Themed Gift Ideas for Kids for the 2022 Holiday Season!

It is that time of year when parents and grandparents are looking for gifts for their cherubs that will remain of interest long after the last holiday cookie is eaten. For me, those gifts are ones from the heart and usually have a “theme”. This year I would like to propose giving the gift of “exploration” to a child. 

Imagine your child learning about the world beyond their front doors. Where they can learn about different states, countries, or even space! Package books, a globe, a telescope, maps, arts and crafts activities, and even games for a multidimensional gift that will bring enjoyment (and sneak in learning) for years to come!

Maybe take these ideas for a “spin”

Travel to the stars and beyond!

Have you ever spent more than a few seconds looking at the stars? Wondering what happens on other planets? In other solar systems? Here are some ideas for kids to learn more about the world beyond Earth.

A primer book about space for preschool and early readers. Great illustrations to help stimulate learning! Familius Publishing
Montessori System and Planets puzzle/ TouchwoodDesign via Etsy

A little “planetary” humor! This t-shirt can be a conversation piece and a party favorite! via Quality Appearance on Etsy


Pack Your Bags!

Traveling can be a challenge for children and their parents. After all, who loves the chorus of “Are we there yet?”. Not me! So, here is an idea to keep kids busy and parents sane. Wrap up small ‘gifts” to be dolled out during the trip on the half – hour of hour mark. Intersperse what kind of activity is presented. Coloring books, small electronic games, clever puzzles like a Rubric cube, card games, magic activities, and games that are a spin-off of family favorites such as “license plates” – all work! Here are some of my favorites –


Special Places to Visit!

It is no secret that I love, love, love to travel! That is why when I found out about the Familius’ travel series for young readers that teaches interesting facts about states and fundamental skills (such as counting or the ABCs) – I am more than willing to share that information with all of you. (Yes, the publisher sent me copies of the books – all that I will give away!) Each book is different. There is no formula that is repopulated for each version. Instead, the author highlights key places such as ZION National Park for the Utah edition. This is a great gift for kids who are traveling to these states to “prep” before they land. Note that colors are matched with the “state theme”.

This year, Familus Publishing, gifted me with books that had Christmas themes, as well. These are not your ho-hum little kid’s books. Like many titles from Familius, these are written on two levels – with grownups AND kids in mind!

Case in point … The 12 Little Elves series is a hoot! I laughed for quite some time when I saw the Little Elves negotiating freeway traffic inside the California edition. (If you have ever sat in traffic on “the 405” you would be hysterical laughing, too!) For their full state collection click here. I also asked our friends at Familius to consider other holidays with slightly different characters, too!


Under the Sea!


Sneak in learning through technology

Here are some ideas to keep your teens and tweens happy, including while driving. We all know that this age group is glued to their phones – so why not give them constructive tech activities? Consider having your ‘co-riders’ track distances between points along the route, thus sneaking in some math and reading skills. Next, have them snap photos and organize them into folders with the goal of creating a memory album or photo book at the end of your journey (executive functioning skills are the bonus here!). And, to help with these endeavors try CANVA (education tab) and photo companies such as Shutterfly or Snapfish.


Now Your Ideas?

Do you have a great gift idea that maybe has educational and is large on the “fun value”, too?

Special Note: I do not receive payment for any promotions you see on this page. The most I am afforded are a few free games or books from publishers for review. I only add these books, games, etc. if the products are deemed of fun and educational value. If you see them here – they passed “my test”! Amazon is where yu will find the majority of what you see here. Familius Publishing is a company that I have an ambassador relationship with – but in all honesty – their products are TOP NOTCH!!

Holiday Gift Recommendations: Games so fun your kids won’t know they are learning! #Giveaway

Each year I write a post with my list of ideas for holiday gifting. I try to skew to gifts that give back to charity or are educational. I also like to list gifts that are provide “random fun”. This year I am writing three blogs – three lists full of holiday gift ideas. The first one is dedicated to educational toys and games. AND… there is a GIVEAWAY. Simply comment below to be entered to win the Griddly Games 5 STONES game by midnight Pacific Time December 13, 2020. See rules below.

