2020 Holiday Gift Guide for Children

U.S. Polo Assn. offers stylish clothing that boys will love. This iconic brand offers authentic clothing that has been officially sanctioned by the U.S. Polo Association, the governing body for the sport of polo in the U.S. since 1890. My boys stress test their clothing, so I appreciate that the U.S. Polo Assn. is dedicated to quality and provides durable clothing. We love the shirts below because the classic styles are perfect for our son to wear to school or activities. The first is the Boys Interlock Polo Shirt. This deep red color is perfect for winter. The fabric is incredibly soft. The second is the Boys Small Logo Polo. This bright white shirt is great to wear alone or under a sweater. The fabric is soft and durable.   U.S. Polo Assn. clothing is available in over 180 countries at independent retail stores, department stores, U.S. Polo Assn. brand stores, and on the U.S. Polo Assn. website. 

Bombas offers the coziest socks for children. My children have a large age gap and both love their comfortable Bombas socks! As a boy mom, I prefer to shop for higher quality clothing that will last longer since my children are energetic.  Bombas has been our go-to brand of socks for years because their socks are excellent quality. They even offer a Kid-Proof Guarantee on the socks in case they tear, scuff, or outgrow their socks within a year.  Another reason that we love this company is that they are driven by a desire to help people in need. One of the top needs at homeless shelters is clean socks. Bombas has donated more than 42 million pairs of socks or t-shirts over the years. The more clothing that they sell, the more they donate. It's nice to know that your purchase helps others to stay cozy with fresh clothing this holiday season. 

CeraVe offers skincare products that were recommended to us by our dermatologist.  I love that their products are gentle and effective. Our son plays hard in the Texas humidity, so he needs a good skincare routine. The CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser contains salicylic acid with barrier strengthening ingredients to gently exfoliates his skin without being too harsh. He uses the CeraVe Ultra-Light Moisturizing Lotion with SPF30 to moisturize and protect his skin. The sun protection is important since he often goes outside for P.E.  The CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizer is lightweight and non-irritating. It contains hyaluronic acid and ceramides that help to improve his skin's moisture barrier. It contains niacinamide to soothe skin while sleeping. Tweens and teens will love the gift of good skincare products!

ChapStick offers special holiday packaging that children will love! Texas winters are dry, so ChapStick is a brand that we rely on during winter months. Their holiday line includes festive options such as the ChapStick Candy Cane Ornament package that is generously packed with candy cane ChapStick.  The ChapStick Flavors of the Season package is another gift idea that contains holiday varieties, including Candy Cane, Sugar Cookie, Pumpkin Pie, Holiday Cocoa, and Vanilla Latte. The fun holiday varieties make this a practical and festive gift.

Go Go Bird is an outdoor toy that has kept my children mesmerized and entertained for hours on end! Zing is soaring high with the launch of the new Go Go Bird! This thrilling and intelligent flying bird is the perfect mix of traditional R/C and today’s trending drone toys. Go Go Bird looks and flies just like a real bird- providing the most dynamic remote-control aerial experience you can have! This toy integrates a lightweight body design, infra-red sensing and a wireless remote control. The Go Go Bird brings the tech toys category to new heights! With a six-axis sensor inside, the Go Go Bird can achieve a smart take-off by hand to then fly through its environment! PLUS: thanks to its integrated obstacle-avoiding technology the Go Go Bird will automatically turn around once six feet away from potential obstacles to avoid crashes!  It’s really cool! This toy is for ages 8+. The retail price is $49.99. You will find it at Zing.store, Target.com, Amazon, and Books a Million.

The Marshmallow Blaster - Bow & Mallow Blaster  is the big brother of the Mini Bow & Mallow.  This toy combines food and fun -- thanks to its edible ammo! Who doesn't love edible ammo? With launching distances of up to 30 feet, your marshmallows will soar through the air! You will find it on Amazon for $25.99.

The Chocolate Pen is a family friendly product that makes the holiday season more fun! The kid-friendly design automatically loads the pen with chocolate while the warming tray keeps your chocolate candy melted and ready to go.  With a simple click of a button, your children are able to freestyle one-of-a-kind designs, write words, or even use molds.  They are able to add sweet touches to fruit, popcorn, cookies, cupcakes, and more.  Their creations harden within minutes.  My children are always enthusiastic to help in the kitchen, so this provides a fun opportunity for them! The kit includes one Chocolate Pen, Drawing Tip, Warming Tray with Lid, Chocolate (made in the USA) in 4 Tasty Colors, Stirring Stick, 40 Mold Designs, Charging Cable and Instructions. Their online resources are packed with inspirational ideas, including their website, video with tips, Facebook page, and Instagram page. The Chocolate Pen is tailored to ages 6+. The SRP  is $29.99 for the kit and $7.99 for refills. You'll find it nationwide at Target and Walmart. You'll also find it on Amazon.  Please check back soon because I plan write to post about how we use the Chocolate Pen to create holiday treats for teachers and neighbors!  

