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This list was a new category a few years ago and quickly became one of our most popular. When I came up with it, quiet time was on my mind quite a bit in preparation for baby #3. You see, one of the big things I learned about making sure all my kids felt loved once the baby arrived was the importance of just 10 minutes a day of one-on-one time with each of them.
With three kids, though, that’s easier said than done. Which is why I stocked my arsenal with quiet time toys so awesome that my kiddos don’t even mind being shooed away to play with them when it’s not their special time with me.
As self-serving as this list is, I think you’re gonna love it too. After all, what busy parent can’t use a stimulating educational toy their child can play with independently every once in a while? Even if you only have one child, we all have to find ways to squeeze in cooking, cleaning, dishes, laundry, bills, etc. How great would it feel to set your child up with an educational activity they love during these times instead of repeatedly defaulting to the TV (no judgement, by the way, I’ve totally been there)?
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Once again this year, I’m heading up each list with my favorites from all the picks – here, arranged by age, are my
Top 15 Learning Toys for Quiet Time & Independent Play
Learning Resources Super Sorting Pie $25.99 (kids no longer mouthing toys – 6 years)
This open-ended toy provides hands-on experiences with early math concepts such as sorting, counting, number sense, patterning, and beginning addition and subtraction. The pie has a removable sorting tray that allows children to sort and count the 60 fruits and veggies in many ways. Place the sorting cards into the bottom of the pan to provide visual cues that support success.
Jumbo tweezers are included to reinforce fine motor skills needed for handwriting and the top crust can be used as a storage bowl when sorting. This simple toy gets tons and tons of glowing reviews from parents like this, “My two-and-a-half year old has a blast with this. She understands sorting by color or fruit type and she is content doing so for up to an hour at the dining room table while I make dinner. I love finding toys that allow her to think and use her imagination that don’t involve screen time.” and when kids are done with pattern making and sorting, they use it for dramatic play too!
Learning Resources Mini Muffin Match Up $19.99 (non-mouthing kids – 5 years)
The first thing to say about this toy is, of course, not to leave a child alone with it if they still put things in their mouth. Once you’re out of that stage, though, this is a truly AWESOME way to keep young kids occupied for a really long time. (One of the few so well suited to the preschool set.)
Moms figured out long ago that letting kids sort things in a muffin tin is a great quiet time activity. This play set expands on that idea by adding in multicolored mini muffins, dice, and cards that can be placed inside the muffin tin for sorting and math purposes. There are also some interestingly shaped tweezers for fine motor work. All in all this one has A LOT of play-ability.
Air Fort The Original Build A Fort in 30 Seconds, Inflatable for Kids $54.95 (ages 2-12)
This is AMAZING for rainy day play.
Such an easy way for kids to set up a fort- set up (and clean up!) is so simple… like 30 seconds easy. Check out this video to see it in action.
My friend got one of these for her kids last year and she reports that they spend hours inside playing together and on their own. This one is going under our tree this year for sure!
Crocodile Creek Puzzles starting at $15.00
10 – 24 piece mini puzzles for 2 1/2 – 4 years
100 piece puzzles in a bag for 5+ years
These puzzles are really gorgeous and so different from the standard puzzles you’ll find at most big box stores. I especially love the easy storage/travel capabilities of the 100 piece puzzles that come in a small, re-sealable bag and at the price they make great stocking stuffers. One of our favorites is this world puzzle.
Melissa & Doug Reusable Sticker Books $4.99 (3 – 10 years)
Got a sticker lover in the house? Welcome to the genius of reusable stickers! My kids love peeling them all off and rearranging them in the various settings over and over. They’re also great for traveling and there are tons of themes to choose from. These books are one of the most popular items on my gift guides each year because they pack in so much bang for your buck. And if you’re looking for permanent stickers, Melissa & Doug also makes some really fabulous books for that too- my kids especially love the Make-a-Face Sticker Pad and the Make-a-Meal Sticker Pad.
LeapFrog LeapStart Interactive Learning System for Preschool & Pre-Kindergarten $29.99 (2-4 years)
This is the pre-cursor to the Leapfrog Leapreader Reading and Writing System that I rave about in my Top Learning Toys for Independent Play Gift Guide. It’s a great toy for your older toddler who is becoming interested in naming letters, numbers, etc. and who wants tablets and books all their own. The magic behind LeapStart is a stylus that reads invisible dots on every page of the books triggering engaging audio like questions, challenges, songs, jokes and more to teach school and life skills in new, exciting ways.
This is also a fantastic toy to start to introduce “quiet time” or, as we call it, “me time”. This is something that you REALLY, REALLY want to introduce around this age, even just for 15 – 20 minutes, trust me!
