Educational Gift Guide for Preschoolers

The Holiday season is here and I'm sure many of you have already started your Holiday shopping. If you are still looking for ideas, this post is for you! I've put together a list of my favorite educational toys and gifts for preschoolers and young children. All of the products featured in this post are products we own or have been recommended by family and friends. Some of them are on our shopping list this year!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.

Letter Learning:

1. Fisher Price Little People A to Z Learning Zoo Playset
An adorable play set with 26 animals, one for each letter of the alphabet, plus an interactive zoo habitat. This toy has many fun features and will get a lot of use! Learn letters & letter sounds, animal names & sounds and more! Capital letters only. 
2. Leapfrog Letter Factory DVD
This movie is a must-have for children learning letter sounds. Each letter is a character with their own unique personality and sound, which makes them very easy to remember. Capital letters only. 
3. Leapfrog Letter Factory Phonic and Numbers
This is a fun, interactive bucket of letter and number tiles that go along with the Letter Factory movie, although you don't need the movie to be able to play with it. Each tile teaches the name and sound of the letter or number.  Capital letters only. 
4. Melissa & Doug Alphabet Sound Puzzle
I am a big fan of wooden puzzles, and this one is unique in that it says the name of the letter and an object starting with that letter. Also has pictures of each object inside the letters. Capital letters only. 
5. Melissa & Doug Upper & Lower Case Alphabet Puzzle
This puzzle does not make any sounds but is unique in the fact that it has both uppercase and lowercase letter pairs! It is quite a large puzzle and will keep kids occupied for a while matching 52 letters.
6. Alphabet Soup Sorters
Love this alphabet sorting set! Teaches both upper and lowercase letters, sounds, words, and builds vocabulary.  Includes 26 cans with lids where kids can sort 7 cards for each letter. This is a great learning tool and there are many ways to use it - includes activity guide.
7. Letter Construction Activity Set
These are just so cool! Kids can actually build large letters by snapping together the different pieces. Both uppercase and lowercase letters. Includes cards for each letter showing how the finished letter looks like and the child figures out how to build it. Great hands-on way to learn letters! 
8. Alphabet Cookies (lowercase)
A fun and yummy way to practice letters and building words! Comes with 4 progressive games that work on letter recognition, letter sounds, building words and early vocabulary. Will grow with your child. Can also be used for pretend play! Lowercase letters only.


Math:

9. Melissa & Doug Numbers 1-20 Sound Puzzle
Just like the alphabet sound puzzle, this one says the number as you place the puzzle piece in. Also has pictures of objects inside the numbers that you can count. 
10. Melissa & Doug Big Button Number Fun
This activity set features large colorful buttons of different shapes that kids place in the correct spots on the wooden boards to complete the pictures. Then count the buttons and place the correct number where it goes. This is great for learning shapes, numbers, counting, and the buttons can be used separately for shape or color sorting!
11. Bead and Pattern Card Set
This set includes colorful beads of different shapes, 2 lacing strings, and cards that shows kids how to make patterns, from simple to advanced. Great for fine motor skills and learning patterns!
12. Tangoes Junior
This is a large Tangram magnetic "tablet" that includes storage of the 7 magnetic pieces and 12 double sided puzzle cards. Comes in 2 difficulty levels so it will grow with your child. Great for spatial thinking, problem solving, math and reasoning skills!
13. Super Sorting Pie
This large "pie" includes 60 colorful fruit pieces that kids can move around using the included jumbo tweezers. There are so many ways to play and learn with these! Great for fine motor skills, counting, sorting, patterning and early math skills.
14. 1-10 Counting Cans
These are 10 large cans, similar to the alphabet soup sorting cans, that includes colorful fruits and veggies that kids can sort in the different containers while practicing counting, numbers and vocabulary.
15. Three Bear Family Sorting Activity
This huge set of 96 adorable bear counters come in 3 sizes and 6 colors, and include 22 math activities such as patterning, sorting by size, color, and more. These bears are so versatile and useful for many learning activities. 

