Our TOP 10 Gift Guide from Lakeshore Learning

This year, we’re doing things a little differently. I’ve gotten so many emails asking where our gift guide is and for every email asking, I’ve gotten 3 times as many pitches for inclusion in our annual gift guide. I could point you to the latest fads and toy that is flying off the shelves, you know them and I know them.

This year I want your gifts and mine to be thoughtful. My kids are incredible fortunate, I’d even say spoiled to have more toys than any kid could wish for. Growing up, I didn’t have many toys at all. My family couldn’t afford toys. I spend many days playing with old baby food bottles, boxes and reading. God how I loved to read. Like any other kid, I wished for those must-have toys every year. I wanted the Barbie dolls, the Cabbage Patch Kid doll. The closest I ever got was a Cabbage Patch kid sweatshirt (which I loved and wore until it was frayed) for Christmas as each year I got one new outfit and a new school bag.

You could say I overcompensated and in my line of work, my kids are gifted all sorts of the latest, greatest and often coveted gifts and toys on the market. As you may have noticed, this year I partnered with a brand, Lakeshore Learning, who I love and adore in so many ways.  My family and I have been huge fans for years and we’re lucky to have a store in our neighborhood that my children love to visit all the time. Yes they love those latest, greatest, coveted toys but what I love most is that they love their Lakeshore Learning toys the most.

What’s not to love!? Educational, fun and inclusive to all, Lakeshore Learning products and toys are pure quality you can see, feel and love. So I invite you to visit a neighborhood store or shop online this holiday season and pick gifts for the Growing Minds.

Check out this video from our super fun store visit this past weekend:

Overwhelmed?! I know, so much to love! Here are our TOP 10 PICKS this holiday season, in no particular order:

Magna-Tiles Master Set ($129.99) – This is a STAPLE piece for any family and it tops my list of gifts to give this season. I’ve been told by friend after friend that there is no substitute for the original Magna-Tiles and your kids will play with them for years and years to come. They will be learning geometry, symmetry, angles, area & perimeter all while they are stretching their imaginations by building magnificent creations!

Elementary Folder Games ($19.99 – $129.99) – I am literally obsessed with these boxes. Each of these come with 10 Folder games and an average box costs about $34.99, making each game only $3.49!! Such a bargain for fun games that help to reinforce school concepts.

Add It Up! Archery ($59.99) – Super safe, shooting for the bulls-eye, adding up the numbers as they play! We’ve had so much fun with this set! My son has even exclaimed how awesome this would be at a summer BBQ for the kids!

Hop & Squeak Pogo Jumper ($15.99) – Squeaky fun for all (up to 250lbs!) to be had with this bungee pogo jumper! Indoor or out, this is just simply good fun!

Arts & Crafts Supply Center ($49.99) – What an amazing gift for that little crafter and artist in your life! With over 20 over flowing draws filled with fun items like pom poms, glitter glue — I can imagine hours and hours of fun and probably the most amazing Thank You card ever!

Survive the Quake Engineering Kit ($29.99) – Serious fun to be had with this game. Kids of all ages will appreciate learning all about engineering and earthquakes, building over and over again to find that building that can stand up to the Quake!

Young Scientist Chemistry Lab ($49.99) – This lab was a favorite pick from my science loving daughter. She wanted to make explosions!  Sorry kid, non here, but you can concoct a batch of bouncing bubbles to creating a glowing ice sphere! Six simple experiments each include step-by-step instructions—plus fun scientific facts…Chemistry is AWESOME!

Build & Play Dinos ($29.99) – With kid-safe drill and chunky screwdriver, kids will piece together 2 awesomely cool wheelie dinosaurs over and over again.  This is definitely a favorite toy in our house and my boys can’t get enough of this build and play toy!

Alpha-Bots ($29.99) – What a great gift for your robotics loving toddler! 26 letters one second and awesomely cool robots the next! My little one carries one, sometimes more, with him all the time. He has so much fun identifying those letters throughout his day boosting his letter skills which makes this mom super happy!

Design & Wear Clay Charms ($19.99) – My girl loves this set so hard! She’s been making and gifting charms she designed to her friends and loving every minute of it! The kit boasts enough materials to make 30 charms but she’s made so much more! It comes with 9 colors of clay, easy-to-use stampers, illustrated instructions, kid-friendly shaping tools, glaze and more.

There are so many more worthy products that deserve to be on this list, but a visit to your neighborhood Lakeshore Learning is a must! You’ll be able to touch and feel and even play with many of these and many other toys. There are FREE weekly Crafts for Kids held in each store and my littles got to make awesome Future Voter badges this past weekend.  They were so proud! Fun projects like Giving Thanks Wreaths and Top Hat Treat Holders are some of the fun upcoming projects!