Two things you need to know…

First, if I recommend a product or charity I do so without any payment from the company or organization. A few companies sent samples and they will be donated to families who are struggling due to Covid 19 or teachers.

Secondly, I welcome your suggestions. Simply add your holiday gift ideas in the comment section below.

From Griddly Games comes a very unique ensemble of ” just add…” products and others that use word and numerical reasoning. I must admit, as an educator, they had me at their descriptions of being products focused on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math). All of these kits are user friendly (younger children will require supervision, as can be expected).

CALLING ALL TEACHERS AND HOME EDUCATORS – CHECK OUT VERY FUN STEAM ACTIVITY KITS FOR THE HOLIDAYS FROM GRIDDLY GAMES.

just add EGG.(ages 5 and up, parent/ teach guidance required) – Comprised of more than 10 interactive activities with “egg-speriments” included in this very fun egg shaped box. This game is filled with everything from molding clay, crayons, glue and even corn syrup! Lots of hours of fun are to be expected and all need is a child, their imagination, a parent or teacher to supervise and EGGS!

Like science AND art? Then check out just add BAKING SODA! You can make at least 20 different projects – including your very own bath bombs, volcano or holiday ornaments with this very visually fun and interactive kit! I like that this kit uses a lot of visual motor perceptual skills and helps to build fine motor skills.

Be sure to check out ALL the just ask kits here. Great prices! Find also on Amazon!


WISE ALEC™️ EARNED an A++

WISE ALEC ™️

Children’s Products) If you enjoy trivia games – then you will LOVE Wise Alec(TM). Meant for family night or classroom game time – WISE ALEC incorporates mind games such as brain teasers and tongue twisters with physical activity. Over 1000 questions are included in the game box. The game is geared reinforce elementary school curricula covering the subjects of History, Science and Spelling!

Need easy questions for your first grader – no problem. Want to challenge your fifth grader? With Wise Alec you can do that, too! And when you pick a STUDY BREAK card get ready to MOVE (and earn points for doing so!) Excellent game and great for those who need support with literacy skills, too! Supper fun and creative. I give Wise Alec a solid A++


SHOW ME THE KWAN!

When I first saw this game in the box I started hooting and hollering! A WORD game!! Plus it was very reminiscent of Scrabble® and Boggle®. SHOW ME THE KWAN also had many components of categorizing games such as Scattergories®. This game is Intended to be played with a large group (you can have up to ten players). I envision this game as great for classroom use, “Covid 19” education pod groups (home education) and parties with tweens and teens.

“KWAN” takes a bit of a learning curve to get the rules down – but once you do – watch out! This is a fast paced game for letter/wordsmiths! Small enough to bring along to family and friend gatherings.


PUZZLES! PUZZLES PUZZLES!

There are several reasons for parents to buy puzzles this holiday season. How many gifts can teach history, art, geography and much more for a fraction of the price of an electronic gaming system? Plus, kids can learn foundational literacy skills.

First, when you assemble a puzzle you need organizational and visual discrimination skills. Some people like to separate pieces by color, or by shape. Others are very focused on the cover picture and organize their puzzle pieces section by section (frame vs. inside, for example).

Did you know that when you assemble a puzzle you also are training your eyes to see how “parts become a whole”? Puzzles, believe it or not, can help teach children how letters become words and words become a paragraph?!

Check out ENDLESS GAMES !

Endless Games is a company that you can access online or by driving to your nearest Kohl’s. If you are a lover of puzzles AND Broadway you will FREAK at their PLAYBILL Presents puzzle! Hours of fun for under $15!


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PEACE ON EARTH

This is a beautiful 1000 piece puzzle spotlighting the artistic talent of Malcom Watson. Your whole family can linger over the dining room table as you complete this puzzle that measures almost 20″ by 26″ when finished.


Master Pieces – beautiful quality puzzles.

I received this CATOLOGY puzzle. While not a huge fan of cats (more of a dog lover) – this puzzle was simply lovely and the poster inside was a nice bonus feature!