The K'NEX London Eye  is a fun hands-on project. It is part of the K'NEX line of products that focus on the world's greatest architectural designs, including the Golden Gate Bridge, Eiffel Tower, and London Eye. I was thrilled to see this line because K'NEX is a brand that my son has loved since he was little. I bought a large preschooler set when he was younger and it entertained him for many hours. He used that set for years!  Now that he is older, K'NEX continues to be one of our favorite toy brands.  He enjoys snapping the rods and connectors together with satisfying "clicks" as he goes.  The K'NEX London Eye set is especially wonderful for him because it allows him to home his fine motor and dexterity skills while also learning about STEM subjects and London.  This project stands over 2' tall and includes a motor. It's an educational gift that will provide many hours of entertainment! This is is for ages 9+ and retails for $59.99.  The Golden Gate Bridge and Eiffel Tower are also available in this line and retail for $49.99.

Lite-Brite Ultimate Classic is a nostalgic toy that little ones will love! Creating art with light is even more fun thanks to this modernized version of Lite-Brite that features a larger screen, brighter pegs, and more templates. Children will have fun free styling or following patterns. My preschooler adores this toy and spends hours working on his beautiful creations. I've noticed an improvement in his fine motor skills and dexterity. He's shown me hundreds of different artwork designs on his Lite-Brite Ultimate Classic! This toy is for ages 4+ and retails for $19.99 at Walmart, Target, and Amazon.

Ryan's World Mystery Spy Vault is a magical toy that is sure to be popular this holiday season. My boys have a large age gap as one is in preschool and the other is in middle school. Yet, this toy has engaged both of them for hours!  It was a lot of fun to watch them use the key to unlock the vault and then discover surprises. I don't want to spoil the surprises, but I think that it is fair to share that the toys inspired my children to use their imaginations for hours and hours of fun! Plus, I think that the little safe with a key is a very memorable item that they will remember from their childhoods. The retail price is $39.99. It is intended for ages 3+. You'll find it at Amazon, Target, and Walmart.

Ryan's World Vending Surprise is another toy from the extremely popular line of Ryan's World toys! Both of my children loved it despite their age gap. This toy is fantastic on multiple levels - the vending machine actually works and contains plenty of surprises.  My preschooler has been practicing counting and is now a pro at counting the coins to vend different surprises.  My middle schooler has been extremely curious about the mechanical design and has made plenty of discoveries. Both of them have reloaded the vending machine snacks (and containers) with their own surprises too. It's fun to watch their curiosity and creativity. This is a very interactive toy and has provided many hours of entertainment! The retail price is $39.99. It is intended for ages 3+. You'll find it at Amazon. 

Pizza Party Throwdown is a frantic, fun action game where players race to see who can fling the most pizza toppings on the spinning pizza pie game board before time runs out! This is a must-have game for family bonding. It's available on Target for $19.99.



The Atomic Power Popper with Sticky Targets from Hog Wild Toys is back and better than ever – thanks to a flashy new design and cool new features! PLUS, it now comes complete with three super Sticky Targets you can use just about anywhere!  This is a toy that kids will love this holiday season. It's available on Target for $14.99. 

Holiday Poppers are festive toys that are perfect for kids or white elephant parties! Hog Wild brings you your Holiday Poppers as part of its POPular Poppers line!  They come in fun designs such as the Yeti Popper below. As a boy mom, I think that these are the ultimate stocking stuffer for children! They are available on Amazon for $9.99. 



The Treemendous Ornament Decorating Kit is perfect for your little artists. This product comes from the creators of the original EggMazing Egg Decorator. It's the perfect DIY craft to embrace the holiday season. Place one of the ornaments included with the kit into the tree-shaped decorator and let the fun begin! The machine holds and spins the ornament while the markers are used to create stripes, line and other designs! Available on Amazon for $19.99.



The DinoMazing Egg Decorator allows kids to color and create their own dinosaur eggs using a mechanism that spins the egg while you decorate! Plus, inside each Dino egg is slime and your own collectible dinosaur! My boys absolutely love this set! It's available on Amazon for $27.99.



