toys in shops that it can be hard to know what to buy for children at Christmas. Because of the sheer volume of toys available I love to gift something more than a simple toy, something that children can learn from as well as enjoying.

Here are some gift ideas to suit all ages and I hope it gives you some inspiration when it comes to your Christmas shopping!

Read on for your chance to win a fantastic Sandart hamper worth over £100!

Creative gifts

Some of the best educational gifts for kids are creative ones, where children can use their imagination to create something exciting or fun. One of our favourite creative gifts is Bright Explorer from Battat Education. This educational light box playset effortlessly blends science with creativity, brightening play time and giving endless learning opportunities to children aged three and over.

It features colourful, translucent shapes, a sensory bin with shredded paper and a gorgeous light-up surface that highlights size, colour and texture, giving children so many sensory experiences and hands-on fun, helping kids to build on their observation skills, fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination as they play. Find out more here.

One of the most versatile creative gifts this year is Connetix Magnetic Tiles. This Connetix 50 Piece Pastel Transport Pack has been designed with vehicle enthusiasts in mind, allowing children to imagine and create endless vehicle designs whilst dealing with magnetism, shapes and colours. Connetix helps children learn about engineering principles like stability, balance, and symmetry all while engaging in imaginative play. Connetix are available in a variety of set sizes and colours. See the full range here.

Plus-Plus has been one of our top toys to gift for a few years now but this year we’ve discovered Plus-Plus BIG, a bigger version of classic Plus-Plus that is perfect for little hands. Available in a range of colours, Plus-Plus BIG is suitable for children over 18 months, letting them build all manner of things whilst practicing their fine motor skills. You can see the full Plus-Plus BIG range here.

Another great creative gift is Sandart. Sandart produce a vast range of high quality kits that have everything children need to create sand based masterpieces. Easy to use, there are kits for all ages that use a adhesive backgrounds and a simple peel and pour method to create all manner of sand masterpieces. From bookmarks and frames to pictures and fridge magnets, there’s a kit for everyone this Christmas. You can see the full Sandart range here and read on for your chance to win £100 of Sandart products!

Toys and games

We have always loved jigsaw puzzles for their educational benefits and the range of 10 in 1 Toddler Jigsaws from Boppi are some of our favourites this year. Available in Vehicles, Dinosaurs, Farmyard and Jungle Safari themes, each set contains ten puzzles, with each one using between two and six pieces. They’re great first jigsaws for young children and even have a fold out play sheet so they can see the finished jigsaws in their natural environment – placing farm animals on a farm or vehicles on a road – really adding to the educational value of this great jigsaw set. See the full Boppi range here.

We always love Orchard Toys for educational games and one of our top choices this Christmas is Buzz Words. Aimed at ages 2-6, this game gets children to race to make the most words. It’s a fun, fast-paced literacy game that has four fun ways to play, plus extra activities to extend learning. You can see the full Orchard Toys range here.

Another great choice where games are concerned is pretty much anything from Adventerra Games who create eco-friendly games that teach kids how to care for the planet whilst having fun! Mission Ocean is an underwater adventure where kids work together to clean up the ocean and save sea creatures from plastic pollution! It teaches children the importance of reducing waste and protecting marine life whilst enjoying a really fun game. You can see the full Adventerra Games range here.

Playmobil has always been one of our favourite educational toys, with so many sets that help to aid a child’s development through play, teaching children about all aspects of life like animals, home, school and the wider world. But now there’s a new Playmobil Junior range aimed at helping young children to play and grow. Made specifically for toddlers, the range includes a diverse selection of play sets that are not only fun but also environmentally conscious, made with plastics where at least 90% has been derived from plant origins, reinforcing Playmobil’s commitment to sustainability. You can see the full Playmobil Junior range here.

Fidget toys are a great educational tool, not only giving a child something to fidget and play with but also helping them to focus on whatever else is going on at the same time. Our latest discovery is HEXEL from Plus-Plus, an everyday fidget toy for children that has been crafted with six Plus-Plus pieces and connected by a flexible cord. HEXEL bends, twists, and connects to allow children to create so many different mesmerising forms and is available in a range of colours too.

Technology

All kids love a techy gift but it’s nice to find something that they’ll love even more than a mobile phone or tablet computer. One of our favourite techy yet educational gifts for kids this year is the Yoto Player, a gift that will inspire them to turn their screens off and their imaginations on!

Yoto is an interactive audio platform for kids which offers over 1,000 audio titles spanning stories, songs, activities, and more to inspire creative play and learning without a screen. The Yoto Player puts kids safely in control with no cameras, no microphones and no ads.

The Yoto Player allows children to be independent, choosing cards and listening to whatever they want to listen to. With up to 24 hours playback on a single charge as well as a built in nightlight, clock and room thermometer, it’s a great gift for all children this year and is aimed at children aged 3-12+. You can find out more about Yoto here.

Another fantastic choice this Christmas is the Voxblock Audiobook Player. This screen free children’s audiobook player is aimed at children aged 3 – 12 and is used alongside a range of tangible books that slot into the player – requiring no cables or even wifi. Voxblock comes in a choice of colours and has a rechargeable battery plus can be used with the integrated speakers or with headphones making it great for travel like long car journeys. We love that Voxblock encourages independent listening and they have a range of great starter sets aimed at different age ranges. Easy to use and long lasting, Voxblock would make a great gift this Christmas.

Books

Books are always a great Christmas gift and Space: From Sputnik to the International Space Station is the perfect gift for any space fan. It’s a beautifully illustrated and entertainingly informative history of space travel that is certain to fuel young readers’ curiosity about all things related to space.

And now you have a chance to win!

I have teamed up with Sandart to give away a fantastic hamper of Sandart goodies worth £100! To enter simply complete one or more entries on the Rafflecopter below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I could have gone on for pages and pages with this gift guide. There are so many great educational gift options to suit every budget. I hope this has helped you get some inspiration with your Christmas shopping!

You can see all our other Christmas gift guides here.