If there’s one day kids look forward to every single year, it’s their birthday! Kids love having a reason to celebrate, eat sweet treats, and spend time with friends and family. Plus, what kid doesn’t love opening birthday presents? When it comes to buying birthday gifts for kids, there’s just one thing to look for: it has to be fun! Typically, there are a few more things parents want, though — something educational, engaging, and entertaining. Luckily, there are so many great toys, games, and activities that kids and parents will both approve of!
Here are some awesome birthday gifts for kids that parents will love too:
1. Puzzles
Puzzles are great activities for kids of all ages — and adults! Puzzles have been used for early learning and childhood development for a long time, and they’re still just as popular as ever. When kids do puzzles, they benefit in a variety of ways: puzzles are good for hand eye coordination, fine motor skills, problem solving, teamwork, spatial awareness, improved memory, and more.
2. Educational video games
LeapFrog® LeapLand Adventures™ is the perfect video game for kids ages 3+. The game is incredibly engaging and helps early learners explore concepts like colors, shapes, numbers, and letters. Plus, using a wireless game controller helps kids work on their fine motor skills! Kids will love the game’s adventure, while parents will appreciate the unique learning experience.
3. Board games
Board games are a great birthday gift for kids because there are so many different options! Some great board games for early learners are Candy Land, Sorry!, Trouble, and Chutes and Ladders.
4. Art supplies
Craft kits and art supplies are great gifts for kids! Coloring books, crayons, markers, paints, modeling clay, and beads are all fun options (just stay away from any permanent markers or paints).
5. Interactive Books
Most kids start learning to read when they get to school, but it’s never too early to start teaching about the joy of books! One way to keep kids going back to books over and over again is by getting them interactive books. LeapFrog® has a number of fun books — like this one, LeapFrog® Learning Friends 100 Words Book™ — complete with music, sounds, and lights. Each book has touch-sensitive pages that kids can press to learn vocabulary words (in both English and Spanish), fun facts, and sounds.
6. Playhouses
Playing make believe is essential for kids, and one of the most fun ways to play pretend is with a playhouse. There are a ton of different ways to gift a child a playhouse — you can get them a prefabricated one, you can build one from scratch, or you can even just put one together out of cardboard boxes!
7. Costumes
Kids love dressing up in costumes, both for playtime and for daily life. Dressing up is a form of imaginative play, and it can be a fun way for kids to entertain themselves. Some costumes we love for kids are superhero costumes, professional outfits (doctor’s clothing, firefighter costumes, etc.), pirate costumes, and animal costumes.
8. Blocks
Building blocks are a classic kids’ toy and they’re great for a variety of different ages. Whether they’re just learning to stack blocks to make towers or building elaborate buildings, kids can learn a lot from playing with blocks. They help with imagination, problem solving, spatial reasoning, fine and gross motor skills, coordination, and more.
9. Role play toys
Role play toys like this LeapFrog® Scoop and Learn Ice Cream Cart Deluxe™ can be both fun and educational for kids. This toy allows kids to own their own pretend business, scooping ice cream to make colorful cones and accepting play money. The ice cream cart comes with six order cards for kids to work on following instructions, improving memory, and building sequencing skills. The toy helps kids learn about numbers, colors, flavors, and more.
