What to get our children for Christmas, Hanukkah, winter celebrations, or any other holiday also stumps me. I try to maintain only a maximum amount of “toys” in our home, and adding to the collection can be daunting especially if small humans are refusing to let anything go. Here are some practices that help me this time of year.
Choose which toys to keep before you buy
I try to do this a few times a year, but definitely in the winter when it has been nearly 6 months since we have been stuck inside with the puzzles and toys that were age-appropriate last March. Often there is a whole set of something that we have outgrown in that time frame.
- Don’t keep broken toys, toys with missing pieces, puzzles with missing pieces, or incomplete sets. Thank them for their service and pass them along to the bin or find a way to upcycle them!
- Look for toys that have been outgrown. Sometimes toys with fixed parts, like a fire truck that makes a siren noise, have a shelf life. You might be able to donate these holiday toy drives
- Use the time to reorganize and clean out
- Markers with no lids can be saved to mix with water for spray painting snow
- Broken crayons can be kept and melted down to make crayon letters or used in teaching pencil placement.
- Puzzles without all the pieces can be repurposed as Puzzle Piece Ornaments.
Toys Worth Keeping
Check out my post on Loose Part Play to help decide which toys are worth keeping. These 5 definitely are worth keeping around!
- Blocks: Wooden blocks, foam blocks, or even cardboard blocks can be stacked, built, and used to create different structures and designs.
- Playdough: Playdough can be molded and shaped into anything the child wants, like food, animals, or even people. Make it at home with your children.
- Art supplies: Markers, crayons, paint, and other art supplies allow kids to create and express themselves in different ways.
- Dolls: Dolls, stuffed animals, and action figures can be used in various scenarios, from tea parties to space adventures.
- Building sets: Legos, Lincoln Logs, and other building sets can be used to construct all sorts of creations, from castles to robots.
What gifts to give?
- Loose Part Toys – things you take down after a bit and build again later – building sets, magnet tiles, train tracks, legos, Hotwheels, marble runs, k’nexs sets
- Brain-based Toys – puzzles, books, word searches, STEM kits
- Consumable Toys – crayons, paper supplies, art supplies, paint, brushes, play dough (you don’t need the sets!)
- Toys as Tools – staplers, tape dispensers, hole punches, rolling pins, miniature screwdriver sets, spray bottles, squeezable water bottles
- Tinkergarten Toys – Check out this Amazon Page for many of our Tinkergarten Staples!
The holiday season is the perfect time to reassess the toys your children already have and make intentional choices about what to add to their collection. By focusing on quality over quantity and selecting gifts that promote creativity, learning, and open-ended play, you can avoid the clutter while still providing meaningful, engaging experiences for your kids.
Remember, the goal is not just to add more toys, but to foster imagination, growth, and skill development in a way that supports both your child’s interests and your family’s space. With a little thoughtfulness and planning, you can create a holiday season that is both joyful and purposeful—ensuring that each gift continues to spark curiosity and fun long after the wrapping paper is gone.