Made for Play
Explore child development through play, find inspiration for your next DIY project, and discover tips for selecting the perfect toys for your little ones.
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The Ultimate Kids Holiday Gift Guide for 2022
We love the holiday season for that buzz of excitement, the fun holiday activities, and all the cozy cuddles with our kids. But there’s one thing we can do without: the overwhelming push to buy flashy, noisy toys that only get played with for a week.If you’re tired of the toy box being filled with long-forgotten ghosts of Christmases past, get some gift ideas and inspiration for kids of any age from our 2022 kids holiday gift guide. We’ve filled it with some of KidKraft’s very best for our five pillars of play: active play, cognitive play, creative play, imaginative play, and social play. No fads and gimmicks here: just time-tested gift ideas for kids who love to play. For young toddlers: 18 - 23 months These wiggly, wonderful toddlers are learning new words and concepts by the day. Whereas they loved knocking things down and taking things apart in the months prior, now they’ll revel in the challenge of building, fitting, and putting things back together. Wooden blocks If they don’t have some already, add a set of wooden blocks high on your list! They’re a truly open-ended toy, so they’ll encourage creative play and stick around for years. At 18 months, toddlers attempt simple towers (and love knocking them down). In just a few more months, you’ll see them try to make more complex structures. From there, the sky is truly the limit, and you’ll love seeing how your child incorporates blocks into their worlds of pretend play. Shape Sorter There’s a reason shape sorter is a classic toy. Young toddlers are engaged by the fine motor challenge, while older toddlers love learning and matching shapes and colors. Climbers That whole “climbed before they could walk” thing isn’t just a saying – young toddlers are driven to test their climbing skills on anything in sight. Fortunately, a fun, safe climbing toy can help them explore that urge to climb and keep them from attempting to scale your furniture (or your Christmas tree). A-frame Hideaway & ClimberOne part rock wall, one part tee-pee, this sturdy climber doubles as a pint-sized playhouse, making it the perfect blend of active and imaginative play. Camp & Slide ClimberHave a little one who adores all things nature? They’ll love having daily camping adventures with the Camp & Slide Climber. When they’re done climbing and sliding, they can cozy up in their very own camping tent! Under the rounded arch, tent flaps with camping-inspired designs create a cozy hideout for your little one to snuggle up in and pretend they’re roughing it in the great outdoors. 5-in-1 Sports ClimberWe love presents that get toddlers moving – they have a blast, and you might actually get a little downtime once they’re tired out! And movement is this climber’s speciality. With five different ways to play, your little one is sure to expend all that extra holiday energy as they climb, slide, score soccer goals, shoot baskets, and swing at the baseball targets! For older toddlers: 2 Years Toddlers are constantly learning about the world and their own bodies and limitations! They love activities that challenge their fine motor skills, present them with problems to solve (How do those train tracks fit together?), and help them through developmental stages like schemas (more on that below!). Train Set Have you ever noticed your little one run to the window to watch the garbage truck? Or seem absolutely mesmerized by passing trains? If so, then you know that toddlers and preschoolers are fascinated by “things that go.” Train sets are a great way to feed that interest and encourage creative, explorative play as they build tracks and engage in pretend play. Train sets are versatile enough that high-quality wooden sets like the Figure 8 Train Set will stay in the toy rotation well into the school-age years. Turtle Totter Balance Beam Now that your little one has been a walking pro for months or years, they’re likely looking for other ways to challenge their balance and gross motor skills. The Turtle Totter Balance Beam is just the thing! A Foody Friends Kitchen & Activity Center Many play kitchens are still a little too big for toddlers at this age – the frustration of not being able to reach that top shelf is real. That’s why the Foody Friends Activity Centers are designed with toddlers in mind. A low-profile design keeps everything within your toddler’s reach, and the fun animal designs are just an added bonus. Now all you have to do is choose the animal pal your little one will love best: Cooking Fun Elephant Activity Center,Baking Fun Unicorn Activity Center. For preschoolers: 3 - 4 years Kids at this age are moving into the years of imaginative and pretend play (hooray!). Toys that let them role play, build, and create will always be winners! Adventure Tracks: Safari Run Remember how we said train sets were versatile? Preschoolers (especially preschoolers who love animals and the zoo) will love the added element of imaginative play in the Adventure Tracks: Safari Run play table. In this set, the train cars are animals of the African savanna like fierce lions, zebras, gazelles, wildebeest, and leopards. They can connect them with magnets to form a train or play with them individually. A safari through the tracks will take them face-to-face with more animals as they roll past elephants, giraffes, and more. Art Easel Your mini-Picasso already loved crayons and paints as a toddler, but now, you’ll see them move beyond scribbles and shapes and attempt real pictures. Their attention span for creative play like art projects increases around this age, so it’s a great age to invest in a dedicated art station or easel.The Create N Play Art Easel is a great choice if you’re looking for an all-in-one easel that will grow with them well into elementary school. With a built-in chalkboard, dry erase board, storage bin, and drip-free paint cups, it has everything they’ll need to make their next masterpiece and keep messes to a minimum. For even more mess-free projects, the Ultimate Creation Station has room for two plus built-in storage and project trays that make great sensory bins. Dress Up Clothes & Costumes From superheroes to princesses and everything in between, preschoolers love to dress up. A ballgown, a firefighter uniform, or a costume from their favorite character are guaranteed to be a hit. And to keep it all organized, the Pretend N Play Dress Up Unit will let them easily access all their favorite dress-up clothes year-round. Bring on the wardrobe changes! Create and Cook Create and Cook pretend foods are an engaging, budget-friendly idea for pretend play. They work as a stand-alone present or as a fun addition to a play kitchen. This year, kid favorites are the Create and Cook Apple Pie and Create and Cook Avocado Toast! If you’re looking for a play kitchen as well, you can bundle all those pretend play accessories and get a vintage-inspired kitchen with the Create & Cook Kitchen Set, exclusively on KidKraft.com. Let’s Pretend Pop-Ups Speaking of pretend play… Let’s Pretend Pop-Ups are 10/10 going to be a hit with preschoolers and up (and their younger siblings will love getting in on the fun too). These space-saving setups let your kiddo turn the playroom into a full grocery store, restaurant, or vet’s office for immersive pretend play with realistic props and setups. Each pop-up folds down for easy storage and opens up to six sides, so your little one has multiple “rooms” in their little business. For school-age kids: 5 years and up Ahh those dreamy years of endless pretend play. This is when watching kids open presents gets really fun!Pre-schoolers love play kitchens and the chance to mimic practical life skills too, but young school-age kids are especially imaginative with their play kitchens. In the hands of your five or six-year-old, play kitchens become much-loved props for playing everything from shopkeeper to Cinderella. And no, they don’t have to be a big plastic eyesore. KidKraft’s wide selection of quality wooden play kitchens are designed to last and look as chic as your decor. These are some of our favorites this year: Play Kitchens For a modern farmhouse aesthetic: Modern Metallics Farmhouse Play Kitchen: Wood-look storage baskets, a chalkboard for the menu-of-the-day, and veggie harvest fresh from the farm. This kitchen looks great and normalizes healthy eating. For a deluxe kitchen surprise: Ultimate Corner Play Kitchen with Lights and Sounds: Little chefs get the full kitchen experience with this play kitchen! Appliances include a fridge with ice maker, light up stove, spacious sink, microwave, and washing machine. The corner design gives it room for all the can include more space and features without taking up a ton of room in your home. For a cheerful, colorful look: Large Pastel Play Kitchen: Finally – bright, cheerful colors that aren’t overwhelming. This happy little kitchen is built to last through years of pretend play. Playhouse Going big this holiday season? Put that “wow” look on their faces with one of our newest and most popular playhouses: the Cozy Escape. This playhouse is a full-out clubhouse dream with two stories, a ladder, a slide, a balcony, and a play kitchen. Find it in the super-stylish navy-and-white combo exclusively on KidKraft.com. For a smaller playhouse in an equally stylish color combo, check out the White & Raven Modern Outdoor Playhouse. Swing Sets Swing sets are another outdoors toy that's sure to wow them! Our Wrangler Way Swing Set or McKinley Swing Set are big enough to grow with them throughout elementary school, and they’re a parent favorite for swoon-worthy paint jobs. If backyard space is limited, check out the Ranger Retreat for a compact, budget-friendly swing set they’ll love. Dollhouses Is anything more timeless than a dollhouse under the tree on Christmas morning? (Except maybe a puppy? Thanks but no thanks!) Dollhouses are another long-time kid favorite that works for multiple