I really appreciate the large number of books that are available as add-ons with this system as well as the fact that most replayable activities are designed with two levels so that kids can play and learn at the right level and move up when they’re ready. Highly considering it for under our own Christmas tree this year.
Leapfrog Leapreader Reading and Writing System $34.99 (3 – 8 years)
The leapreader has been a leader amongst educational toys since it’s debut, and with good reason. My son first got his when he turned 4 and not long after we decided to get one for our 3 year old too.
Both of my older kids spent large chunks of time “reading” stories with the pen until the time they learned to read (and they used it to practice their letters as well). This is one of our top tier toys that has really helped instill a love of reading in my kids and never really makes it out of rotation.
Castle Logix $27.99 (3 – 8 years)
The entire line of single player puzzle games from SmartGames gets such stellar reviews that it was hard not to recommend all of them! The bold colors of these two 3-D wooden castle puzzles especially caught my eye. I bought it for my daughter a couple of years ago and it was an absolute winner. Assemble the wooden blocks and towers to match the challenges included in the booklet.
With simple challenges for inexperienced builders to complex puzzles that will challenge skilled architects, these puzzles serve to develop logical thinking skills and spatial reasoning abilities.
They also now offer this Smart Car game that I’m now seriously eyeing for my youngest son.
Educational Insights Design & Drill Activity Center $34.99 (3 – 8 years)
I particularly like how this particular toy combines fine motor skills with pattern recognition AND adds a great dramatic play element. We got it for our son when he was 4 and he played with it quite a bit until his little old sister took it over. Now our 1 1/2 year old is starting to get in on the fun (mostly sorting and manipulating the pieces with his hands for now but I anticipate him picking up the drill pretty soon).
The popularity of this toy has also led to some cool variations, including the Design & Drill Flower Power Station and, my favorite, the Design & Drill BrightWorks– which is like if the Design & Drill had a baby with the classic Lite Brite from my childhood (in other words, the pieces light up and it’s totally awesome).
Block Tape for LEGO Bricks (ages 2 – 12 years)
LEGO tape is one of the coolest things to happen to LEGO in a long time. This bendy, adhesive stuff allows kids to expand their LEGO universes onto the walls and ceilings and opens up endless possibilities for play. The tape is re-positionable, washable, extremely flexible and easy for little fingers to cut and arrange.
I love this particular pack because it comes with 4 rolls in different colors. Perfect for a present for one child or break it up and put a roll in each kid’s stocking. And I really appreciate that the rolls are eco-friendly and made from CE and FDA certified Food-Grade silicone.
I just gifted a roll to my son for his 9th birthday and he has had so much fun coming up with new ways to use it. This one gets two big thumbs up from our family.
Boogie Board 8.5-Inch LCD Writing Tablet $24.99 (4 – 12 years)
I had never heard of these awesome writing/drawing devices until a friend’s sister (who is also an elementary school teacher) told me about how crazy popular they are. Much like a magnadoodle for older, more tech-savy, kids, these ultra thin and light “tablets” are a great way to encourage sketching and writing at home or on the go. And the price absolutely can’t be beat. Kids use the stainless steel stylus (or anything else) to write or draw.
The board will retain an image indefinitely without power until it is erased with the touch of a button – and a friendly flash from the liquid crystal display. Comes in lots of bright colors so each kid can have their own, easily identifiable board.
Chocolate Fix $17.99 (5+ years)
Similar to Soduku but made much for fun with the addition of yummy looking chocolate pieces, this single player logic game challenges players (or teams of players) to figure out where to place all of the chocolates on the board according to visual cues.
The game gets amazingly high reviews and I love that the chocolate pieces are extremely enticing to both boys and girls. It was one of the first single-player logic games, other than Castle Logix, to really grab the attention of my daughter and keep it. It’s made by ThinkFun which is one of our favorite producer of high quality games for kids.
Laser Maze Logic Game $29.99 (8 – 15 years) or Laser Maze Logic Game Jr. (6 – 15 years)
This one uses a real life laser. Players will build sequential reasoning and planning skills while working on reflecting and splitting the laser beam using mirrors and targets on a puzzle grid to reach their goal. Your kids (and your husband) will think it’s pretty rad. There’s also a great version for younger kids, Laser Maze Logic Game Jr., which we have and love.
Perplexus Rookie $24.99 (6 – 8 years)
Perplexus Maze Game $29.95 (6 – 12 years)
Perplexus Epic $39.99 (6-12 years) for experienced players
Perplexus looks like one of those games that you just can’t help but pick up and play when it’s sitting on a table in front of you and, judging by the massive amounts of positive reviews, it is.
This one is great for developing fine-motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Plus I love that it’s battery-free and completely self-contained within the sphere so there aren’t any pieces to get lost.
