Our Granddaughter, Alyssa who is four is getting a lot of art stuff, a kit with crayons, markers, pencils and also a trace and color coloring book. A bunch of stickers too. She is also getting construction paper and a scribble pad. She loves doing any kind of crafts. Our Great Grandson who is not quite 2 is getting a lot of cars and trucks plus some other things.

Sue

Good idea. I thought these overboots (what I remember as galoshes?) were adorable. Perhaps most practical in areas that get more rain than snow:

Butler Emperor Overboots

This Melissa and Doug toy is rated for ages 4 to 8, but I think it depends on how far the child has advanced with reading.

Self-Correcting Letter Puzzle

I loved having an easel when I was a child. Tabletop easels are nice too.

My family loves music. If the adults can take it, Remo makes some great drums for children: single drums or double bongos. Fisher price has a couple of nice electronic keyboards. And I highly recommend Schylling's products, such as this piano horn:

Schylling Piano Horn

and this:

Schylling Classic Tin Kaleidoscope

Play Dough? Or real clay? Or would that be too messy?

When my grand-daughter was much younger, she loved Play Dough...spent hours playing with it.

I'm for whatever gets kids off their rears and outside. I know this depends on the age and ability of the child and available play area. Looking at Toys 'R Us, there are some age appropriate Razor Scooter type scooters. Adjustable roller skates might start being fun in the next year or too....hula hoops, small soccer goal and ball.

My kids loved the "I Spy" type books and games. Not sure what all is currently out there, but this was always a hit. It didn't have to be I Spy brand. Remember the potholder looms? Kids who like art might like those. My kids liked science experiments. The grow crystals you drop in water were pretty simple for this age. You can also get the butterfly kit with a net cage and you send off for the butterfly chrysalis.

I have a 3 year old grand daughter and a one year old grand son. They have enough toys and books and art supplies to outfit a half dozen preschools. Everyone in the family went nuts when DGD was born and DD is a gently used bargain hunter.

On DGD's last birthday I bought her a set of Standard Unit Wooden Blocks. It was and remains a big hit that is played with daily. So for Xmas they are jointly getting the Architectural Set to go with it.

I believe in toys that grow with the child. Art supplies, building toys and riding toys. DGD likes her adjustable roller skates.

Quality toys don't have to be expensive. Children grow out of them quickly and parents sell them at mommy groups etc. Our family stays gender neutral with toys at their age. They both play with cars, dolls, blocks and cookng sets.

We give gifts of activities and lessons.

Several years ago, I bought a large set of Magnatiles (Magna Tiles?) for our young grandsons. They are plastic tiles shaped in squares, rectangles, and triangles that have magnets on their edges, so they stick together however you place them. These boys have everything imaginable, yet my daughter says they play with them every day. Other mothers who recommended them suggested the translucent sets rather than the opaque ones. For $100 I bought a large translucent set, and a few years later I found little car size platforms with wheels that go to the set too for building cars and trucks. Those "cars" went into their Christmas stockings that year.

Hi

Lots of great suggestions above, here's what I can add...

I work w/ elementary age kids in recreation & am constantly on the lookout for engaging, enriching toys & games for indoor & outdoor activities. Here's a bit of what I've learned over the years:

Construction toys are great; LEGO, blocks, etc. There are multitudes of choices.

& you can get foam building blocks - they're lightweight, quiet, ouchless & won't break a window = )

Pretend play is great for all ages as well; dress up, play food, play kitchen, play store, puppets, play money, etc. Boys like dressing up & pretending just as much as girls.

1 of the best investments I made was to buy DUPLO people figures for the kids to play w/ @ the LEGO table & in the dollhouse. They don't come apart like the regular minifigures, so no teensy tiny parts to get lost (or swallowed) & are made from very durable plastic that really holds up. Also, since they're hard plastic, they can easily be washed/sanitized.

For outdoors, good, sturdy, bouncy playground balls are good for so many games.

& I second (or 3rd?) the suggestion of an art 'kit'. We made our grand daughter so happy by taking her to Michael's for her birthday & putting together her own kit w/ paints, brushes, paper, markers, mixing tray & a tote box to hold it all.

& of course don't rule out books. I agree that the I Spy books & games are wonderful & engaging & really good developmentally. They promote reading & observation skills & vocabulary enrichment.

All in all, simple things can be the best, IMO...

Standards for play at Grandma's and Grandpa's house are:

Big Purple Ball (DGS's choice from a bin when he was still sitting in the grocery cart seat. He's now 10.)

Wooden Train Set (Leftover from when our DS was little)

Musical Instrument Set -- Drum (can be worn), cymbals, maracas, recorder

Large Lego Block Set

Plenty of Paper, Washable Markers

The kids will play the (body action) games on the Wii for hours. Provide water!

I forgot to list the most favorite activities: Playing WITH Grandma and Grandpa.

A sincere thank you to everyone for the time you all took to share fantastic ideas! Some I hadn't heard of and will check out, especially the I Spy books.

I didn't know wii was still around.

