Over 50 Holiday Gift Ideas to Enhance Year-Round Play
Heading outside is always free!! But there are a lot of items that can add all sorts of extra fun to your experiences. Check out some of our absolute favorite items that would make great gifts for the holidays or for any time of the year!
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Toys for Outdoor Lovers!
When you combine the natural elements of nature along with some favorite toys, you end up with hours of creative play!
Ice Cream Shop Sand Toys - Of all the toys we have for our kids, these get played with the most! All of the kids at the beach always want to share them. There’s just something that grabs the imagination when kids can create ice-cream cones out of sand, complete with sprinkle shaker. We love that it comes with a bucket to hold all the pieces in as well. The Haba version of sand toys is an adorable alternative that comes with a little wagon!
Giddy Buggy Watering Can - Water is always a magic element! You can use a water can at the beach, in your yard, with a water table, at the pool, and so on! This is an adorable on to have on hand throughout childhood. Check out these adorable elephant and dinosaur versions as well!
TOOB toys from Safari LTD - Our kids are obsessed with the TOOB toys from Safari LTD. They pair so well with nature and always ignite the imagination. These are so many options to choose from including: Safari Animals, Insects, Fairies, Gnomes, Cars, Birds, and so much more!
Slackers Slackline - This slackline has been a huge hit with our kids. It is portable and so we even take it camping with us! Slackers has some other great products like a ninjaline and even a zipline!
Terra Kids Observational Mirror - You can view bugs from several directions with this bug magnifier! It magnifies 6X on the top and 4X on the bottom and has sturdy handles. The Terra Kids line has some other fantastic toys that our kids have loved through the years like the Hand Glider Airplane (fun to assemble and fun to fly!), Scoop Net with Sturdy/Adjustable Handle, and the Tackle Rope and Pulley System.
Outerwear and Underlayers
If we want our kids to stay outside longer, sometimes the clothing can make all the difference. A small investment in adventure clothing can lead to hours and hours of play an outdoor experiences.
Lone Cone Rain Boots - With over 10,000 reviews, these boots are sure to get your kids splashing in puddles! Lone Cone boots have a timeless design, are guaranteed to last a full six months (tested to withstand over 100 hours of activity without split seams of leaks), are designed with the child in mind with easy reinforced pull-on handles, free of any harmful chemicals, and come in the CUTEST colors and patterns! Check out their insulated all-weather mud boots as well for year-round play and warmth. These have a fully-lined interior of neoprene to keep feet warm from sub-freezing temperatures up to 55 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius).
Jan & Jul Waterproof, Fleece-Lined, Stay-On Winter Snow and Ski Mittens for Babies and Toddlers - These easy to put-on snow mittens keep out the snow and cold and stay on with a one-pull closure over your child’s winter jacket. Baby mittens come with no thumb hole and toddler and child mittens come with a thumb. We love the adorable print options!
Chasing Windmills Kids Merino Wool Long Johns - Merino wool actually produces heat through a chemical reaction when it absorbs moisture. As your body sweats through outdoor movement, merino wool will help keep the body warm throughout the coldest months of the year. Since merino sheep produce the finest and softest wool anywhere in the world these undergarments are not itchy. They are a super soft baselayer, great for kids and adults!
MK Nordika Rain Suit - MK Nordika sells high-quality Scandinavian rainsuits that are 100% waterproof, 100% windproof, PVC free, and machine washable. These come in a variety of fantastic colors and prints. Get 10% off your first order when you sign up for her newsletter and enjoy free shipping to the US and Canada. Check out their wide variety of products for men and women as well!
SmartWool Wool Socks - Keep your feet warm! It will help extend your hikes and outside play. One pair of SmartWool socks lasts several seasons for us, we just pass them down from kid to kid! They make a huge difference for our family. These make great gifts for adults as well. Send a pair to your aunts, uncles, coworkers, grandparents, etc!
Books for Nature-Loving Kids
A childhood filled with nature play and lots of reading will set kids up for lifelong success in so many aspects of life! These are a few of our absolute favorites!
The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman- This is such a delightful book for all kids. It’s possibly my all-time favorite. It’s an absolute hit in our family and I’ve given several away as gifts!
Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner- The illustrations in this book is an entertaining and educational look at the beauty the ecosystem has to offer. There’s so much to learn in this one and the illustrations are beautiful!
The Raft by Jim Lamarche - The illustrations in this book are phenomenal and the story is so touching. You’ll love to add this one to your collection!
Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book - Our kids have loved all the peek through picture books! Tree is a favorite because they love the family of foxes. But all these books are delightful, with fun story-lines and exciting illustrations. Check out the other books in this series: Bee, Moon, and Ocean .
The Little Farmhouse in West Virginia by Ginny Yurich (Me!) - This is a children’s book I wrote and illustrated last year! Its a simple story that helps us all remember where our love for nature first began.
Open-Ended Toys
We spend a lot of time playing inside as well! These are some of the toys that have captured our kids attention over the years. These have all have felt worth the money and they are the toys we will save for grandkids someday.
Magnatiles - Magnatiles are fantastic for open-ended play. Kids can combines these magnet toys in an infinite amount of ways. They also are fun to play with on any magnetic surface such as a garage door, fridge, or even a sheet pan (take them along for car rides!) Prices vary base on the size of the set. If you’re wanting to start with a lot of them, check out this set.
Folkmanis Puppets - Puppets are a great way to engage in imaginative play and these are high-quality and absolutely adorable. We consider them heirloom puppets. Check out the pig, fox, hedgehog, frog, snowy owl, dragon, cat, turtle, orangutan, sloth, porcupine, skunk, and so many more! They even have a monarch life-cycle puppet. You’ve gotta check that one out!
Basket of Babies Plush Dolls - These come every with us! It’s so much to mix and match their little hats and sleepsacks. The Manhattan Nursing Toy Stuffed Animals have also been a huge hit with our kids. You can buy them in several versions: cat, rabbit, hedgehog, and dog.
Indoor Mini-Trampoline - Jumping on trampoline causes the valves in the lymphatic system to open and close, increasing lymph flow as much as 15x. This boosts immunity and removes toxins. An indoor trampoline facilitates movement year round! If you have the room for one, we highly recommend having one on hand.
Tree Blocks are great for open-ended play! Start with a beginner set that has 12 pieces , or check out the set with 22 blocks, or even the Build-A-Treehouse set!
1000 Hours Outside Items
Give your child a year of memories! Our 1000 Hours Outside tracking charts are always free but if you want to wrap up a little something we have some great items in our new online store!
1000 Hours Outside Water Bottle - These water bottles hold 18 oz., come in four beautiful colors and are double wall insulated stainless steel with a straw lid that is food grade and BPA free.
Paracord Water Bottle Handle, Handcraft Kit - Water bottle paracord handles are a fabulous handcraft for kids and they make carting your water bottle around so much easier! Each kit contains everything you need to make a ten inch water bottle handle out of paracord. Buy several and save! You can also purchase these pre-made!
1000 Hours Outside Tote - Cart around your snacks, water bottle, diapers, books, or toys in your 1000 Hours Outside tote. Use it for storing little nature items you find along the way. Totes come in Coal and Blue Moon. Check out the different product bundle opportunities and save!
1000 Hours Outside Hats - Snag a beanie, a pom-pom beanie, or a baseball hat!
1000 Hours Outside Iron-On-Patch - Buy one or a pack of several for large families or nature groups!
Stocking Stuffers
Some ideas for those last-minute, little special things!
Ships for Free Items from 1000 Hours Outside - We’ve got stickers, sticker badge sheets, magnets for your tracker chart, iron-on patches,
World’s Best Bug Jar - We can attest that it is the world’s best bug jar (and it’s also great for collecting seashells and stones!)
A few practical items for friends and family like the P-style (my most prized possession… pee standing up!), a tick removal card (we have two and these are worth their weight in gold), or a first-aid kit! This is the first-aid kit we use. It’s lightweight and portable, easy to shove in the bottom of a stroller or in a backpack.
Books to encourage outdoor play for you, your friends, or your family such as: Balanced and Barefoot by Angela Hanscom, Smart Moves by Carla Hannaford or There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather by Linda Akeson McGurk.
Paracord Water Bottle Handle Craft Kit - These are perfect to slide into a stocking and then make over holiday vacation.