What's Wrong with Grown-ups? is a family friendly game that will help you to bond with your children. How often have you wished that your teen would stop playing video games, sending friends videos you can only hope are appropriate, and going out, and instead, share what they’re thinking… with you? What’s Wrong with Grown-Ups?, a new intergenerational card game from Authentic Agility Games, can help. A fun way to engage kids of all ages, the 500-question card game creates an open two-way dialog that allows you to make new connections and deepen your bond. They may think you’re cool -- for a few minutes. Authentic Agility Games donates a portion of proceeds from your purchase to organizations advancing education and entrepreneurship. Available now on Amazon. MSRP: $24.99, all ages.

The #UpsideDownChallenge Game literally flips your world upside down! Players wear goggles that flip their vision — and then attempt to compete seemingly easy challenges like writing your name and connecting dots. Sounds easy, but it’s a challenge! It's a fun game for family game nights and provides a memorable way to bond. It is available on Target for $19.99.



Chalk of the Town is a line of chalkboard products ranging from T-Shirt and Long Sleeve Kits to Tote Bags to Patches, allowing both kids and adults to create and design their own wearable fashion using Chalkboard markers. Plus, they’re both erasable and reusable so you can design again, again and again! My son loves his Youth Long Sleeve T-shirt in Royal Blue w/ Speech Bubble Surface.  He is able to use Nutcracker Stencils ($3.95) to create a nice holiday themed design. After the holidays are over, he's able to erase the holiday design to create something new. We also have the Silver Tote Bag ($19.95) that we decorated and use for library books. Of course, children will love the Patch ($9.95) too. Visit Chalk of the Town for their full line of trendy items that are perfect for the holidays, but also customizable and versatile for use throughout the year!



zak! designs offers special plates, bowls, silverware, and cups that make mealtimes extra fun for children.  We love their latest Mandolorian line! For instance, the Star Wars Mandalorian Baby Yoda the Child Fun Sip Tumblers are fun stocking stuffers. This particular set comes in a 2-pack and even includes two bonus reusable straws that are great for drinks, smoothies, and milkshakes.

The PLAYMOBIL Advent Calendar (70188) is new this year and contains 24 surprises so that your child is able to open one each morning throughout the advent season. There are a total of 89 fun pieces to create a winter wonderland. The set includes: 2 women, 1 Santa Claus, 1 boy Accessories: 1 diorama "Christmas in the toy shop", 1 Christmas tree, 1 sales counter with showcase, 1 table, 1 armchair, 1 laptop, 1 pair of scissors, 1 set of writing and painting accessories (6 pieces), 3 books, 1 skateboard, 2 dolls, 1 teddy, 1 doll cradle, 1 fairy, 1 baby rattle, 1 baby bite ring, 2 radios, 1 remote control, 1 racing car, 1 robot, 1 guitar, 1 cassette recorder, 1 microphone, 1 hobbyhorse, 1 strap, 1 toy cart, 1 football, 1 wooden sword, 1 suitcase, 1 bag, 1 Christmas letter, 1 pair of gloves, 1 pair of arm cuffs, 1 peaked cap, 1 fur hat, 1 top hat, 1 collar, 2 children's handbags, 1 Santa hat, 1 shopping bag, 1 gift pack, and 1 scooter. This is a wonderful gift for children who enjoy surprises and creative play! 

The PLAYMOBIL Comic World Viona Surprise Set expands the magical world of EverDreamerz!  They offer brand new Surprise Sets where you can search for twelve magical characters from Comic World. Each mystery box has five surprises inside. You might even meet Colorista, a new limited edition character! This is a perfect stocking stuffer. Your find these surprise sets available on playmobil.us.

Thames & Kosmos CREATTO™ Light-Up Crafting™ Kits

Creatto™ is a simple yet versatile building system that consists of just two primary components that can be woven together into countless 3D creations. The flexible yet durable plastic tiles interlock quickly and easily for all skill levels; no additional materials or hardware required! Each Creatto kit includes assembly instructions for four different configurations, but the possibilities are limited only by your imagination. Add strings of colored LED lights to illuminate your works of art from the inside out. Creatto is available in 3 fun sizes: mini, medi, and maxi. Kids can choose to build: Moonlight Elephant Safari (Ages 6+; MSRP: $9.95), Magical Moose & Forest Friends (Ages 6+; MSRP: $9.95), Starlight Kitty & Cutie Crew (Ages 8+; MSRP: $19.95), Shimmer Shark & Ocean Pals (Ages 9+; MSRP: $29.95), Sparkle Unicorn & Friends (Ages 9+; MSRP: $29.95). Personally, my son built the Magical Moose & Forest Friends and raved about his creation. It was fun to see him excited about this educational toy.