My sixteen year old and I STILL play with the stomp rocket (a different version, but same concept) when we see it. It's in too bad of shape to donate, but I don't think we would if we could. Good times! I think I'll go buy a new set. Good luck with your grandchildren. Seems like that age loves flashlights and little pretend camping lanterns. Butterfly, bug release sets. I'll think some more.

Rob, how fantastic that you still have that kind of a relationship with your 16-year old. The stomp rocket we got was so junky I had to tape it together and have to hold it upright for the kids, but it's still fun.

I stumbled across these kid binoculars which I think I'll get. I tried them out in the toy store, and they do work well. I wanted to come home and read the Amazon reviews before buying. Might get for both of them so there are no sharing problems.

http://smile.amazon.com/EDUCATIONAL-INSIGHTS-GEOSAFARI-JR-KIDNOCULARS/dp/B00B1Z6EPS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447714276&sr=8-1&keywords=kidnoculars&pebp=1447714273561&perid=1X7NSEV5GB2YX7D3F35Y

I just bought my granddaughter a backpack with her name on it. The backpack is shaped like a ladybug. I plan to fill it up with a few things. She's only two but she wants to go to school very bad. I think that is from her family daycare with school kids coming and going. Plus her mom is a teacher. She's been taking bags and trying to make her own backpack. Maybe a backpack would work for you?

Just thought of something else. Kinetic Sand. Everyone loves it. Even the adults get into the act.

If the kids don't already have them, look at the various Hex bugs at Target or where toys are sold. They are battery operated, so be sure to have a package of the disc type batteries for them. They are funny the way they scurry along the floor. We prefer the big bugs for the ability to move across the room and over the edge of the rug. The tiny ones are interesting too, but no where near as entertaining.

Yes, Sheila, they have those. Good suggestion.

About that kinetic sand, it really doesn't appeal to me but lots of good reviews so I may get some. Thinking of getting a box of the sand and a set of the molds. Does that sound like a good way to go?

I have so many toys here I could start a toy store, Play Doh, the sand, which she loves too, the coloring books, the paint, puzzles, books,the big Lego blocks and so much more. It is hard to choose a gift because they may already have it, but Play Doh gets dried out if not closed up, the sand slowly gets swept away and the paints dry up. Right now Alyssa loves all the Princess stuff. She has a whole tote of gowns bought after Halloween that we have not even given to her, most are for a bigger size. It is fun to shop for little ones.

Sue

Yes a basic set of tray and molds with the sand is a good way to start. However any deep plastic tray to contain the sand would work and any plastic molds also work . So you could invest in more sand and purchase the tray(s) and molds for less money elsewhere. Or just a couple of trays if the kids already have sand toys.

I just used a jelly roll pan for the sand and did not buy any molds, just used this and that we had around the house, little loaf pans, little pie pans and even mini muffin pans. She ended up taking it home, but I have a new box of it here when we decide to give it to her.

Sue

DGD has three battery-operated singing birds that harmonize. They are about four inches tall. Look like parakeets. I didn't buy them, so don't know the brand. A few years ago I bought little dolls that did the same singing/harmonizing as Christmas gifts for her cousins.

Over a dozen years ago I sent DIL's parents two Christmas table arrangements, each containing a ornament in the middle. At the end of dinner, I told the two little girls present to please accept the 'ornaments' as gifts. They had not known until then that these were music boxes. (I see that one girl -- now 18 -- still has hers.)

oh to have them all that young again...the 16 yo want's some fancy eyeshadow with chocolate..OMG the darn thing is her entire $50...are you kidding me?? worse is her sister wanted a $150 fitbit...well that isn't happening! with 9 kids to buy for I have to keep a strict budget...now the littlest one 3, wanted a glitter hair Barbie (another omg) but at least I had enough left for her safety helmet for her trike...her brother wanted a sta rwars art kit...had a coupon for that...kind of made me mad though...had generic one at Costco that was huge...but as dh said star wars is on the hot list...ds1 wh just got divorced this year hasn't sent me a list for his 2...as much as dh hates them, they love money...(and have a LOT less to spend these days, sigh)

For 4-5, try

Snipe hunt (for indoor hide and seek)

Lego (community workers is a favorite)

Balance bike or other ride-ons

Save a bunch of large cardboard boxes for box city :-)

Have fun!

My grandchildren are young adults now...so they get cash to buy something they are wanting because I am not able to shop any more. Last year, I took pint jars, put an empty toilet paper roll down in the middle and filled around it with Christmas M&Ms and put 10 $5 bills in the middle of the roll, cut a red fabric circle and put the jar ring on. They loved it!

Glad for this thread. I try to stay with craft/art materials, books, science kits, ornaments. phoggie, thanks for the idea. MIL always packaged the kids Christmas money in a special way. We loved it. My grandkids, although still kids, like money and treats. They will like your Christmas gift idea.

Chisue, these must be the birds. They are just adorable. Called Digibirds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uusIxEtUnyc

Canoodles needlepoint kits

123stitch