Simon Air $29.99 (6 – 12 years)
This is the super cool, futuristic version of the original addictive memory game we all knew and loved as kids. My son went nuts for Simon when I introduced it to him and I knew I had found a great toy. Afterall, what’s not to love about something that doesn’t have a bunch of pieces to scatter around the house, will entertain the kids for an hour or more, and is less than 20 bucks?
The new touch-free technology that senses movement only adds to the fun and is a hit when playing alone or with friends. This one is becoming our go-to for birthday parties, it’s always opened with a big smile.
I should mention that one of our very favorite quiet time toys, blocks and building toys, are not included on this list. That’s because there are so many blocks that I love they have their very own gift guide: Best Blocks & Construction Toys.
Read on for over 40 of my favorite learning toys for quiet time broken down into:
- Reading & Writing Toys
- Single Player Games
- Sensory & Mess-Free Art Supplies
- Puzzles (Recommended by Age)
- Magazine Subscriptions (Recommended by Age)
Special Note: In an effort to help you out as much as possible this year, I’ve included both prices and age recommendations for each item. Please take the age ranges as just that – recommendations – you know your child best after all!
Also, this time of year prices can fluctuate quite dramatically. So if you see something a little outside of your price range, it might not be a bad idea to click over and check it out anyway – you may get lucky and catch a sale.
Also, I’m doing my best this year to keep our readers up-to-date on any sales I see on our gift guide items. To be in the loop, be sure to
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Ready for the big list? Here we go…
Reading & Writing
Quiet time is an ideal for young kids to practice their reading and writing skills and, with fun toys like these, they’ll be jumping at the chance to do so.
Battat B. Alphaberry ABC’s Learning Toy $20.98 (18 months – 5 years)
There are a lot of fancy learning toys out there to teach kids their ABCs, most of which come with lots of bells and whistles. When a child starts to become interested in learning letters, though, simple is often best.
I love this simple electronic ABC learning toy that allows your toddler to push the letter and hear it’s name over and over to her heart’s content along with a few other options like playing different alphabet songs and changing the screen color. It’s just enough to keep them engaged and learning without becoming overwhelmed and it is perfectly sized for travel and in the car!
LeapFrog LeapStart Interactive Learning System for Preschool & Pre-Kindergarten $29.99 (2-4 years)
This is the pre-cursor to the Leapfrog Leapreader Reading and Writing System that I rave about in my Top Learning Toys for Independent Play Gift Guide. It’s a great toy for your older toddler who is becoming interested in naming letters, numbers, etc. and who wants tablets and books all their own. The magic behind LeapStart is a stylus that reads invisible dots on every page of the books triggering engaging audio like questions, challenges, songs, jokes and more to teach school and life skills in new, exciting ways.
This is also a fantastic toy to start to introduce “quiet time” or, as we call it, “me time”. This is something that you REALLY, REALLY want to introduce around this age, even just for 15 – 20 minutes, trust me!
I really appreciate the large number of books that are available as add-ons with this system as well as the fact that most replayable activities are designed with two levels so that kids can play and learn at the right level and move up when they’re ready. Highly considering it for under our own Christmas tree this year.
Leapfrog Leapreader Reading and Writing System $37.49 (4 – 8 years)
The leapreader has been a leader amongst educational toys since it’s debut, and with good reason. My son first got his when he turned 4 and not long after we decided to get one for our 3 year old too. Both of my older kids spent large chunks of time “reading” stories with the pen until the time they learned to read (and they used it to practice their letters as well). This is one of our top tier toys that has really helped instill a love of reading in my kids and never really makes it out of rotation.
Crayola Dry-Erase Activity Center $17.99 (4 – 8 years) and the Zany Play Edition $18.20 (4 – 15 years)
This is one of the quiet time/learning toys I’m MOST excited about this year. It has a basic setup, perfect for travel, consisting of a clear writing and drawing surface that allows you to slide blank or preprinted template cards beneath the window. The board comes with five double-sided templates, offering your child a total of 10 different activities. An additional four-page instruction booklet includes ideas for over 25 additional games and learning exercises. The true genius of this, though, is that you can print literally thousands of worksheets and activity page off of pinterest or your favorite educational sites and instantly turn them into re-usable sheets. I can see us get a ton of use out of this both on the go and at home. This year, I’m excited for my 5 year old to use it to practice her writing skills during her big brother’s homework time each day (like a lot of kids, she really likes having her own “work” to do alongside her older sibling).
Boogie Board 8.5-Inch LCD Writing Tablet $20.99 (4 – 12 years)
I had never heard of these awesome writing/drawing devices until a friend’s sister (who is also an elementary school teacher) told me about how crazy popular they are. Much like a magnadoodle for older, more tech-savy, kids, these ultra thin and light “tablets” are a great way to encourage sketching and writing at home or on the go. And the price absolutely can’t be beat. Kids use the stainless steel stylus (or anything else) to write or draw. The board will retain an image indefinitely without power until it is erased with the touch of a button – and a friendly flash from the liquid crystal display. Comes in lots of bright colors so each kid can have their own, easily identifiable board.
