How to Pick the Perfect Gifts for Preschoolers
Gift giving season is here, and as you pick gifts for preschoolers on your list, choosing the right one can make all the difference. I’ve partnered with Educents to share with you how to make the most of gift giving. These tips will help you find the toys that will be played with daily, loved to death, and teach those valuable life skills that kids learn through play.
Choose according to their personality:
Knowing the personality of the preschooler you are buying for can help you nail that perfect gift.
For example, M is an active child, who jumps for the sake of jumping. He is also sensory seeking in the vestibular sense (more on that later), making a balance bike the perfect option for him.
If you have a child who loves to see results, but isn’t necessarily creative, a craft kit with a very specific project can be great. For a child who is creative, but is less result-oriented, craft or art supplies can be the winner.
Find the life skill that needs more developing:
While we already taught M how to pedal with training wheels this summer, he is far from being able to ride without.
He’s been falling a lot, and while we’re working on helping him formally, there are small things that we know we can do at home. Since pedaling and balance are two totally separate skills, and he is significantly behind in vestibular skills, we wanted something to help him improve.
M has a long way to go until he can really nail the balance bike, but that just shows it’s the perfect gift for him. Since that’s something he still needs to develop, giving him a fun way to do it is the perfect way to go.
When seeking out the perfect gifts for preschoolers, finding an area that needs practice and giving them a FUN way to do it helps you get the most out of your gift. Educents features different areas of interest in their gift guide, allowing you to easily find that area you want to work on.
It doesn’t have to be an “educational toy” to be educational! Children learn life skills through every day play. Finding that life skill that needs “encouraging”, and getting a toy that helps develop it is a great way to delight a child and put a smile on her face.
Know what they like:
His favorite color. Her obsession with vehicles. His passion for tech.
Even when you’re working within a certain category, getting the right color or theme can take your gift further.
The moment we opened the Strider bike for M, he said “it’s a blue one!! My regular bike is green. I like this one, because it’s blue!”
Make the most of gift guides:
You don’t even need to do your own research – gift guides are the way to go, and I personally use them when searching for the right gift.
Educents has put together this amazing gift guide – sorted by age, gender, interest, and more – so that you can whittle down the options to those few that would work for you, and choose from there.
Complete the picture:
Give a gift that’s usable on the spot! Include batteries if you’re giving a battery-operated toy. Include a helmet if you’re giving a bike. An instructional book to go with that new art material. You can even bundle a few board games and call it a “game night” for a well-rounded, fun gift.
What are your best tips for choosing the perfect gifts for preschoolers – or any age group? Visit the Educents Gift Guide and comment below!
Trying to find out how to make something from a puzzle or can be made into a puzzle. You have it listed under pre school but I can’t get a photo or info to come up. Thanks for all you do!!!!!!!
Hi Karen, I’m not sure I know which idea you’re talking about. I haven’t made something like that. It could be that I linked to something like that once, but I’m not remembering – I’m sorry!