Geography:

16. Big World Map
It's never too early to get started on learning geography and the world around us! This large felt map is beautiful and includes 60 removable felt pieces such as world animals and labeling pieces. 
17. Leapfrog Interactive World Map
For those of you that own the Leapfrog Leapreader, this is a large interactive map that speaks over 300 things, such as countries, continents, landmarks, fun facts and even different languages.
18. Montessori USA Wooden Puzzle
Large, hands-on wooden puzzle with small knobs to learn the US states. Also includes labeled and unlabeled control maps. 
19. Hug-a-Planet
This is a large huggable, lovable plush planet that kids will love to play and learn with!
20. Safari Toob Around the World
Learn and play with world landmarks! Includes 10 famous structures: Leaning Tower of Pisa, Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, Arch of Triumph, Statue of Liberty, Temple of Inscriptions, Pyramids of Giza, Empire State Building, Big Ben, and the Parthenon. The name of each landmark is printed at the bottom of each piece. 
21. Safari Toob World Landmarks

Another set of 7 world landmarks, including Mount Rushmore, Great Wall of China, Stonehenge, Buddha of Lantau, Easter Island, Sphinx and Colosseum. The name of each landmark is printed at the bottom of each piece. 

Architecture & Construction:

22. Picasso Tiles
I have heard amazing things about these magnetic tiles and will be buying some this year for sure! Picasso tiles are the same as Magna-tiles but a little cheaper, that's why I have them listed here. Kids can easily build beautiful, amazing structures. Encourages creativity, geometric and spatial thinking and learning about magnetic polars.
23. Lauri Pegs Building Set
Build structures out of pegs and platforms in this set that includes 100 pegs, a pegboard, and 17 different shaped platforms. Great for fine motor skills too!
24. Bristle Blocks
A great alternative to traditional blocks or legos, these bristle blocks are chunky, flexible pieces of different shapes and sizes that connect together by their bristles. Some bristle blocks actually move or spin to create vehicles, robots and other objects with moving parts.
25. Gears! Gears! Gears!
Another highly recommended product! Kids can create moving mechanical structures in this 95 piece set. Includes pillars, connectors and cranks. Great for many ages!

For tons of more gift ideas, visit the annual Gift Guides for Kids where you will find all the kid blogger gift guides sorted by category!

Also check out our collaborate Pinterest board:

Follow Erica • What Do We Do All Day?'s board Gift Guides for Kids on Pinterest.

16 Picture Books that Make Great Gifts

I always like to purchase educational gifts for my kids, and find that books are the perfect investment for a long-lasting, brain-building and fun-filled gift.

I try to find unique and interesting books, especially if giving a gift to another family, because they are less likely to own it already. Here is a list of my favorite books that make great gifts for babies, toddlers, preschoolers and beyond!

This post contains affiliate links.

Preschoolers and Up:

This House Needs a Mouse

I received a copy of this book for review and was very impressed with it! My 3 year old daughter was immediately drawn to the fun illustration on the cover and begged me to read it to her as soon as I opened the package. 

I enjoyed the rich language, which is something I look for in books to introduce my daughter to new vocabulary. I had to do a bit of explaining in my own words to her, which is okay because this is one of those books that she will enjoy for many years to come. 

Aimed at 3 to 8 year olds, this book is fun and educational at the same time. Its cute illustrations and unique protagonist kept my daughter engaged, while its rich language makes it a great teaching tool. We both loved the clever plot and surprise ending. This was a great addition to our library!

This House Needs a Mouse is available now on the book's website, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Big Tent Books.

The Day the Crayons Quit

A very funny and entertaining book that appeals to a wide range of ages. This witty story is about a boy's crayons brought to life, going on strike and each one writing him a letter about their complaints. The boy then figures out a clever way to make all the crayons happy. 

This Pigeon Needs a Bath!

The latest Mo Willems masterpiece, this is another witty book about a pigeon who refuses to take a bath and comes up with a million excuses not to. A story we can all relate to, with a fun twist at the end. Delightful read!