More Favorite Puzzles with Educational Value

White Mountain Puzzles. Their Nostalgic / Vintage Collection are my favorites. These puzzles are great for multi-generational play. Grandparents and parents can educate children and young adults about life before the new Millennium! The pieces are thick and that is good for young and old fingers, alike. White Mountain Puzzles are POPULAR – so be sure to check back if ones on your wish list are out of stock. Website and Amazon.


Uncommon Goods offers novelty puzzles with political and historical themes. This VOTES FOR WOMEN is a circular pattern.

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY- the Griddly Games new edition: 5 STONES! Open to all United States residents who are 18 years of age or older. Must comment on this post on or before Sunday, December 13, 2020, 11:59pm Pacific time. No employees or family member associated with Griddly Games nor LouiseSattler.com may enter. One winner. Will be announced here on the blog AND via email. No substitutions.


Coming up in the next blog: Giving with a Purpose!

HALFLING, a New YA Novel with Bonus Features: Book Club, Virtual and Homeschool Curriculum Options

Halfling (2016) by debut author, Donna Marie Robb

Donna Marie Robb is a writer who has a dream … actually, a whole lot of dreams! Her debut young adult fantasy novel, Halfling, chronicles the story of Remmi, a young girl who is vacillates between Dreamearth and Realearth.   As her story unfolds you realize that Robb wrote Remmi to be a strong protagonist who has experienced more in her few short years than most do in a lifetime.

As the story commences you learn that Remmi was orphaned as a child, so she thought. Due to circumstances beyond her control, she ends up in an unusual living situation where she is among “drones” who have been voided of thoughts.  Her life in slavery ends when she realizes that her skill-set includes a touch of magic.  As a clever and precocious teen, Remmi uses her new found abilities to escape and go forth to help others. Her story of survivorship grabbed me within the first two chapters. (And, robbed me of precious hours of sleep as I couldn’t put the book down!)

The story ebbs and flows between one “earth” to another – similar to other YA books such as The Giver or Harry Potter, where alternate realms help enhance the intrigue. While Halfling was written for the tween and teen audience, my husband and friends also became fast fans and thoroughly enjoyed this page-turner!

Plus, the animated video, created by the very talented Dara Blaker, gives Remmi a voice and makes reading Halfling even more enticing!

 

Meet the author, Donna Marie Robb

I have had the pleasure of knowing the author for many years.  Her ability to have insight in to the psyche of young adults’ is clearly evidenced by her writing of Halfling.  She also is a librarian who cares about the youth of our country and their education and attainment of literacy skills. That is why she decided to introduce a book club and a homeschool / virtual school curriculum as adjunct features to Halfling. 

 

View the Halfling Book Club page!

The book club allows students to expand the discussion regarding Halfling with fun and thought-provoking questions.  Also, they can engage with the author by using the contact form or comment section on the Book Club page. Check out the book club feature here.

About the Homeschool / Virtual School Curriculum

Coming soon will be a curriculum for home educated  / virtual schooled students. This will be a four to six -week literacy based guide to instruction with Halfling as the featured text.  Students will be able to delve in to the book, explore their own “dreams”, keep a journal and compare and contrast the themes of the book with current events.

Let the author know you are interested in the Homeschool Curriculum by filling out this contact form.  (And, ask in the comment section how you can get the book and curriculum for FREE – an offer that is time limited.)

Why Halfling is needed in OUR world

On a closing note,  as a School Psychologist I believe we need books like Halfling.  The character, Remmi, is likable but also a role model for tweens and teens.  She exemplifies what it is like to be a resilient child with a will to overcome all obstacles in her way – including evil and persecution.  I won’t give away the ending – but know that it is not predictable.

Halfling and the adventures of Remmi are easy on the budget. Kindle version is free for unlimited prime members, $2.99 for basic Kindle and $11.99 for paperback. All can be found here: AMAZON.

And, my hashtags for this book would be … #MustRead #FreshOriginalPremise

 

 

 

 

 

I am part of the social media team helping to promote this amazing author and Halfling. Trust me when I say it is my pleasure to represent such an amazing talent!