age ranges. Preschoolers are drawn to them too, but kids in the kindergarten-and-up range really engage in the type of immersive pretend play that makes dolls and dollhouses so fun. Large, open-concept dollhouses like the So Stylish Mansion Dollhouse allow for 360° play, making it easy for multiple siblings and friends to play together. The KidKraft Disney Princess Dance & Dream brings a little extra magic and fantasy to the realm. And if you have a little horse lover, the Grand Horse Stable & Dollhouse is the perfect way to give her dolls and her toy horses their perfect dream home. Play Sets For the boys or girls who like a little more of a rough-and-tumble vibe for their pretend play, playsets like the Rocket Ship Play Set or Pirate’s Cove Pretend Play Set are perfect dollhouse alternatives. For animal lovers and adventure lovers alike, the Safari 2-in-1 Ride and Play is an innovative combination of a Safari playset and a rideable safari truck!Hopefully, your head is now dancing with visions of sugar plum fairies and fun, engaging kids gift ideas for the kiddos in your life. Prefer to shop by price? Our Holiday Gift Guide has great gift ideas for every budget! Or, if you want to shop by type of play (creative, social, imaginative, cognitive, or active), check out our Shop by Skill page to find toys that align with the developmental milestones your little one is working hard to master!
Rainy Day Activities the Whole Family Will Enjoy
Rainy days don’t have to be dreary. With these 10 rainy day activities for kids, your little ones may actually look forward to stormy days! Couch Cushion Obstacle Course Physical challenge is the name of the game when it comes to rainy day activities for toddlers. Since they can’t run and climb outside, you can help them expend all that energy with a couch cushion obstacle course. Spread out and stack couch cushions and throw pillows and let them climb, crawl, and toddle their way across the room. Add in a blanket fort tunnel, and even older kids will want to get in on the fun! Living Room Campout Whether you use a full-size tent, a blanket fort, or a child’s teepee, indoor campouts are always a hit. Plus, they give a little extra magic to movie nights, storytime, or anything else you’re doing that day. Dollhouse Decorating Rainy days are a wonderful time to encourage pretend play. Come up with a scenario that requires the dollhouse to be decorated such as a royal ball, a favorite holiday, a visit from grandma and grandpa. Supply them with craft supplies like pipe cleaners, crafting pom poms, construction paper, colors, or whatever you have lying around to let them design their own decorations. Once they’ve completed their master design, they’ll have a blast playing out the pretend scenario with their dolls. Make a Work of Art Bust out the art easel, paints, and colors to make a rainy day masterpiece. Make the activity last longer by helping younger kids mix their own DIY fingerpaint. Older kids will enjoy the added challenge of a kids’ drawing tutorial (or drawing book to keep the activity screen-free). Mail those masterpieces to family and friends for the added fun of using stamps and envelopes! Build a City Combine block sets and train sets to turn the playroom into a mini-metropolis. Add in dollhouses or playsets to make your city even more fun and let the kids’ imaginations take over! DIY Enrichment for the Pets The kids aren’t the only ones cooped up in the house, right? They’ll love the chance to do something nice for the family pet by creating a simple enrichment activity. It’s easy to build treat puzzles for cats out of cardboard and paper towel rolls. For dogs, let your child hide a treat or two in a few small boxes (or any container or hiding place) for a “nose work” activity. For hamsters and rabbits, tear up paper towels to create new nesting materials and enjoy watching them get cozy! Dance Party When the stir-craziness starts to set in, crank up a kid-friendly playlist and get everyone on their feet! Bonus points to whoever comes up with the silliest dance moves. Bake Together Nothing says cozy, rainy day like the smell of warm cookies. For extra fun, let your little one measure, pour, and mix kid-safe ingredients (i.e. no raw eggs) at their own play kitchen. They’ll find the chance to complete a real task at their own level empowering and fun. Start a New Book Cozying up with a page-turner is practically mandatory during a thunderstorm, right? For independent readers, pull up a chair next to your kid’s reading nook and get lost in a book of your own. (And don’t forget to bring a few of the cookies you made earlier!) For pre-readers, make reading together extra special today with your best character voices. Tidy Up the Playroom We know – it may not sound fun, but kids are willing to get excited about almost anything. Clean up songs and games –– “Who can put away these blocks the fastest?” –– make even mundane tasks exciting. If you have positive energy, add in some fun, and keep things low pressure, tidying toys can be almost as fun as playing with them.