Press Here

An interactive book where you are prompted to follow a series of instructions on each page. Press the yellow dot, shake the book, tilt the book and see what happens on the next page. A very clever and entertaining concept that will have kids begging to read it again and again. 

Journey

Inspired by Harold and the Purple Crayon, this is a fabulous wordless picture book with gorgeous watercolor illustrations. The story takes you on a magical adventure that will captivate children of all ages. 

Flashlight

Another superb wordless picture book with beautiful illustrations, a flashlight reveals the magic and mysteries of nature in the dark. This would be a great gift paired with a flashlight!

Have you seen my Dragon?

This is a story of a boy who lost his dragon in NYC and goes all over the city in search for it. Very clever book that combines counting numbers 1-20 with look-and-find where you search for hidden items on each page. The illustrations are amazing and super-detailed, full of recognizable city icons.

ABC and 123: A Sesame Street Treasury of Words and Numbers

This is a perfect gift for Sesame Street fans. Each page features a letter of the alphabet or a number (1-100) and shows a scene full of Sesame street characters along with many words and objects that go with each letter. Great for building vocabulary and learning letters and numbers. 

The Big Picture Story Bible

This is an excellent Bible storybook for young children. It seamlessly ties together all the stories of the Bible in a simple, easy to understand way and focuses on the "big picture". Short chapters make it perfect for daily Bible story time.   

Babies & Toddlers:

Goodnight Songs

We all know and love Margaret Wise Brown's classic Goodnight Moon. Well, Goodnight Songs is a collection of her previously unpublished poems, illustrated by 12 award-winning artists, and turned into beautiful, enchanting lullabies. The CD is included with the book. This is a true masterpiece and a must-have in any child's library!

Little Humans

Kids love to look at pictures of other kids, and that's exactly what this 40-page photo book consists of. Created by a famous NYC street photographer, this collection embraces children's diversity and uniqueness. Adorable and captivating photographs that every child will love!

100 First Words (Lift the Flap Book)

This is currently my toddler's favorite book. She learned a lot of new vocabulary from it, and now she just loves to open each flap and say what each picture is. The flaps are sturdy and also great for fine motor skills.

Pop-up Book of Nursery Rhymes

Why read nursery rhymes any other way? This incredible pop-up book will allow kids to engage with classic nursery rhymes in a whole new way. Includes 6 classic rhymes with pop-ups.

My Big Animal Book

This is a great book for learning animal names, building vocabulary, and encouraging language development. Bright, colorful photographs will keep your toddler happy and engaged.

The Wheels on the Bus

A delightful twist on the classic song, this book features a bus-load of jungle animals who all make their own sounds as the wheels go round and round. This one is sure to be a hit!

Alphablock

This book takes on a different approach to learning the alphabet. The book has thick pages that are cut to form each letter of the alphabet, and kids can interact physically with the letters, and even play peek-a-boo games, revealing an item that begins with that letter sound. One of the most fun alphabet books I've seen.



Looking for more gifts? Check out our Educational Gift Guide for Preschoolers!

Educational Gift Guide for Preschoolers

The Holiday season is here and I'm sure many of you have already started your Holiday shopping. If you are still looking for ideas, this post is for you! I've put together a list of my favorite educational toys and gifts for preschoolers and young children. All of the products featured in this post are products we own or have been recommended by family and friends. Some of them are on our shopping list this year!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.

Letter Learning:

1. Fisher Price Little People A to Z Learning Zoo Playset
An adorable play set with 26 animals, one for each letter of the alphabet, plus an interactive zoo habitat. This toy has many fun features and will get a lot of use! Learn letters & letter sounds, animal names & sounds and more! Capital letters only. 
2. Leapfrog Letter Factory DVD
This movie is a must-have for children learning letter sounds. Each letter is a character with their own unique personality and sound, which makes them very easy to remember. Capital letters only. 
3. Leapfrog Letter Factory Phonic and Numbers
This is a fun, interactive bucket of letter and number tiles that go along with the Letter Factory movie, although you don't need the movie to be able to play with it. Each tile teaches the name and sound of the letter or number.  Capital letters only. 
4. Melissa & Doug Alphabet Sound Puzzle
I am a big fan of wooden puzzles, and this one is unique in that it says the name of the letter and an object starting with that letter. Also has pictures of each object inside the letters. Capital letters only. 
5. Melissa & Doug Upper & Lower Case Alphabet Puzzle
This puzzle does not make any sounds but is unique in the fact that it has both uppercase and lowercase letter pairs! It is quite a large puzzle and will keep kids occupied for a while matching 52 letters.
6. Alphabet Soup Sorters
Love this alphabet sorting set! Teaches both upper and lowercase letters, sounds, words, and builds vocabulary.  Includes 26 cans with lids where kids can sort 7 cards for each letter. This is a great learning tool and there are many ways to use it - includes activity guide.
7. Letter Construction Activity Set
These are just so cool! Kids can actually build large letters by snapping together the different pieces. Both uppercase and lowercase letters. Includes cards for each letter showing how the finished letter looks like and the child figures out how to build it. Great hands-on way to learn letters! 
8. Alphabet Cookies (lowercase)
A fun and yummy way to practice letters and building words! Comes with 4 progressive games that work on letter recognition, letter sounds, building words and early vocabulary. Will grow with your child. Can also be used for pretend play! Lowercase letters only.


Math:

9. Melissa & Doug Numbers 1-20 Sound Puzzle
Just like the alphabet sound puzzle, this one says the number as you place the puzzle piece in. Also has pictures of objects inside the numbers that you can count. 
10. Melissa & Doug Big Button Number Fun
This activity set features large colorful buttons of different shapes that kids place in the correct spots on the wooden boards to complete the pictures. Then count the buttons and place the correct number where it goes. This is great for learning shapes, numbers, counting, and the buttons can be used separately for shape or color sorting!
11. Bead and Pattern Card Set
This set includes colorful beads of different shapes, 2 lacing strings, and cards that shows kids how to make patterns, from simple to advanced. Great for fine motor skills and learning patterns!
12. Tangoes Junior
This is a large Tangram magnetic "tablet" that includes storage of the 7 magnetic pieces and 12 double sided puzzle cards. Comes in 2 difficulty levels so it will grow with your child. Great for spatial thinking, problem solving, math and reasoning skills!
13. Super Sorting Pie
This large "pie" includes 60 colorful fruit pieces that kids can move around using the included jumbo tweezers. There are so many ways to play and learn with these! Great for fine motor skills, counting, sorting, patterning and early math skills.
14. 1-10 Counting Cans
These are 10 large cans, similar to the alphabet soup sorting cans, that includes colorful fruits and veggies that kids can sort in the different containers while practicing counting, numbers and vocabulary.
15. Three Bear Family Sorting Activity
This huge set of 96 adorable bear counters come in 3 sizes and 6 colors, and include 22 math activities such as patterning, sorting by size, color, and more. These bears are so versatile and useful for many learning activities. 

Geography:

16. Big World Map
It's never too early to get started on learning geography and the world around us! This large felt map is beautiful and includes 60 removable felt pieces such as world animals and labeling pieces. 
17. Leapfrog Interactive World Map
For those of you that own the Leapfrog Leapreader, this is a large interactive map that speaks over 300 things, such as countries, continents, landmarks, fun facts and even different languages.
18. Montessori USA Wooden Puzzle
Large, hands-on wooden puzzle with small knobs to learn the US states. Also includes labeled and unlabeled control maps. 
19. Hug-a-Planet
This is a large huggable, lovable plush planet that kids will love to play and learn with!
20. Safari Toob Around the World
Learn and play with world landmarks! Includes 10 famous structures: Leaning Tower of Pisa, Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, Arch of Triumph, Statue of Liberty, Temple of Inscriptions, Pyramids of Giza, Empire State Building, Big Ben, and the Parthenon. The name of each landmark is printed at the bottom of each piece. 
21. Safari Toob World Landmarks

Another set of 7 world landmarks, including Mount Rushmore, Great Wall of China, Stonehenge, Buddha of Lantau, Easter Island, Sphinx and Colosseum. The name of each landmark is printed at the bottom of each piece. 

