It's the week before Christmas, and all through the house, all the creatures were stirring and driving you nuts, because school's almost out and everyone has a million parties to go to and Secret Santas to buy for and cookies to bake, and there just isn't enough time in the day to come up with gift ideas [1] and shop and wrap before it's Dec. 25 and too late. Phew.
If you're in the thick of holiday stress with the rest of us and maybe didn't get to all the shopping you intended to, don't fret — there's still plenty of time to get everything you need before Christmas. Thanks to being able to purchase products online with in-store pickup from stores like Target and Walmart and online two-day shipping from the aforementioned as well as Amazon Prime, you should be golden as long as you order before the holiday weekend (if you head to any of those sites now, they'll tell you at checkout exactly when your package should be delivered!).
See over 140 of our favourite gift ideas for kids [2] — many of which are probably sitting at the tippy top of your kids' wish lists — from Amazon [3], Walmart [4], and Target [5] ahead. They'll arrive with plennnnnty of time for Santa to take all the credit.
Spell Educational Toy Set by Coerni
Your little ones will become grammar stars with this Spell Educational Toy Set by Coerni [6] ($10).
Parker: Your Augmented Reality Bear
The future of playthings, Seedling's Parker: Your Augmented Reality Bear [7] ($20, originally $60) combines a cuddly stuffed animal with today's tech. Your child can act as Parker's doctor through an app, which lets them know if Parker is feeling sick and how to make him feel better. Along with being a leader of the pack when it comes to children's AR toys, Parker helps kids build on a variety of skills, including basic biology, digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
DK Games: Silly Sentences
Boost your kid's spelling skills with this entertaining DK Games: Silly Sentences Kit [8] ($10). Children learn how to build proper sentences with pictures and colours.
M.A.X. Robotic Interactive Toy With Artificial Intelligence
M.A.X., Meccano's Robotic Interactive Toy With Artificial Intelligence [9] ($67, originally $150) gives younger kids insight into the worlds of engineering and robotics with this adorable little robot who learns through AI, but can also be programmed by your child (hello, coding skills!).
Tenergy Dynamo Lantern Educational STEM Building Toy
Kids can learn how electricity works with this Tenergy Dynamo Lantern Educational STEM Building Toy [10] ($15). The clear tool is powered by hand-cranking it so they can see the process working.
Fisher-Price Imaginext Jurassic World Walking Indoraptor Dinosaur
Even if your kid hasn't seen either Jurassic World (to be honest, they're not *quite* kids' films [11]), they'll love playing with this Fisher-Price Imaginext Jurassic World Walking Indoraptor Dinosaur [12] ($56).
IQ Twist
Don't limit educational toys to the house. This on-the-go IQ Twist Game [13] ($9, originally $12) gets kids thinking with 100 solvable brain-teasers.
Kinetic Sand
Kinetic Sand [14] ($13) will keep your toddler busy for countless hours, and unlike playing in actual sand, there's hardly any cleanup.