10 Awesome Kids Birthday Party Gift Ideas!
Do you hate rushing out to the shops every five minutes to buy birthday gifts for your kids’ parties? And do you know what to buy? If you have a child in preschool or primary school, they will be invited to lots of birthday parties with many often clustered together. I remember at one stage when my children were 4 and 8 years old, taking them to at least 25 parties a year each which meant buying 50 gifts between them, let alone presents for their own birthdays!
To take some of your angst and time-pressure away I’ve created a selection of 10 really cool items that make great gifts – some for boys, some for girls and some unisex. Now go and get your shopping done and then relax! You might even want to keep a few extra gifts around so that you don’t panic next time you find a birthday party invitation in the bottom of your child’s school bag!
1
Paper Bag Puppets
3 – 7 years
1 – 5
Alex Toys
Keep little ones busy with this creative, fun and unusual paper bag puppet making kit. The box includes five individually wrapped adorable character puppets: a frog, chicken, lion, cow and an elephant with 5 coloured bags, 270 stickers and paper shapes, 1 chunky glue stick and easy picture instructions (no reading required). Children just have to peel, stick and glue to create some new fun friends they can use in their own puppet shows.
2
Doodle Tops
5 – 12 years
1+
U Create
A birthday present with a difference that will fascinate any child – a wind up spinning top that spins and draws at the same time. Insert the coloured felt tip pen of your choice, then wind up your spring loaded Doodle Top, press the button to release, and launch it onto the piece of paper in the lid of the box. Use the Doodle Top to make random, squiggly patterns or insert any paper or plastic stencils you may have at home into the box lid to create more structured designs. The deluxe kit comes with 3 Doodle Tops with a twister, 10 felt tip pens (including some metallic ink pens) and 20 pre-cut sheets of paper. The more you play, the more precise your colouring will be.
3
Flip Slide
7 years to adult
1+
Hasbro
Flipslide is an addictive, fast paced puzzle game of skill! A bit of electronic tech but without a screen. Master the moves to beat the blocks – flip to find the colour and slide to match the lights. If you don’t do it fast enough, it’s game over. Challenge yourself or play with friends. The only hard part is putting it down! The fun never ends with four game modes to choose from: Speed Mode, Multiplayer Mode, Level Mode or Memory Mode. Take it anywhere, play it anytime, it’s addictive fun for everyone.
4
Play-Doh Drill and Fill
3 – 7 years
1+
Hasbro
Kids will have so much fun playing dentist with this Play-Doh set with a difference. Finally, a chance to feel what it’s like on the other side of the chair! Start the patient’s appointment by shaping some teeth with the tooth moulds and checking for cavities with the mirror. Fill cavities by giving them a buzz with the electric drill and filling them in with coloured Play-Doh. Add some braces and keep the patient’s teeth nice and clean by squeezing some pretend toothpaste through the toothbrush. Set includes: head, drill, tweezers, roller, toothbrush, tooth mould, accessories, instructions, and 5 tubs of Play-Doh Brand Modelling Compound
5
Little Collect
3 – 5 years
2
Djeco
Win this endearing first board game by being the first player to collect 3 carrots, 3 peas, and 3 bunnies. Each player has their own circular playing board. On a player’s turn they pick up an action picture card and follow the instructions to either collect a pea, a carrot or a bunny rabbit. But, turn over a fox and you will lose a bunny – if you have one. A fabulous game that teaches the basic skills of taking turns, following rules, winning and losing and concentration. Takes just 10-minute to play and will keep your child coming back for more.
6
Decoupage Made Easy – Piggy Bank
6 – 10 years
1
Melissa and Doug
The perfect crafty gift that is easy and fun to put together as well as being mess-free. The end result is a beautiful functional decoupage piggy bank. The kit contains pre-cut round stickers in different sizes and in eight co-ordinating patterns. Simply press the stickers onto the adorable paper-maché pig. Overlap the stickers to create one-of-a-kind design. Then use the foam craft brush to coat the pig with glitter decoupage glue. Finish with the cute eye and nose stickers and let it dry. Now it’s time to start saving your pennies!
7
Navy Loto
3 – 6 years
2 – 6
Djeco
Fish for numbers and colours with this beautiful wooden magnetic fishing game. Every player takes a fish-shaped double-sided lotto card. One-side is for number matching and the other side for colour matching, making this a useful game for families with children across a wide age range. Everyone takes turns to fish. If you catch a match, put it on your lotto board. If not, put it back. The first person to cover all the fish on their board first is the winner. Teaches matching and observation skills. Can be played alone or competitively in a group.
8
Cranium Sculpt It
5 years to adult
2+
Hasbro
What could be more fun than a team guessing game that combines a board game with playdough? Cranium Sculpt-It is a co-operative game for younger children. Players must work together to use their imaginations and win as a team by sculpting and moulding the object shown on the picture card using the Cranium Clay. The other players then have to guess what they have created before the timer runs out. The first player to get 4 correct guesses wins the game. Great for imagination, collaboration and communication. Great fun.
9
Magnetic Dress Up Dolls
2 – 4 years
1
Melissa and Doug
Girls and boys both love dress up doll activities and wooden, magnetic dolls are so much fun for little ones. Choose from four different dolls: Princess Elise, Nina the Ballerina, Julia Dress-Up and Joey Dress Up. Each set comes with a magnetic wooden doll and stand with lots of colourful, attractive magnetic outfits and accessories. Children get to use their imaginations and fine motor control to dress their dolls and play out different scenes.
10
Nerf Duel Fury Demolition Set
4 – 7 years
1
Hasbro
Kids will have great fun shooting foam cars from a high-powered Nerf blaster. They can create their own awesome stunts to go high, go far and go fast. Play alone or take turns challenging friends. The set comes with the Nerf high-powered car blaster, 2 foam cars (so nothing will get damaged, and you can also purchase more foam cars to add to your collection), a long jump ramp and 4 obstacles to create different courses and extend the fun.