Melissa & Doug Alphabet/Number Write-A-Mat Bundle $10.95 (4 – 8 years)
I picked up this set of laminated mats with special erasable crayons for my son when his interest in writing was just starting to pick up, around age 4. He really enjoyed being able to follow the visual guidance on the mats to practice his numbers and letters without my help. The coloring portion also extends his focus as he’ll often start-off writing, switch to coloring, and then go back… a great quiet time set.
Letter Construction Activity Set $27.56 (5 – 8 years)
Instead of using flashcards (blech), I like to sneak in letter learning wherever I can – on blocks, through stamps, foam letters in the bath, to paint with, etc. I always thought these large-scale construction letters would be a perfect tactile was for my little builders to explore letters and I was delighted when my son’s kindergarten teacher pulled a set out to show us at parent night last year. I’ve seen magnet toys using these same curve and line shapes but I think my kids would prefer the satisfaction of physically snapping the pieces together.
National Geographic First Big Books $10.76 (preschool – 3rd grade) and Smithsonian: The Animal Book: A Visual Encyclopedia of Life on Earth (3rd – 7th grade) $17.99
I’m a big fan of leaving books all over the house for the kids to discover pretty much from birth. My pre-readers and emerging-reader will spend up to an hour perusing engaging picture books trying to glean information from them on their own or making up their own narratives. I love these beautiful books for school-aged children as well as toddlers and preschoolers. The First Big Book of Space is our current favorite.
Single Player Games
We’re big on engaging activities that develop critical thinking skills, which is why I was psyched to add this list of single player games to the gift guides.
I love the idea of having an array of logic games that challenge different skills for my kids to choose from during quiet time. Plus, each of these games are just plain cool (and many just as enticing to adults as they are to the younger set).
Learning Resources Super Sorting Pie $19.99 (kids no longer mouthing toys – 6 years)
This open-ended toy provides hands-on experiences with early math concepts such as sorting, counting, number sense, patterning, and beginning addition and subtraction. The pie has a removable sorting tray that allows children to sort and count the 60 fruits and veggies in many ways. Place the sorting cards into the bottom of the pan to provide visual cues that support success. Jumbo tweezers are included to reinforce fine motor skills needed for handwriting and the top crust can be used as a storage bowl when sorting. This simple toy gets tons and tons of glowing reviews from parents like this, “My two-and-a-half year old has a blast with this. She understands sorting by color or fruit type and she is content doing so for up to an hour at the dining room table while I make dinner. I love finding toys that allow her to think and use her imagination that don’t involve screen time.” and when kids are done with pattern making and sorting, they use it for dramatic play too!
Learning Resources Mini Muffin Match Up $20.78 (non-mouthing kids – 5 years)
The first thing to say about this toy is, of course, not to leave a child alone with it if they still put things in their mouth. Once you’re out of that stage, though, this is a truly AWESOME way to keep young kids occupied for a really long time. (One of the few so well suited to the preschool set.) Moms figured out long ago that letting kids sort things in a muffin tin is a great quiet time activity. This play set expands on that idea by adding in multicolored mini muffins, dice, and cards that can be placed inside the muffin tin for sorting and math purposes. There are also some interestingly shaped tweezers for fine motor work. All in all this one has A LOT of play-ability.
Educational Insights Design & Drill Activity Center $23.99 (3 – 8 years)
I particularly like how this particular toy combines fine motor skills with pattern recognition AND adds a great dramatic play element. We got it for our son when he was 4 and he played with it quite a bit until his little old sister took it over. Now our 1 1/2 year old is starting to get in on the fun (mostly sorting and manipulating the pieces with his hands for now but I anticipate him picking up the drill pretty soon). The popularity of this toy has also led to some cool variations, including the Design & Drill Flower Power Station and, my favorite, the Design & Drill BrightWorks– which is like if the Design & Drill had a baby with the classic Lite Brite from my childhood (in other words, the pieces light up and it’s totally awesome).
Castle Logix $21.25 (3 – 8 years) and Camelot Jr. $24.00 (4 – 8 years)
The entire line of single player puzzle games from SmartGames gets such stellar reviews that it was hard not to recommend all of them! The bold colors of these two 3-D wooden castle puzzles especially caught my eye. I bought it for my daughter a couple of years ago and it was an absolute winner. Assemble the wooden blocks and towers to match the challenges included in the booklet.With simple challenges for inexperienced builders to complex puzzles that will challenge skilled architects, these puzzles serve to develop logical thinking skills and spatial reasoning abilities.
Marble Run – 103 pieces $34.95 (3 – 10 years)
This one is a classic for a reason. Kids have always loved (and will always love) building cool structures and watching marbles spin and drop down them. This is a perfect game to play alone or with others so it can be used for quiet time or playdates plus it’s great developmentally for fine motor skills, critical thinking skills, spatial awareness and more. My only caution is to be careful of small marbles that can be a choking hazard to young kids who still like to put things in their mouths, including younger siblings who may be nearby.
Thinkfun Gravity Maze $29.95 (7+ years)
Kids absolutely love marble runs (see above), which is why it is so smart that the goal of this single player logic game is to create a working 3D marble run. Thinkfun is going to be sending this one to us this year and I know my 6 year old son, who is unusually drawn to spatial planning activities, is going to be thrilled to receive it. UPDATE: He does love it! From the manufacturer, “This gravity powered logic maze is sure to put your visual perception and reasoning skills to the test. Thecolorful, translucent towers can be arranged in a plethora of visually stimulating structures but, for each challenge, you’ll have to think carefully to build a path that will successfully carry your marble to its target. 60 challenges, ranging in difficulty, will give you plenty of creative building time while you maneuver the maze in your mind!”
Chocolate Fix $17.19 (5+ years)
Similar to Soduku but made much for fun with the addition of yummy looking chocolate pieces, this single player logic game challenges players (or teams of players) to figure out where to place all of the chocolates on the board according to visual cues. The game gets amazingly high reviewsand I love that the chocolate pieces are extremely enticing to both boys and girls. It was one of the first single-player logic games, other than Castle Logix, to really grab the attention of my daughter and keep it. It’s made by ThinkFun which is one of our favorite producer of high quality games for kids.
Solitary Chess $19.99 (8 – 12 years)
This single player game takes it to the next level by using chess moves to solve logic puzzles. It’sthe perfect thing for practicing emerging chess skills when there’s no one available to play with, as one reviewer wrote, “WOW! What a fantastic way to learn the rules of chess! Early challenges help new players get used to the various moves each chess token can make, and there’s a handy reference provided just in case… Great brain exercise in strategy and planning… I would recommend this game to any game lover, whether a chess newbie or someone who has been playing for years – it is a blast, and the packaging design allows it to pack all together and travel easily.” Side Note: This game goes beautifully with No Stress Chess (a really smart game introducing beginners to the mechanics of chess in phases).
Sciencewiz Cool Circuits $18.17 (5 – 12 years)
This single player logic game is one of the coolest I’ve seen. Progressively difficult pattern cards are laid over the base and neon pieces are then placed on top of them to create a circuit. Once the circuit is complete, it lights up and plays music. Watch the video in the Amazon link and I’m pretty sure you’ll want one as much as I do.
Robot Turtles Game $24.99 (4 – 8 years)
As one of the only products out there with the real ability to get preschoolers and kindergartners interested in programming, this was the new toy/game I was most excited about adding to the gift guide last year! The most backed board game in Kickstarter history, it sneakily teaches preschoolers the fundamentals of programming, from coding to functions, while making silly turtle noises. Takes seconds to learn, minutes to play and provides endless learning opportunities. This game has been featured by NPR, Bloomberg, Make: Magazine, Boing boing, TechCrunch, Reddit, Geekmom, Geekdad and essentially lets kids write programs with playing cards. One reviewer wrote, “There are no winners/losers. (You could make a competition out of it with several kids, seeing who can make the shortest program/have the fewest bugs/etc., but it’s not set up that way.) But it does teach kids the basics of how computers think… Once he got the hang of it, we just let our son go nuts with it. He makes up his own boards and then “writes” a program to solve it. Finally, something he can play by himself that doesn’t have a ton of annoying noises/beeps/music!”
Compose Yourself $14,99 (6 – 15 years)
This is one of the rare picks on the list I didn’t buy because I asked my favorite game manufacturer, Thinkfun, to send it to me (and they gladly obliged since their other games like Laser Maze, Rush Hour, and Robot Turtles have been such huge hits on the gift guides in years past). These cards are the perfect stocking stuffer size and I’m really excited to set my kids loose with this highly-rated new composer game and I know that they’re gonna flip over the app element. From the manufacturer, “Start Creating Original Music in Minutes! Invented by world-famous composer and cellist, Philip Sheppard, Compose Yourself combines a set of Music Cards with an exclusive website to allow you to create, play and share your own world-class composition. The 60 transparent Music Cards, each containing a series of notes, are like building blocks for music, and can be arranged to form over a billion musical combinations. Simply select and arrange several of the cards, then register online to hear your melody played by virtuoso percussionist Evelyn Glennie accompanied by a full symphony orchestra. The website will allow you to flip, rotate and swap cards so that you can change your melody until you love what you hear. When you’re done, download an mp3, print music and share with your friends and social networks.