15 Holiday Pretend Play Ideas for Toddlers
Call us sentimental, but we love all things holiday themed. Peppermint lattes? Cheesy holiday movies? We’re here for it. So naturally, we want to share that holiday fun with the little ones in our lives too – preferably without constant screen time. Cue holiday-themed playtime. These toddler-friendly pretend play ideas are a very merry way to embrace the magic of the holidays with your kiddos all season long! Dollhouse Decorating The dolls deserve a little holiday cheer too, right? Supply your little one with materials to “deck the halls” of their dollhouse, and watch what they come up with. Artificial snow from your tree looks oh-so-winter-wonderland (if you’re up for a little mess, of course). Green pipe cleaners work great as tiny Christmas trees, wreaths, and garlands, though toddler hands may need some help with the cutting and twisting. Finish it all off with some craft pom-pom ornaments! Pretend Polar Express That’s not just a toy train. This time of year, it’s the Polar Express itself, and your child is the engineer. White felt or cotton balls can help you create a snowy North Pole around the tracks. Play Kitchen Cookies Baking holiday cookies is probably one of the highlights of the season for your sous-chef. Let them re-enact it by equipping their play kitchen with a rolling pin, modeling clay, and some holiday cookie cutters — all the joy of holiday baking without the sugar rush. North Pole Campout If you have a child’s tent, turn it into an igloo for a North Pole campout. You can even transform your outdoor playhouse into a snowy holiday scene. If you’re feeling crafty, you can help your little explorer decorate with white construction paper “ice blocks” for a real chilly igloo feel. No tent? A good old-fashioned blanket fort does the trick too. The Elves’ Toy Shop A good tool set is a busy elf’s best friend. Your little one’s toy tool set or workbench is the perfect setup for playing an elf in Santa’s workshop. Reindeer Vet Rudolph and the gang need to be in tiptop shape for Christmas Eve. Who better to make sure they’re up to the task than your little veterinarian? (After all, toys are at stake here!) Stuffed animals or even a (very patient) family pet make great pretend reindeer. No plushies or pup to play the part? We love the Schleich reindeer figurines. They’re realistic, less expensive than a stuffed animal, and they make great additions to your little one’s toy stable. Holiday Toy Shopping Real holiday shopping? Maybe a bit stressful. Pretend holiday shopping with your favorite little shopkeeper? Now, that’s some holiday cheer. Let them line up some stuffed animals and toys for their shop while you or a sibling play a happy customer with pretend money. Older kids will love the addition of a toy cash register or shopkeeper stand for more role-play. Light the Menorah There’s something enchanting about a menorah in the window. It’s just too bad you only get to light it once a night, right? A play menorah set with removable candles lets the kids recreate that magic anytime they want. Play-Doh Snowmen We’ll have lots of fun with Mr. Snowman … unless, of course, you live in a warmer climate or your kids aren’t fans of the cold. Never fear though. Play-Doh snowmen are a great way to get excited about the holiday season — no mittens required! Santa’s Sleigh You already have the perfect pretend sleigh — your child’s bed! Make some reins by tying or taping both ends of a jump rope to the footboard or headboard. Let them fill up a large bag with toys to deliver, and dig out that old Santa hat (you know you have one somewhere). They’ll jump at the chance to play Santa. Just be sure to remove the jump rope before bedtime. Holiday Sensory Bins For the youngest toddlers, Santa and imaginative play may be out of their reach this year, but holiday-themed sensory bins are just their speed. Fill a few shallow bins with some of the best scents, textures, colors, and sounds of the season. Think things like Christmas tree clippings, (non-chokable) jingle bells, wrapping paper, and red and green dyed rice. Set the bins on a toddler-sized table and watch them explore. Dreidel Painting Up the fun factor of dreidels by using them for spin art and stamps. Lightly dip plastic dreidels in washable paint, and set them spinning on a few pieces of paper. (Of course, you’ll want to be outside for this one!) Then, use a stamping pad or a light coat of paint to stamp the dreidel’s letters and designs onto