Architecture & Construction:

22. Picasso Tiles
I have heard amazing things about these magnetic tiles and will be buying some this year for sure! Picasso tiles are the same as Magna-tiles but a little cheaper, that's why I have them listed here. Kids can easily build beautiful, amazing structures. Encourages creativity, geometric and spatial thinking and learning about magnetic polars.
23. Lauri Pegs Building Set
Build structures out of pegs and platforms in this set that includes 100 pegs, a pegboard, and 17 different shaped platforms. Great for fine motor skills too!
24. Bristle Blocks
A great alternative to traditional blocks or legos, these bristle blocks are chunky, flexible pieces of different shapes and sizes that connect together by their bristles. Some bristle blocks actually move or spin to create vehicles, robots and other objects with moving parts.
25. Gears! Gears! Gears!
Another highly recommended product! Kids can create moving mechanical structures in this 95 piece set. Includes pillars, connectors and cranks. Great for many ages!

For tons of more gift ideas, visit the annual Gift Guides for Kids where you will find all the kid blogger gift guides sorted by category!

Also check out our collaborate Pinterest board:

Follow Erica • What Do We Do All Day?'s board Gift Guides for Kids on Pinterest.

16 Picture Books that Make Great Gifts

I always like to purchase educational gifts for my kids, and find that books are the perfect investment for a long-lasting, brain-building and fun-filled gift.

I try to find unique and interesting books, especially if giving a gift to another family, because they are less likely to own it already. Here is a list of my favorite books that make great gifts for babies, toddlers, preschoolers and beyond!

This post contains affiliate links.

Preschoolers and Up:

This House Needs a Mouse

I received a copy of this book for review and was very impressed with it! My 3 year old daughter was immediately drawn to the fun illustration on the cover and begged me to read it to her as soon as I opened the package. 

I enjoyed the rich language, which is something I look for in books to introduce my daughter to new vocabulary. I had to do a bit of explaining in my own words to her, which is okay because this is one of those books that she will enjoy for many years to come. 

Aimed at 3 to 8 year olds, this book is fun and educational at the same time. Its cute illustrations and unique protagonist kept my daughter engaged, while its rich language makes it a great teaching tool. We both loved the clever plot and surprise ending. This was a great addition to our library!

This House Needs a Mouse is available now on the book's website, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Big Tent Books.

The Day the Crayons Quit

A very funny and entertaining book that appeals to a wide range of ages. This witty story is about a boy's crayons brought to life, going on strike and each one writing him a letter about their complaints. The boy then figures out a clever way to make all the crayons happy. 

This Pigeon Needs a Bath!

The latest Mo Willems masterpiece, this is another witty book about a pigeon who refuses to take a bath and comes up with a million excuses not to. A story we can all relate to, with a fun twist at the end. Delightful read!

Press Here

An interactive book where you are prompted to follow a series of instructions on each page. Press the yellow dot, shake the book, tilt the book and see what happens on the next page. A very clever and entertaining concept that will have kids begging to read it again and again. 

Journey

Inspired by Harold and the Purple Crayon, this is a fabulous wordless picture book with gorgeous watercolor illustrations. The story takes you on a magical adventure that will captivate children of all ages. 

Flashlight

Another superb wordless picture book with beautiful illustrations, a flashlight reveals the magic and mysteries of nature in the dark. This would be a great gift paired with a flashlight!

Have you seen my Dragon?

This is a story of a boy who lost his dragon in NYC and goes all over the city in search for it. Very clever book that combines counting numbers 1-20 with look-and-find where you search for hidden items on each page. The illustrations are amazing and super-detailed, full of recognizable city icons.

ABC and 123: A Sesame Street Treasury of Words and Numbers

This is a perfect gift for Sesame Street fans. Each page features a letter of the alphabet or a number (1-100) and shows a scene full of Sesame street characters along with many words and objects that go with each letter. Great for building vocabulary and learning letters and numbers. 

