Happy National Pancake Day!

Finding a stocking filled with small surprises is one of the most exciting parts of the holidays! To help parents make the most of these tiny treasures, Experts at Play at Educational Insights are here with 10 small gift ideas guaranteed to bring big smiles, spark lasting joy, and keep kids’ interest well into the new year.

Playfoam Pals Holiday Ornaments – Give the gift of holiday spirit with this 2-in-1 craft set! Kids decorate the ornaments with the included stickers and hang them on the tree, then sculpt the Playfoam inside into the perfect pretend play props for the Snowy Pals figurine hidden in the Playfoam! When they’re done, squish the Playfoam flat and begin again—Playfoam never dries out, so the fun never ends!

Playfoam Build-a-Snowman – Kids can squish and squash these packs of Playfoam into their very own no-melt snowmen, then accessorize them with the included hat, scarf, carrot nose, arm branches, eyes, and buttons. This set of three kits is perfect for spreading across sibling stockings, too!

Playfoam Putty 4 Pack – Stimulate sensory play all season long with Playfoam Putty! A uniquely textured putty is perfect for squishing, squashing, and sculpting, and makes a crackle sound with every squeeze! Perfect for screen-free ASMR play. Plus, all that squeezing and squashing builds fine motor skills.

Playfoam Pals Snowy Friends – Inspire hours of pretend-play fun! Each special-edition snow globe pod contains a snowy mix of Playfoam perfect for sculpting a squishy, squashy, play world, and a hidden mystery Pal to play in it! Kids will want to collect them all!

Playfoam Shape & Learn 4 Pack – Slip some learning into their stockings! This pack contains four sets of sculptable Playfoam, each with a set of shape, letter, number, or counting cards. Kids shape the Playfoam to match the object on each card, practicing critical preschool skills the creative way!

PaperCraft Doll Fashion Party – Encourage creativity with this set of four PaperCraft booklets, each featuring extra-large, stick-on (and off, and on again) dolls and fashions for endless mix and match outfits and hours of creative play. And with four sets you can spread them across other sibling’s stockings or give as small gifts to other friends and family.

GeoSafari Jr. Dino Discovery – Turn Christmas day into a prehistoric party with a real dino dig packed with surprises! Kids scoop and dig in the reusable dino dirt to find and excavate Triceratops or T-Rex bones, then assemble the bones to create a complete skeleton. Kits also include fossil molds and a volcano carry case!

GeoSafari Jr. Kidnoculars – Kids can scope out everything from Santa’s sleigh to the first buds of spring with this set of focus-free binoculars featuring 2x magnification and extra-large eyepieces! Perfect for nature walks, sky gazing, and more.

Design & Drill Robot – Tis’ the season for STEM learning and this DIY robot is the perfect introduction for preschoolers! Kids snap the pieces together, then use the included screwdriver and colorful bolts to decorate their rockin’ robot pal. When they’re done, it’s time for robot-themed pretend play

Make the most of your stocking stuffers! The right small gifts for the holidays can surprise and delight kids for months to come.

Your elementary-aged kiddo is growing by leaps and bounds! These years are some of the most exciting in your child’s development, as they’re making noticeable advances in language development, social emotional development, and the mastery of academic concepts.

One of the biggest factors impacting your child’s happiness, health, and success is self-confidence. Confident kids are better equipped to deal with frustration, failure, and peer pressure, and to overcome challenges that come their way. You can help boost your kiddo’s self-confidence by choosing holiday gifts that nurture your child’s sense of self-worth. As the holidays approach, the Experts in Play are sharing some of their favorite, confidence-building holiday toys for 7- and 8-year-olds, including:

Artie Max – Build your child’s confidence, encourage creativity, and introduce the wonderful world of coding with this year’s must-have holiday gift! Artie Max, teaches kids to code amazing works of art in five different coding languages, beginning simply and building on what kids learn to tackle more advanced languages. Perfect for who love robots, computers, video games, art, and creating, Artie Max features crystal-clear, step-by-step instructions to engage kids in the wonderful world of coding while building STEM confidence.

Dice of Fury – Build math skills—and math confidence—with this furiously fast, whole-family dice game! Flip a challenge card and all players start rolling (and re-rolling), placing their die in their die holder one by one until they match the card. Players add, subtract, think even and odd, and complete mental math challenges as they play, building math confidence and creating a solid math skills foundation.

Circuit Explorer Deluxe Base Space Station – Help build your space-loving child’s focus and attention with a circuit building construction set they can assemble themselves! Kids follow a series of symbols to assemble the pieces and connect various circuits, activating lights, movement, and sound. When complete, the pieces are perfect for space-themed, imagination-building pretend play.

Kanoodle – Encourage problem solving and critical thinking skills, increase your child’s attention span, and provide opportunities for success with this best-selling, brain-twisting puzzle game. Place the pieces shown in the challenge book, then use your noggin to fit the rest. There are hundreds of possible combinations, but only one completes the puzzle correctly. With 200 challenges to complete, Kanoodle will keep your 7- or 8-year-old engaged all season long.