EXIT from Thames & Kosmos is a game that my 10 year old loved! EXIT: The Game is a series of party games for up to four players that offers a unique, unforgettable gaming experience. These games allow you to bring the excitement, intensity, and team spirit of an escape room to your living room. In each EXIT game, your team starts out locked in an imaginary room, or trapped somewhere. You must solve a series of riddles and puzzles in order to unlock doors and reveal new riddles. Each correct solution brings you to another riddle and eventually to freedom. EXIT is constantly expanding with new stories. This game is for ages 10+ and sells for MSRP: $14.95.

Magformers Basic Plus 14pc Set allows little ones to create 3D structures from 2D nets with Magformers Basic Plus 14Pc Set. Build with 4 Squares, 8 Triangles and 2 Inner Circle Square shapes. Create houses, towers and our ‘magic ball’. Learn to build using combine, roll and pull-up techniques and see what your imagination can create! Build along with the step-by-step instructions and develop color and shape recognition, fine motor skills and problem-solving ability. The original and authentic Magformers. Perfect for brain development, critical thinking and STEM education. Follow the Step-by-step educational idea booklet for ideas and instructions. Each geometric shape contains magnets that never reject, so you’ll always hear the Magformers click. When playtime is over, use the magnetic power to simply stack and store. MSRP: $24.99; ages 3+. 

SnapCircuit MyHome is a fabulous STEM kit that provides many hours of entertainment. SnapCircuits is one of my favorite brands of STEM toys because they provide hands-on projects with high quality supplies. My son had a few of their kits over the years. When I told him about the SnapCircuit MyHome, he reminisced about his childhood with SnapCircuits and told me that we needed to make sure that my youngest son also had Snap Circuits in his childhood. We also happily reflected on how we bought the SnapCircuits Arcade set for birthday gifts for all the birthday parties that he attended one year. The kids loved that gift! We recently tried the SnapCircuit MyHome and love it! Your future tech mogul will learn about circuitry, security systems, dimmer switches, automatic lights, alarms, motion detectors, fan speeds, appliance motors, generators, and much more! They get to build a house or city tower with real, working, 3-D circuits, just like the ones you use every day. With seven colorful base grids to make your structure your own, learn how electricity travels and powers your home. This is a fun and educational gift that inspires a love for STEM! If you use the code HOLIDAY557, you'll save 5% on the SnapCircuit MyHome here.

Smarty PAD™ is an interactive LED tablet that gives preschoolers and kindergarteners a new way to play and learn with 12 smart games and age-appropriate curriculum. Motion sensors give the lightweight tablet an innovative spin, encouraging unique sensory play. Smarty PAD™ speaks in both English and Spanish as kids play with colors, patterns, ABCs, and numbers up to 25. Smarty PAD™ teaches phonics, language, early math, and beginning coding, nurturing small motor development and critical thinking. Positive reinforcement, helpful encouragement, and over 100 different responses keep kids engaged every time they play. It ideal for kids 3 to 6 years old. My 4 year old loves playing with this toy. It's nice to see him learn while he also has fun! MSRP: $34.99. 

Star Wars Workbooks are fun and educational gifts. My boys have a large age gap, but both are big Star Wars fans and love the activities in these books. These workbooks weave their favorite characters into reading, writing, and math exercises.  The educatonial experts who created this series did an amazing job. Not only did my boys enjoy these workbooks, but they also asked if we could order them again so that they could repeat the activities. That is a true complement!  Visit the Workman Publishing Company to browse and order Star Wars Workbooks.

Kala Brand Music offers a Learn to Play Ukulele that is fantastic for curious little musicians. We've tried a variety of instruments over the years. It wasn't until we found this amazing ukulele and booklet that my son finally found an instrument that he loves. This instrument is great because it doesn't have an overwhelming learning curve and it's relatively easy to do cool things with it. The Learn to Play Ukulele is especially nice because it was carefully crafted with good construction and comes with a tuning app and free online lessons. The free online lessons are awesome! My son is able to independently go through lessons and is self driven to learn. The Kala Brand Music team deserves accolades for motivating my son to play an instrument. If your child is curious about musical instruments, this is a wonderful holiday gift!

Crayola Spin and Spiral Station is a classic toy that I had as a child and am thrilled to share with my own children. It's one of those toys that provides hours and hours of entertainment! Creating spiralized art has never been easier (and more fun!) until now. Using a combination of markers, inks and stencils, kids can use the Crayola Spin and Spiral Art Station to create endless unique color and shape combinations using circular cut out discs. The 2-in-1 kid powered station allows kids to rotate paper cut-outs and drop the ink to create splatter art on one side and spiral designs with markers on the other. This toy is recommended for children ages 6+ and has a suggested retail price of $19.99.

