Best gifts for preschoolers (ages 3-5) | Christmas Gift Guide

Here are our favorite Christmas gifts for pre-school kids (ages 3-5ish). These are the ones we think will survive past garage sale season :).

Richard Scarry board games — Richard Scarry Busy Town and Richard Scarry Airport Game are some of our favorites. I enjoy playing these games with my kids and that is saying something.

Looking for more board games for the preschool set? Check out this post for more ideas!

Spot It Junior Animals — This is one of the best games for kids. Great way for them to start recognizing everyday objects in their world.

Playskool Mr. Potato Head — This classic toy is great for kids. Several different fun options outside of the classic version.

Melissa & Doug Fold and Go Mini Barn — We love the wooden toys from Melissa & Doug and this barn is a big hit with the boys and the girls.

National Geographic Little Kids magazine subscription — I like National Geographic because there are quizzes and projects to do to enhance children’s knowledge of the animals. Or as a reader suggested, Highlights High Five or Ranger Rick Jr.

Workbooks — Kids are learning to draw, write, use scissors and more. Why not add some fun with these great workbooks?

Balance bike — Perfect way to learn to ride a bike (WAY better than training wheels). Seriously, balance bikes actually teach your kids to ride a bike. They learn to balance on their own right out of the gate and the transition is easier once switches to a 2-wheeler.

My Little Sandbox — Winner of the Creative Child magazine creative Toy Award. These are so fun for kids over four. My kids have loved, loved, loved their sandboxes. They are portable, stay dry, and don’t attract stray cats.

Play kitchen — Kids love to imitate adult life and a play kitchen is one of the best ways for them to act out what they are seeing.

The KidKraft Uptown Espresso Kitchen is awesome and you don’t need to assemble it! Not only is the wood option more sturdy, it has a higher resale value on Craigslist. Costco usually carries one wooden version from KidKraft during the holidays as well.

Kickboard USA’s Mini Micro Scooter (Mini-Kick) — Hands down best scooter made. DO NOT buy your kids those worthless one wheel in the front, two wheels in the back pieces of junk. You can read my review here.

Fisher-Price Imaginext toys — Great for those who like to set up and start imaginary play. Imaginext guys are big enough for little hands, but not big enough to take up a bunch of space.

Kindle Fire — Here’s my firm recommendation after many years of promoting kids’ tablets: Just buy them a Kindle Fire.

It’s sturdy enough (buy a cheap case if you’re worried), there are plenty of apps to keep little kids busy, you have access to Prime Video to stream movies, and it will grow with them. Plus it’s significantly cheaper than the other tablets created for kids. AND you don’t have to spend a ton of money on game cartridges.

Looking for more gift ideas?