Codemaster Programming Logic Game $23.99 (8+ years)
This is the second of the the three Thinkfun games I requested for my kiddos this year (the third was Laser Maze Jr.). Like many of Thinkfun’s games, this one seems to do a very good job of incorporating an educational concept (in this case, the basics of coding) into an incredibly engaging game. Perfect for this list, it’s an offline game in which kids use “action tokens” to create a program for their avatars. The goal is to progress through 60 levels, collecting crystals along the way. The game builds planning, sequential reasoning and problem solving skills along with more complex coding concepts such as loops and conditional branching. I am really intrigued to see what my son will do with it after he opens it up Christmas morning!
eeBoo Design Tiles an Exploratory Activity for Creative Visual Play $28.99 (5 – 15 years)
eeBoo products have always been a favorite of mine (we especially love their color-based Go Fish game for younger kids). Their stunning graphics make them super appealing to kids and adults alike. These design tiles are certainly no exception. They can be used to complete challenging puzzles or in an open-ended fashion to make all new creations. Critical thinking AND creativity – that’s my kind of toy!
IQ Twist $9.99 (6+ years)
This compact, award-winning multi-level logic game contains 100 challenges suitable for all ages. It’s small size makes it ideal for car rides and perfect to slip in someone’s stocking this year.
Perplexus Rookie $17.70 (6 – 8 years) for younger kids, Perplexus Maze Game $18.00 (6 – 12 years), and Perplexus Epic $23.81 (6-12 years) for experienced players
Perplexus looks like one of those games that you just can’t help but pick up and play when it’s sitting on a table in front of you and, judging by the massive amounts of positive reviews, it is. This one is great for developing fine-motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Plus I love that it’s battery-free and completely self-contained within the sphere so there aren’t any pieces to get lost
Laser Maze Logic Game $28.95 (8 – 15 years) or Laser Maze Logic Game Jr. (6 – 15 years)
This one uses a real life laser. Players will build sequential reasoning and planning skills while working on reflecting and splitting the laser beam using mirrors and targets on a puzzle grid to reach their goal. Your kids (and your husband) will think it’s pretty rad. There’s also a great version for younger kids, Laser Maze Logic Game Jr., which we have and love.
Sensory Play & Mess-Free Art
If you’ve spent any time at all here at Modern Parents Messy Kids, then you know we’re a big fan of getting creative with the kids (even if you haven’t, you could probably figure that out from our name). Although it doesn’t always work out, open-ended art time is something I strive to give my children as often as possible.
Often a simple paper pad and some crayons, colored pencils, or watercolors will do just fine (these are always favorites of ours for stocking stuffers). But it’s also nice to have a well-stocked art cabinet, or drawer, for when standard coloring and painting gets a little old. Also adding in a few mess-free options makes it easier to squeeze in art time while you’re getting stuff done or spending one-on-one time with another child.
Aquadoodle Classic Mat $20.75 (2+ years) (and these accessories look super fun too)
I’ll admit, I wasn’t super impressed with the idea of the aquadoodle at first – it seemed a little limited. But then my friend nabbed one at a consignment store and my mind was completely changed at our next play date. The kids really took to it and it was so easy to set them up and then we were able to (gasp) actually sit down on the couch and have a conversation together. It makes sense – they love their magnadoodle and this is basically just a bigger version of that with better accessories that more than one child can play with together. And, now, it’s turned into one of the few toys I know I can entertain both my 18 month year old and my 5 year old with!
Boogie Board 8.5-Inch LCD Writing Tablet $20.99 (4 – 12 years)
I had never heard of these awesome writing/drawing devices until a friend’s sister (who is also an elementary school teacher) told me about how crazy popular they are. Much like a magnadoodle for older, more tech-savy, kids, these ultra thin and light “tablets” are a great way to encourage sketching and writing at home or on the go. And the price absolutely can’t be beat. Kids use the stainless steel stylus (or anything else) to write or draw. The board will retain an image indefinitely without power until it is erased with the touch of a button – and a friendly flash from the liquid crystal display. Comes in lots of bright colors so each kid can have their own, easily identifiable board.
Melissa & Doug Reusable Sticker Books $4.99 (3 – 10 years)
Got a sticker lover in the house? Welcome to the genius of reusable stickers! My kids love peeling them all off and rearranging them in the various settings over and over. They’re also great for traveling and there are tons of themes to choose from. These books are one of the most popular items on my gift guides each year because they pack in so much bang for your buck. We also always grab them when heading to someone’s house who doesn’t have younger children and is without toys for them. And if you’re looking for permanent stickers, Melissa & Doug also makes some really fabulous books for that too- my kids especially love the Make-a-Face Sticker Pad and the Make-a-Meal Sticker Pad.