BrainBolt® Game – It takes focus and attentiveness to remember the order of the flashing light sequence and follow along without breaking the pattern in this mind-melding light-up memory game perfect for holidays at home or holiday travel! With both solo and two-player modes, kids can challenge friends and family to see who can remember the longest sequence.

Nancy B's Science Club Microscope and Activity Journal – Take hands-on exploration to the next level this holiday season! This kid-friendly microscope and activity journal set provides experience with a real, scientific tool and builds scientific confidence that transfers to the classroom. With a 400x zoom microscope, 26-piece scientific tool set, and 22-page activity journal, kids will be building STEM skills that last for years to come.

Nancy B’s Science Club® MoonScope™ & Sky Gazer's Activity Journal – Broaden your budding astronomer’s scope and build their scientific confidence with this 90x magnification stargazing MoonScope and 22 page activity journal packed with engaging activities. Specifically designed to get kids outside to explore the world and stay curious, this MoonScope will make an out-of-this world holiday gift for the special space-lover in your life.

Confidence is one of the biggest gifts a care giver can give a child. This holiday season, choose gifts that do double duty, delighting your big kids AND building the self-esteem and confidence they need to grow and thrive.

Your just-starting-school aged kiddo is doing some pretty amazing growing up! Before your very eyes, your little one is probably becoming more independent; getting better at drawing and coloring; discovering new hobbies (daily?); and getting really curious about the world around them. This holiday season, surprise your 5- or 6-year-old with super fun toys and games that also help them discover new interests and build their kid-confidence. The Experts at Play are here to help with this list of our favorite holiday gifts for 5- and 6-year-olds, including:

PaperCraft Fashion Parade – Your little fashionista will LOVE this oversized paper doll set featuring 24 dolls and 160 outfits to color, mix and match and you’ll love to see them building fine motor skills and expressing their creativity and individuality! Dolls and outfits come in a travel-ready, spiral-round book for fun on the go and easily stick (and unstick) to tables, walls, doors, and floors for a real-life fashion parade.

Design & Drill Bolt Buddies Fire Truck – Great for fans of first responders! Busy builders use a real, working, kid-safe drill to build their very own firetruck, complete with a hinged ladder and fire and water toppers, at the same time building critical fine motor skills! An included Bolt Buddy firefighter, fire chief, and Dalmatian dog pal are perfect for hours of imaginative pretend play fun.

Design & Drill Adventure Circuits – Inspire an interest in engineering, engage your kiddo’s natural curiosity, and encourage problem solving with a DIY circuit set designed specifically for 5-year-olds! Kids use a real, working power drill to drill, bolt, and connect circuits and complete 20 different missions. Kids will not only be totally engaged in STEM learning, they will also feel proud of their problem-solving skills after completing the missions!

Circuit Explorer Rover – Light up the learning this holiday season with a 3-in-1 circuit building, construction play, imagination building set! Kids follow the symbols to assemble the vehicle and connect its circuits all by themselves, then blast into STEM learning and pretend play fun with a Communication Station, rotating Radar Dish, Powered Space Rover, and free-wheeling Space Rover, both with light-up headlights.

The Playfoam Game – Family game night just got squishier! Encourage those social skills, foster creativity, and build fine motor skills and hand strength with The Playfoam Game! Fun for the whole family, players take turns racing against the clock to sculpt or guess a clue using squishy, squashy, non-toxic Playfoam.

GeoSafari Jr. Kidscope – Help your curious kiddo answer some of their most pressing questions about the world around them with this kid-tough microscope featuring 15 slides with 60 amazing images, 200 fun facts, 3x magnification, extra-large eyepieces, and an easy-focus knob. This introductory microscope was designed specifically with kids in mind and is the perfect gift to support STEM learning and scientific discovery. 

GeoSafari Jr. Talking Globe –Expose your tiny traveler to the wonders of the world and introduce them to exciting, new places without ever leaving home! With this talking globe, featuring the voice of Wildlife Warrior Bindi Irwin, touch the smart stylus to any spot on the globe to hear a cool fact, measure the distance between two locations, or just explore

GeoSafari Jr. Talking Wildlife Camera – Is your child an animal lover who can’t get enough of furry, scaly, and feathered creatures? Take a photo safari with Wildlife Warrior Robert Irwin! Kids can view 130 built-in high-def images and listen to more than 200 fun facts and quiz questions designed to engage curious kids in the amazing wildlife of the world.

Design & Drill Toolbox – Busy builders can experience the thrill of the drill, using a real, working, kid-safe drill and five manual tools to build patterns and pictures out of colorful bolts. They’ll also be building fine motor skills, practicing early STEM skills, and gaining an understanding of how tools work! When they’re ready for a break, all parts and pieces pack easily into the included tool kit ‘til next time. 

This holiday season, help the little ones on your list develop their interests, find new passions, and ignite the spark that keeps them coming back for more!