the paper. Felt Christmas Trees Toddlers are to Christmas trees as moths are to flames (but in the best way). While you can’t make the glowing lights less magical and enticing (and would you really want to anyway?), you can redirect them with a felt Christmas tree. Hang one on the wall, and whenever your toddler is tempted to un-trim the real tree, encourage them to take the felt ornaments on and off the felt tree instead. Holiday Reading Corner Transform your kiddo’s normal reading spot into a cozy, winter-themed nook ready for a visit from Santa. Use poster board or construction paper to make a paper fireplace for the wall. Add in some construction paper flames and logs plus a few cozy blankets, and you just may want to curl up there yourself. Stocking Stuffing Have a stocking to spare? Make it a part of your little one’s toy collection this season. Ask them to fill it with presents for a family member or one of their favorite characters. They’ll love the chance to hunt for goodies around the house, and you’ll love seeing the funny things they pick out as gifts. Now, go make those memories!
Toy Storage Ideas for Keeping Playtime Mess Free
If you’re like most of us, you thought you’d never be the parent with toys all over the house… only to find out that toys have a way of taking over pretty quickly. But never fear – these simple toy storage ideas will help you organize the playroom, reclaim your living room, and keep playtime (mostly) mess free. Rotate your child’s toys First thing’s first. It’s tough for anyone to keep toys organized if all of them are out at once. If you only keep out a select number of toys at a time, both you and your little one will find it much easier to clean up after playtime. You can keep toys that are out of rotation organized in a closet or anywhere your kids won’t have access to them. When you notice that they haven’t played with a certain toy in a few days, swap it out for another one. It cuts through the clutter, and your kids are less likely to get bored with their toys overtime! Simplify rotations with toy caddies Toy caddies make toy rotations super simple. Keep art supplies and activities with multiple pieces in a caddy. Whenever your child loses interest in one activity, it’s time for a rotation! Swap the caddy that’s out for another one that you have stored in the closet. Try forward-facing toy bins for easier clean up Does your kiddo empty out the entire toy box to find one thing? Forward-facing toy bins with multiple small compartments might be your playtime solution. These bins make it easy for kids to find what they want and put it back in place when they’re done. Make book storage kid-friendly Books can take over just as easily as toys, so make a child-friendly book storage solution a priority. Ideally, the bookcase will be small enough that your kiddo can reach the top shelf, empowering them to find what they want and clean up easily. With preschoolers, books are more likely to stay off the floor if you have a sling bookshelf. Why? It’s tough for kids to find the book they want just by looking at the spines – especially if they can’t read yet. Sling shelves let them see the whole cover of the book and quickly find their favorites. When they’re done, they can easily spot the empty space the book should be returned to. If you can’t fit all of their books in the sling shelf, store the rest in a closet and rotate them every week or so. Make your storage work for your space When it comes to storage ideas for the kids’ rooms where space is often tight, multipurpose solutions make all the difference. Tables with built-in storage for toys or toy boxes that can double as a bench or a cozy reading spot give your child another place to play and free up space in their room. Create a no-pressure tidying routine Once you’ve got your toy storage solutions in place, try to get the kids involved in clean up time each day. Many parents find that a quick cleanup at the same time each day (before bed or right after dinner, for example) helps kids know what to expect, making them less likely to resist helping. It’s okay if they aren’t super helpful each time. By modeling the behavior yourself and encouraging them to pick up at least a toy or two, you’ll build habits that pay off overtime. And don’t forget to give yourself a little grace. Even with the most Pinterest-worthy toy storage ideas, no home is perfect all of the time, and that’s okay. It’s all a part of raising those messy, magical things called kids.