Classic Doodler with 2 Stampers $18.21 (3 – 7 years) and Classic Etch-A-Sketch $14.99 (3-10)
These quintessential mess-free art toys do double duty, serving as both the perfect quiet time toy and the ultimate travel toy. Get both and keep them on-hand at all times, you won’t be sorry.
Crayola Color Wonder Paper $4.97, which works with Color Wonder Markers $7.95, Color Wonder Paints $13.95 and Color Wonder Finger Paints $7.95
The crayola color wonder series is another way to set the kids up for art time and be able to comfortably walk away for 10 minutes without worrying about the state of your furniture when you return. Although a little spendy to keep a never ending supply on-hand, these can be a life-saver and are great presents to ask for from grandparents and other relatives. We have the travel tote with mini markers and the kids love using them during car trips.
Play-Doh Case of Colors $9.99 along with this Play-Doh Clay Center with Storage Case $29.99 (2 – 10 years)
Although not completely mess-free, Play-doh really is the ultimate quiet time art toy. It’s unbelievably engaging to kids of all ages and, as long as you prep your space well with a table cloth or large placemats, allows for quick and easy cleanup. Of course you can always make your own, but I like to also have a few tubs of the pre-made stuff on hand for when we don’t have time.
I also highly recommend the clay center with storage case. This particular kit is stocked with lots of stuff I haven’t seen in other play-doh kits. I especially like the googly eyes and swiss-army-knife-like tool. It’ll give your kids tons of tools to keep them occupied and you a handy place to store them all when they’re done.
VTech Kidizoom Camera Connect $33.99 (3 – 8 years)
Photography is an amazing art to introduce to your children at a young age. Encouraging them to get behind the lens gives them a different perspective on their surroundings and gives them some control of their world. Plus, if you tend to take a lot of photos of your kids (ahem), getting them into photography will make them more likely to put up with your shutter bug tendencies. We’ve had a few digital kid cameras in the past and, while the kids have always been excited about them, they all produced poor picture quality, were difficult for the kids to operate on their own, and broke easily. So I’m always on the lookout for a better designed kid camera. This 4-in-1 option gets rave reviews and I love all the creative ways there are for kids to edit photos and make videos. From the manufacturer, “This real 1.3 megapixel kids’ camera comes with a 4x digital zoom. Your child will take digital pictures with special built-in photo effects and even record video movies with sound. Features 5 voice-changing effects and has a free animation maker is available for download.”
Puzzles
Puzzles are HUGE at our house. In fact, if I could only have 3 things for the kids to play with all day long it would be a pile of books, a set of blocks, and a stack of puzzles.
Here are examples of our favorites types of puzzle for each age range to get you started on your own collection.
Ravensburger Adorable Animals My First Puzzles, 2-Piece $9.62 (1+ years)
Award-winning first puzzles to help develop fine-motor skills, problem-solving, and independent play. LOVE THESE!
Melissa & Doug: Wooden Farm Puzzle $15.99 and First Shapes Jumbo Puzzle $9.99 (1+ years)
All Melissa & Doug puzzles are also great in my books, especially those for the really young kiddos. We’ve got lots on our shelves at home.
Melissa & Doug Fishing & Bug Catching Magnetic Game Bundle $18.45 (2+ years)
These do double duty as both puzzles and games that really help to build fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
Doc McStuffin Wood Puzzle Box Set $11.99 (3+ years)
We have several of these wooden box sets and they have been beloved by the kids since we got our first one for C’s 3rd birthday. A quick Amazon search will reveal sets featuring several different characters too so you can pick your child’s favorite.
Melissa & Doug Solar System Floor Puzzle $11.99 (3+ years) USA Floor Puzzle $12.74 (5+ years), and World Map Floor Puzzle $12.16 (5+ years)
Large floor puzzles are great to introduce around ages 3 or 4. We have all three of these and our 5 year old has loved them for quite a while. It amazes me that he can construct the entire map of the US completely on his own.
Ravensburger 60 piece puzzles starting at $6.08 (4+ years) and Ravensburger 100 piece puzzles starting at $7.24 (6+ years)
Around the time our son turned 5 he was ready for these 60 and 100 piece puzzles. Ravensburger is a classic puzzle company that always gets high marks for quality and craftsmanship. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Santa left one or two of these under the tree for many years to come.
Crocodile Creek Puzzles starting at $5.69 (10 – 24 piece mini puzzles for 2 1/2 – 4 years and 100 piece puzzles in a bag for 5+ years)
These puzzles are really gorgeous and so different from the standard puzzles you’ll find at most big box stores. I especially love the easy storage/travel capabilities of the 100 piece puzzles that come in a small, re-sealable bag and at the price they make great stocking stuffers. One of our favorites is this world puzzle.
