It's just one week before Thanksgiving (Yikes!), and that means it's one week before all those wonderful sales kick in gear! There are so many toy ideas for kids, but let's be honest...do we really want to buy our kids MORE toys like dolls, trucks, video games, ect? LOL. If I'm going to buy a gift for a child, I'd prefer buying something that will engage their mind with critical thinking or gearing up their imagination! Today I'm going to share 10 Gifts Under $25 for Children which aren't your typical toys, but are still a lot of fun--in fact, our family owns and plays with several of them regularly!*All the pricing is accurate as of 11/16/2018*
Price: Under $15
Ages: 5+
I honestly think I could just tell you to get anything from ThinkFun and call it good. LOL. We have used their products over the last three years and just love everything we have tried. One of their items is this Visual Math + Balance Board called Balance Beans. It was recently named a winner in American Specialty Toy Retailing Association's 2016 Best Toys for Kids list. It's geared for ages 5+, making it a major winner for all ages. It's a logic game and math game all in one! You simply pick a challenge card (4 different levels of difficulty), and carefully place the blue, yellow, or orange Beans on the Seesaw to keep it from teetering. Simple right? Yet, the challenge is to figure out HOW the beans go on (using only the ones shown on your card) to make it balance. This has become a new favorite game for my boys in their morning basket--and since it is a single player game, they don't need to fight over whose turn it is. Did I mention it comes in a nice nifty drawstring bag? You can find it at Target, but also on Amazon and neighborhood toy stores.
Price: Under $10
Ages: 8+
Didn't I tell you I loved ThinkFun? This is another great game for single player. It promotes strategic thinking as you "Help Tippy the dog return to his dog house". You will use deductive reasoning to place Tippy's chew bones, tennis balls, and food bowls into the correct order to send Tippy home. This game is an all-in-one gameboard/storage with a spiral bound magnetic game board with heavy duty magnetic pieces, making it a fabulous gift for road trips. The game provides you with a series of clues hinting at the position of each of the 9 pieces on the game board, using process of elimination, your child will determine where each piece will fit according to the clues. Each "game" grows progressively harder as the clues become more vague and require more logic reasoning. This is a game even adults will enjoy putting their mind to. I know I sure like it! I'm almost through all of the levels!
Price: Under $25
Ages: 8+
I would be remiss, if I didn't include yet another family favorite--the John Deere version of Monopoly. My boys could play this every night and would if I let them! I don't mind playing this game, because it encourages math skills, like basic counting, addition, and money skills. The boys are learning how to count back change, how to determine whether or not they have enough money to purchase items, and to estimate their current asset value. The more we play, the better they get at these skills. I don't care what version of Monopoly you play, this is a game that has definite educational value! Even my 8 year old can count out his rent payments and be banker now!
4. Monopoly Deal
Price: Under $20 (or $5 if you have Prime)
Ages: 8+
Don't like to take the time to play the regular version of Monopoly? Did you know there is a card version which goes MUCH faster, but is still fun? My mom can't stand the regular game, but she is happy to play this one because it's easy and fast! I am the same way. We can play one of these during lunch recess! You can get this at Walmart or just order a deck when you are making your Amazon purchases! You can snag it as an add on for $4.99 if you have Prime.
Price: Under $20 (or $5 if you have Prime)
Ages: 8+
Don't like to take the time to play the regular version of Monopoly? Did you know there is a card version which goes MUCH faster, but is still fun? My mom can't stand the regular game, but she is happy to play this one because it's easy and fast! I am the same way. We can play one of these during lunch recess! You can get this at Walmart or just order a deck when you are making your Amazon purchases! You can snag it as an add on for $4.99 if you have Prime.
Price: Under $10
Ages: 8+
If you want to speed up your child's basic math skills, add in Yatzee to your evenings. I grew up playing this game, and looking back I realize that my parents were encouraging me to get faster in basic math, while having fun at the same time! Now it's my turn to do the same with my own boys! They love the shaking of the dice, and the excitement of trying to get that elusive Yatzee! Playing games like this, is the the best way to make learning fun, because they won't even realize what they are doing! I STILL love playing this game and it's so easy to include the whole family. Even the littlest can sit in and give the dice a shake!
Price: Under $25
Ages: 5+
Marble runs are just fun. I don't care if you are 5 or 50! There is just something fun about designing a track and then letting your marbles go. Unfortunately, the high quality sets (like MarbleWorks) can be spendy if you are looking for inexpensive options. That's why I think these Tumble Trax sets are very cool. They are MAGNETIC so you set them up on any magnetic surface--your fridge, a cabinet, a white board--and then position them just so---and try out your marbles! This set comes with track designs. It's a great idea and gets the creative juices flowing!
Price: Under $20 (Amazon and Educents)
Ages: 4+
Have you heard about GoldieBlox? They are engineering sets designed to appeal to the STEM minded girl! In this set, there is a storybook about how GoldieBlox needs to figure out how to give her dog a bath when he hates water! Your child will then use the included engineering set to construct a dunk tank! This set introduces the real-life STEM concept of hinges and levers. Designed for tinkering and creative exploration, GoldieBlox toys build spatial skills and confidence in problem-solving. You could also check out GoldieBlox and the Parade Float for another option! Or just check out the entire GoldieBlox line!
Price: Under $25
Ages: 2+
I am a HUGE fan of the magnetic tile/blocks sets. I have boys ages 8 and 12 and they BOTH love getting their hands on them and creating things. This is a GREAT price for a starter set (there is another one that is under $20 with 40 pcs), and these make great quiet toys too! Whether stocking a classroom, your own home, or buying for another child, this is a set sure to bring hours of enjoyment. The pieces are colorful, and while you could create ANYTHING, there is also an idea book included for buildling things like a ferris wheel, cars, and more!
Price: Under $15
Ages: 8+
One of the newest products from ThinkFun is the single player logic game, Cat Crimes. We were sent this product to review and quickly fell in love with it. “Who’s to Blame Logic Game” is a single player puzzle with a loveable cast of characters! Each of the 40 challenges presents a crime and a series of clues to help solve it. Stashes easily in backpacks or the car for road trips. Recently included in The Toy Insider’s Holiday Gift Guide! Winner of a Parents’ Choice Gold Award and National Parenting Product Award. My son picks this game to play out of our morning basket every Monday! It's fun to work through--I enjoy the hard and expert levels myself!
Price: Under $25
Ages: 3+
I have always loved paper dolls, but hated the fragility of them. Petit Collage has a line of Magnetic "paper dolls" which take care of the problem for younger children. The wooden pieces are all painted with non-toxic inks, making them ideal for small children to enjoy. Each set comes with base dolls, and then a series of outfits and accessories which can be layered on (they are magnetic) to create a large variety of outfits. Each set has a different amount of pieces, and if you purchased more than one set, you could mix the pieces together for even more fun! Each set is packaged in a handy storage box with magnetic closure to keep pieces safe for another day.
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I hope that this collection gives you some new ideas for inexpensive but fun gifts this year, no matter what you need them for! Which ones look the most interesting to you? Do you already own some of these?
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