Crayola Scribble Scrubbie Pets are adorable little friends that your children are able to decorate with markers, wash, and decorate again. This is a gift that is fun to play with throughout the year as your children are able to customize their pets' looks to different seasons, holidays, and events. Designed for kids with a nurturing side, these color and wash clean collectible toys give kids a chance to customize and be caretakers for their pets. With the four adorable included pets – two dogs, one cat and one rabbit – and washable markers, kids can create new colorful coats for their pets over and over again. When it’s time for a new look, just pop them in the kid-powered scrub tub to clean

them up, and kids will have a fresh blank canvas on which to create. This toy is recommended for children ages 3+ and has a suggested retail price of $19.99.

Crayola Glitter Dots Keychains provide a fun way for little ones to create projects using the cool Crayola Glitter Dots technology. As a parent, I love that the squishy glitter dots are basically glitter with less mess. This set is perfect for stocking stuffers! This toy is recommended for children ages 5+ and has a suggested retail price of $9.99.

pediped shoes are amazing for little feet because they provide good support. This is a great time of year to buy trendy shoes for little ones. Parents will love that pediped shoes come with inserts that make it easy to adjust by a half size. One thing that I've never skimped on is good quality shoes. I believe that shoes with good support are important for my active and growing children. At the same time, pediped has a hack that happens to make their good quality shoes more appealing than most. If your little one has a growth spurt, it is easy to remove the insert to make more room. It's a brilliant design, especially during the younger years when little ones grow so quickly. Visit pediped here.

Super Impulse Tiny  Arcades are the perfect stocking stuffers! The most iconic arcade video games are back in a size that will fit in the palm of your hand! The screen size is less than 1.5 inches and the overall cabinet sizes are 4×2 inches. Each Tiny Arcade comes with the complete gameplay, full-color, hi-res screen, authentic game sounds, joystick and two control buttons in a backlit arcade-style cabinet. We love the Boardwalk Arcade Pop-A-Shot! Play the ultimate basketball arcade game electronically and enjoy authentic Pop-A-Shot video play. It takes skill and speed to score high points as you race against the clock! Includes six original Pop-AShot shooting games plus one bonus game with two baskets. We also love the special edition Hello Kitty Pac Man game that puts the classic action in the palm of your hand! Your children will have fun competing for a high score!

Super Impulse World's Smallest toys are also perfect for stocking stuffers. We love the World's Smallest Kerplunk game. It's adorable and fun! Kerplunk has been causing you to lose your marbles since 1968! Now you can play the world’s smallest version of this beloved game. Create a “lattice” of sticks midway through the translucent tube and place the marbles on top. To play, skillfully remove the sticks from the tube while trying to prevent the marbles from dropping through. Includes 1 game, 16 balls, 10 sticks.  We also love the World's Smallest Pictionary game. The beloved game of quick sketches and hilarious guesses is now available in the world’s smallest size.  The goal of this classic game is to guess what the “picturist” is trying to communicate through the pictures that they draw.  World’s Smallest Pictionary plays just like the full-size, first edition version.   Includes 25 category cards, 1 game board, 1 timer, 1 paper pad, 2 pencils, 1 dice, 4 game tokens, and 1 case.  All pieces fit inside the box.  It’s perfect for take-everywhere fun!

Blockaroo Magnetic Foam Builders will keep little ones entertained as they use their creativity to build with these magnetic pieces. They are easy to use for little ones who are developing their fine motor skills. The magnetic pieces rotate 360 degrees to enable many possibilities. They even work in the bathtub! We love them for ages 18+ months.

The Nintento Ring Fit Adventure combines gaming with exercise. It's a win-win for my boys who love video games and staying active. This game allows you to explore a fantastical adventure world to defeat a bodybuilding dragon and his minions using real-life exercises! Traverse grass-swept plains by jogging in place, attack enemies with overhead shoulder presses, and refill your health meter by striking some yoga poses. Two new accessories, Ring -Con and Leg Strap, measure your real-world actions and help turn them into in-game movements. With additional minigames, Ring Fit Adventure is great escape for players of all skill levels and schedules. In Adventure mode, defeat enemies with attacks based on real-world exercises! As you work through each level (and possibly work up a sweat), you?ll earn experience points. Between fights, you may encounter some unusual methods of transportation such as squat-powered launch pads, and more! Want to compete with others? Pass around the Ring-Con accessory and select from a few minigames: break boxes with gusts of air, craft pottery using squats and many others. Learn about all the great new features, including a new voice option and a fun new Rhythm Game mode that are included in the latest free update. You'll probably want to order this game early in case it sells out for the holidays. 

I hope that you enjoyed this glimpse into our favorite toys for the holiday season!