Magazines
My dad started sending my kids Highlights Hi-Five Magazine a couple of years ago and it was one of the best presents they ever received. They love regularly getting their own mail almost as much as they love reading each issue. Since then, we’ve discovered a whole range of engaging and educational magazine subscriptions for kids. (We currently receive Highlights Hi-Five, Chirp, and Zoobooks.)
The cool thing is that many have various series for different ages so the kids can start young and progress on to the next series as they get older (and with most, you can switch the subscription at any time). Since I have pre-readers and an emerging-reader, we read a lot of these stories together but even now these magazines can still be good for quiet time as many of them contain puzzles and activities that the kids can do alone. I’m sure these subscriptions will be worth their weight in gold once the kids are totally reading on their own too.
Highlights (6 – 12 years), Highlights High Five (2 – 6 years), and Highlights Hello (0 – 2 years) $34.95/12 months
Highlights is a total classic in quality children’s literature. From science projects and foreign languages, to jokes and puzzles, the content in these magazines will capture your child’s attention and regular features every month give kids a sense of familiarity that makes them comfortable even when faced with material that challenges their growing brains.
Owl (9 – 13 years), Chickadee (6 – 9 years), and Chirp (3 – 6 years) $34.95/12 months
A long-standing Canadian series of children’s magazines based on a different editorial theme each month. The issues are packed with interactive stories, puzzles, animal features, and science experiments to educate and entertain readers as well as topics ranging from sports and the environment, to pop culture and peer relationships for older readers.
Cricket (9-14 years), Spider (6 – 9 years), Ladybug (3 – 6 years) and Babybug (6 mos – 3 years) $28.95/12 months
The introductory series, Babybug, is a unique board-book style magazine full of the highest-quality content available from the world’s best children’s writers and artists. The series progresses to enchanting stories, poems, and activities with Ladybug and Spider and fiction and classic literature as well as nonfiction stories on culture, history, science, and the arts for preteens in Cricket.
Ask (7 – 1o years) $28.95/12 months
An innovative and award-winning children’s publication that focuses on the arts and sciences, it includes topics and themes that children have a natural curiosity about, such as the human body, Earth, animals, and nature.
Zoobooks (6 – 12 years) $29.95
Each issue is themed around a specific animal or group of animals, discussing habits and habitat in depth. The most unique features of each animal are broken down and explained at a child’s level. For species that are extinct or becoming extinct, children are encouraged to take action to ensure those animals’ futures. The last four pages of each edition offer a pull-out activity booklet filled with games, puzzles, and coloring pages.
National Geographic Little Kids (3 – 6 years) $15.00/12 months
Includes articles on animals from around the world, science, and cultural topics discussing life in other countries. The large text and engaging full-color photographs help beginning readers explore the content on their own, and exciting activities throughout the magazine keep your child’s interest so learning becomes fun. Issues include age-appropriate mazes, matching games, counting exercises, and rhymes. Each issue also includes things parents and kids can do together, such as crafts, science activities, and recipes to try at home.
Side Note: One thing we appreciate about all of these subscriptions is the lack of ads pushing various toys to the kids. While we enjoy National Geographic Little Kids for that reason, sadly, the same cannot be said for the next step up in the series, National Geographic Kids.
*Post contains affiliate links.
Still want more ideas? Don’t forget to check out all 15 of the MPMK Gift Guides,organized by your child’s age:
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The Best Toys for Babies
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The Very Best Toys for Two-Year-Olds
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Go-To Gifts for Preschoolers
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The Most Exciting Gifts You Can Give a Kindergartner
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Go-To Gifts for Elementary Aged Kids
For the hottest toys of the year see:
Plus, the rest of our guides organized by interest:
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Best Toys for Fostering S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineerin, and Math) Skills
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Best Toys for Staying Active Inside and for Getting Outdoors
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Best Toys for Art & Craft Lovers
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Best Kid Games for Family Game Night, Playing with Siblings, or Playing Alone
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Best Learning Toys for Quiet Time & Independant Play
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Best Building & Construction Toys (Including Best LEGOs)
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Best Dramatic Play Toys
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Best Toys for Vehicle Lovers
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Best Toys for Doll & Princess Lovers
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Best Toys for Baby
Tens of thousands of parents use these lists every Christmas to find the perfect gift!
If you like these recommendations, I encourage you to pin or bookmark them for later when you’re ready to start shopping.
I would also love it if you forwarded the list to your parenting friends or shared it on facebook – trust me, your friends will thank you for the help and you get to be the cool mom (or dad) with all the best resources. It’s a win-win.
Also, don’t forget for even more recommendations and alerts when we spot our gift guide items on sale:
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