The Big Picture Story Bible

This is an excellent Bible storybook for young children. It seamlessly ties together all the stories of the Bible in a simple, easy to understand way and focuses on the "big picture". Short chapters make it perfect for daily Bible story time.   

Babies & Toddlers:

Goodnight Songs

We all know and love Margaret Wise Brown's classic Goodnight Moon. Well, Goodnight Songs is a collection of her previously unpublished poems, illustrated by 12 award-winning artists, and turned into beautiful, enchanting lullabies. The CD is included with the book. This is a true masterpiece and a must-have in any child's library!

Little Humans

Kids love to look at pictures of other kids, and that's exactly what this 40-page photo book consists of. Created by a famous NYC street photographer, this collection embraces children's diversity and uniqueness. Adorable and captivating photographs that every child will love!

100 First Words (Lift the Flap Book)

This is currently my toddler's favorite book. She learned a lot of new vocabulary from it, and now she just loves to open each flap and say what each picture is. The flaps are sturdy and also great for fine motor skills.

Pop-up Book of Nursery Rhymes

Why read nursery rhymes any other way? This incredible pop-up book will allow kids to engage with classic nursery rhymes in a whole new way. Includes 6 classic rhymes with pop-ups.

My Big Animal Book

This is a great book for learning animal names, building vocabulary, and encouraging language development. Bright, colorful photographs will keep your toddler happy and engaged.

The Wheels on the Bus

A delightful twist on the classic song, this book features a bus-load of jungle animals who all make their own sounds as the wheels go round and round. This one is sure to be a hit!

Alphablock

This book takes on a different approach to learning the alphabet. The book has thick pages that are cut to form each letter of the alphabet, and kids can interact physically with the letters, and even play peek-a-boo games, revealing an item that begins with that letter sound. One of the most fun alphabet books I've seen.



Looking for more gifts? Check out our Educational Gift Guide for Preschoolers!

KidCasa KC601 Cardboard Playhouse Review

The holiday season is here and I know everyone is looking for the best gifts to buy for their kids. I recently had the opportunity to review the KidCasa KC601 cardboard playhouse (it's actually 2 playhouses), by the same genius makers of Picasso Tiles! (get my Free Magnetic Tile Printables that go with Picasso Tiles).

Full disclosure: I received this awesome product at a discount in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Affiliate links included for your convenience.

First, let's go over what's included in the box:

-2 cardboard playhouses (1 HUGE Candy House & 1 Christmas House)

-cardboard accessories: fence, tree, horse, rabbit

-8 chunky color markers

When I say the Candy House is huge, I mean it's HUGE. My 4 and 2 year old kids fit inside with easily enough room for 2 more kids. The Christmas house is a bit smaller, good for about 2 kids.

It took two adults to build the houses, but it was fairly quick and intuitive. After about 15 minutes both houses were built. Once you attach the roofs, the houses became surprisingly very sturdy. Even rough children (like mine) can play easily without destroying anything.

Using the markers that came with the set, the girls quickly got to work!

The markers were great for the smaller pictures and details, and then I gave them some paint for the larger areas.

After the girls colored and painted for a solid hour, they took a break and they were excited to come back and just play in the houses for the rest of the day.

The Candy House has scenes depicting the story of Hansel & Gretel. The Christmas house has images of Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, a Christmas tree, and some adorable animals. 

We didn't get a chance to add the fence and farm animals yet, so that will be another project for a different day. I can see this becoming an ongoing art project where the kids keep adding more color and details for weeks to come.

Overall, this KidCasa playhouse set really impressed me. It's hard these days to find screen-free activities that really engage my kids for a long time. I also love that it's an activity and toy at the same time, so there are many levels of interaction.

Plus, if your kids like to draw and color on walls or random objects, this will satisfy their craving in a productive way.

For more details about the KidCasa playhouse set, and to purchase, see the following affiliate link:

For more educational gift ideas, see my Educational Gift Guide for Preschoolers: