Around our house, we typically stick with the Something You Want, Something You Need, Something to Wear, Something to Read philosophy when it comes to kid gifts. The focus is definitely on the “read” (I use it as an opportunity to buy lots of fun books for homeschooling or read-aloud) and one really fun “want” (the “wear” and the “need” are pretty minimal).

Regardless of your gift-giving philosophy, chances are, you’ve still got a kiddo–whether your own or someone else’s–left to buy for. So, I’ve rounded up some Amazon options for your viewing pleasure. Hopefully, at least one of them fills a “necessary” gap.

gift guide for kids

It’s hard to go wrong with crafty presents, and this translucent colored glue would make a great addition to anyone’s art caddy.

And then there’s this Little Experimenter Globe. It lights up and has a petite size (8″) for little hands.

This Crafty Connect building set is a fun, educational alternative to Legos. Cheaper too (per size of the plastic, anyway). (P.S. Theo just saw the picture of these and said, “Mama, I wish I could have some of those.” Okay, kiddo).

We have this fun, colorful adding abacus, and, while the twins are a bit old for it, Theo loves playing with it at this point, and I can see its being a really useful tool when I start teaching him more formally.

A friend turned me onto Yeti in My Spaghetti a few weeks back, and I love how simple, multiple-age friendly/entertaining it is.

I mean, what little girl wouldn’t squeal with delight upon receiving DISNEY! PRINCESS! NAIL! POLISH!

My mom has one of these, and my kids love to pile on it with their cousins and swing, swing, swing!

Okay, so, depending on your kids’ age, this gift would be nothing short of a punishment for yourself. But if you’ve got an art-inclined older kid in your life, this is a really good deal on this many colored Sharpies.

Sometimes, I think my 8-year-old could use these, but presumably, if you’ve got a baby girl in your life to buy for, her mama would be pretty thrilled with the high level of practicality + cuteness.

Is there a child in the world that doesn’t love bubbles? And making messes? Combine the two with this bubble formula kit that’s fun, educational, and (because it’s soap) fairly easy to clean up after.

Speaking of clean, what could be more fun than filling your tub with swirly, colorful suds? Most of my kids take showers at this point, but I can still remember the days when my kids’ taking a bath felt like a major break from mothering to me. And these bath bombs would surely have prolonged the fun in the tub. For them and for me.

These magnetic blocks are intriguing. A little pricier than the conventional variety. But  also cooler.

We bought the twins a calico critter house + some of the critters themselves for their 6th birthday, and they have played with them pretty much every day since. I remember doing the same for hours with my little animal house/sets when I was little. It’s a pretty universally appealing thing for little kids, apparently.

This is what I got Theo for Christmas this year. Of course, I managed to score it at Dirt Cheap for $3 (can you BELIEVE that??), which probably immediately makes the Amazon price tag feel downright usurious. But I can personally attest to how cute and well-made it is, so if you have someone who would love it and just want to get ‘ur done, Amazon is probably your best bet.

This is another one we have at home. Theo was waking up WAY too early about 6 months ago, so we got this puppy clock (which has the ability to set various alarms and shows a green light when it’s okay to get up and red when it’s not) to help curb his tendency to ask for breakfast while it was still dark. And it totally worked!

I’m a bit torn on even recommending this particular item, since I’m not much of a technology girl when it comes to my kids (or myself in many ways) and think that the last thing most kids need is one more distraction from real life. Even so, this one has great reviews for fun features like interactive educational games + a pedometer + lots of other bells and whistles. I wouldn’t give it to a small child, but it would make a fun gift for a responsible tween. Plus, it has parental settings to limit your child’s usage time.

There’s nothing cheap about this American Girl Welliewishers except that it is cheapER (and also smaller) than the traditional dolls. Maybe a good grandparent gift for a younger girl who isn’t ready for the responsibility of the full-sized dolls?

These socks are just too fun to pass up. I’m ordering some for the girls stockings and am already picturing their trying to wear them with, well, everything.

We have two sets of these stainless steel + silicone cups. My kids love the bright colors and that each of them has his or her own. I love that the silicone is free of all of the chemicals found in plastic.

I know, I know. A slingshot? What, do you want them to do? Put out an eye?? Read on, dear friends.

It’d be awfully hard to put out an eye with felt balls as ammo. But still fun to use them for target practice. Just saying.

Love the simplicity of this teepee. I also think it would be fun to add colorful bunting or other fun details to.

Not that any but the most organized kid would get too excited about these, but I can sure think of a whole lot of mamas who would be happy to receive a set of cutie-pie storage bins for their child’s room.

This one is another stocking stuffer I’m considering for my girls. They have definitely been known to accessorize their “play clothes” with a well-coordinated (or not) bow.

Isn’t this llama just the fluffiest thing? I love that it’s kid-friendly without being over-the-top cutesy.

We have this giant jenga set and have been enjoying epic (and epically loud when it falls) rounds of it. Pretty much all of the kids can at least sort of participate, and the older kids can stretch it for a good while.

This is a nice counterpart to the fold and go horse barn above and would make a great little set for a girl with a love of dolls but not tons of space to store them.

Della bought this Fairy Garden (which was considerably more expensive at the time) with her own money a while back and had great fun with it…until she over-watered it, and her tiny green shoots succumbed to mildew. If you’re giving it as a gift to someone other than your own child, that won’t be your problem to monitor. But if you are considering it for your own daughters, a word to the wise: a little water goes a long way.

Did anything strike your fancy? If so, you’d best hop on it (although, I did try to make sure that each of them came with Prime shipping). I’ll be back soon with a book list for the true procrastinators among us (myself included; I’ve got everything but my book order placed).

I love hearing from you guys!