Keep It Simple – Say NO to Junk
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Let’s face it. We all have those relatives that just won’t listen when we ask them to send our homeschooled kids educational toys for the holidays. There have been years when we thought about banning our parents from sending gifts and instead asking them to simply send gift cards or better yet, Amazon cards, so that we could spend the money ourselves. But we didn’t want to hurt their feelings. So we didn’t. And now we have more junk than we really want. Add to that the fact that we moved into a much smaller house a few years ago and now we just want to shout, “please send the good stuff!”
What Is The “Good Stuff”?
Okay, so in our eyes, as homeschoolers for the past nine years (or 14 years, depending on how you’re counting. (How DO you count those years?,) we have learned that our kids value educational materials like books, games, robotic kits, chemistry kits, and puzzles much more than they do basic toys. Add something that they can build or experiment with, all the better!
Barbies and action figures have their place and we have those in our home, however, music, musical instruments, books, educational toys and games usually take the forefront. Oh, don’t get me wrong, the Barbies are well-played-with and the stuffed animals are taking over, but generally, music, books and games are the “go-tos” around here. And don’t forget: these often have a pretty good resale value. Homeschoolers are frugal and often only buy when there is a fantastic deal or buy used! We do!
For the Little Ones
If you are making a wish list for the little ones, kindergarten and younger, you will want to add these to your list!
Hooked On Phonics
My experience working with hundreds of homeschooling parents is that teaching reading can be daunting and overwhelming. This blog post will help. I believe that teaching phonics is an important part of teaching a child to read. The price on this is only $99 for the first 50 orders! A very good deal! This program will last you quite a while. Disclaimer: I did not use this program with my girls, because I had many years of experience teaching phonics from my classroom days and had my own curriculum designed.
Magic School Bus Science Kits
We had a subscription to these awesome monthly science kits when my girls were younger. It was always a thrill to see our beloved Magic School Bus characters on the pages of the directions to whatever science experiment we were doing that month. These are appropriate for kids in grades 1-5.
This is a fantastic deal at almost 50% off! Grab it while you can! You won’t be disappointed.
LEGO City Advent Calendar
This product is going crazy right now! You still have time to purchase this before Advent. Hurry, while this deal is still good!
For The Older Kids
Chess
My girls adore chess and we love this set. I played when I was young, and I was pretty good, too. Then many years went by and I had forgotten how to play. My girls taught themselves, helped me remember how, and now we have chess matches all the time. The benefits of games of strategy are countless, and would make a good future blog post. This set is not only beautiful to look at, but it’s handmade and has magnetic pieces. We bring ours every time we travel because the pieces can’t fall off and get lost.
Piano/Keyboard/eMedia Play Piano Pack
We are considering purchasing this ourselves. We have a piano, but our fourteen-year-old really wants a keyboard. This has everything a beginner needs, and enough to keep an intermediate student engaged as well. I love that it has so many lessons and that the instructors are from the Juliard School of Music (a school that I once wanted to go to!) From the research that I have done, this looks like a pretty good deal.
SmartGurlz App Controlled STEM Toy
WOW! This doll looks absolutely amazing! Our daughter is going to love this! This educational toy/doll will satisfy her love of doll play and her coding excitement all in one. Here’s the product description:
SmartGurlz™ inspires girls to be tomorrow’s creators and leaders by teaching them to code their dolls and Siggy robots in endless fun combinations. Our Sugar Coded™ app connects to Siggy™ via smart phone or tablet and allows girls to break free from computers and coding camp teaching them coding through game-like adventures and missions.
For All Ages 
This rock and mineral kit has everything! Doing a rock and mineral unit with your kids is so much fun! Who doesn’t like to play with dirt and rocks?! I have collected rocks for many years and have some rare, beautiful pieces from all over the world. When we studied rocks and minerals (and fossils!) I bought my girls their own to play with. This kit looks amazing.
This is appropriate for all ages.
The Maestro Classics 12 CD Music Collection
When I taught in the brick and mortar classrooms, I’d play Classical music every day. When my girls were younger, I remembered this. Now, they often choose to listen to Classical on their own.
Studies have shown that listening to Classical music can make you smarter. This looks like a terrific set for those who are new to Classical music, or for those who are Classical connoisseurs!
Hurry, and grab these deals while you can. I’ll continue to look for more as I shop for our own homeschool, and I’ll be sure to add them for you!
Oh I love the classical CD set! My daughter loves listening to Pavarotti and the Nutcracker. She would love this!
These are great educational gifts. I wish more people gave these kinds of gifts. yes clothes and toys are nice too, but the knowledge you can give kids with these gifts will last a life time
Yes! My list is: educational toys/games, clothes/shoes (or gift cards for them), movie gift cards/experience gifts!
Love these gift ideas! I saw the SmartGurls App on Shark tank!
Isn’t that cool?
I think educational doesn’t have to be boring. I personally like having pretty specific suggestions. It just makes it that much easier.
Agreed!
You’ve found a good balance of educational toys and just plain fun toys. Thanks for the ideas!
My pleasure! If I find more I’ll add them. 🙂
These are great gift ideas! I also like the gift of experience, it works better for older kids than younger but prevents your home from being filled with junk.
So true, Elizabeth! I can see a separate blog post coming. . . 🙂
Great ideas! My kids loved science kits when they were growing up, especially ones where they could make things like bubble gum and learn the science behind how it works.
Mine did too, Melissa! That’s why I included that Magic School Bus package. It’s simple but fun for most ages.
The Lego advent calendar is always really cool.
Yes, Amie! It’s one of my favorites!
Great roundup of gift ideas! Any kids are sure to love these.
These are great ideas. I agree with only buying the good stuff. That’s what I did with my kids.
We got the Lego advent calendar and my boys LOVE IT!
Awesome, Kristen!
Great list! I could use the Magic School Bus Science Kits in my classroom, they look amazing!
They would be great for a classroom, too!
Yes to all of this! We’ve homeschooled 12 years and love educational gifts!
My nieces would absolutely love that SmartGurlz toy. Great ideas!
Quality gifts ideas here. Thank you for sharing.
This is great! I’m with you! At this point, I’m looking for items that will actually be used and/or trips/experiences.
Yes! I just wrote about giving gifts that truly matter. Though Santa does still come to our house (I’m working hard on taking that down a notch) the gifts the kids receive from us are practical but still fun. Great ideas on your post! Thanks for sharing!
I agree – we need to be more thoughtful in our gifts. Something they will be able to use all the time- and think of us at the same time!