Top 10 Stocking Stuffers and Small Gift Ideas

EI Editor Posted On Nov 1, 2022 | Holiday

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.

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EI Editor | Posted on Mar 2, 2022

Celebrate St. Paddy’s with Five Fun Crafts!

St. Patrick’s Day is upon us! Even if you’re not making corned beef and cabbage for dinner or sipping sudsy green beer all day, you can still celebrate with five, fun, luck-o'-the-Irish-inspired crafts, courtesy of the little leprechauns at EI!

1. Squishy Squashy Shamrocks – Playfoam® is the perfect St. Paddy’s day substance! Use it to craft a shamrock, pot of gold, top hat, horseshoe, Irish flag, or even a leprechaun! Younger kids might need a template – draw an outline on a sheet of 8.5x11 paper, have them color it in, and then overlay the matching colors of Playfoam on the paper. Lucky for you, non-toxic Playfoam never dries out, no matter how you store it, so the sculpting fun will last through Easter and beyond.

1. Paper Bowl Leprechaun – Follow the instructions from our friends at iheartcraftythings.com to create a paper bowl leprechaun! You’ll need a paper bowl (duh), acrylic paint, construction paper, and markers to create this lucky little cutie. Add some double-sided tape to the back and stick him around the house for a springtime version of Elf on the Shelf!

3. Paddy’s Sensory Bin Treasure Hunt – Turn St. Patrick’s Day into a treasure hunt with Playfoam Pluffle™! Fill a bin with bright green Pluffle, add sparkly bits like gold coins, beads, and shamrock glitter, and let your little leprechaun dig in. Supply a spoon and kid-safe tweezers and see if they can extract the goodies, sort them into piles by type/size/color, practice counting the pieces they’ve pulled, and more.

4. Leprechaun-Noculars – Add some suspense to your St. Paddy’s day – and get some fresh air, too – with adorable, DIY, leprechaun-spotting binoculars! Simply paint two TP tubes (or cover them in construction paper), glue or staple them together, then add sparkly embellishments like glitter, pipe cleaners, and pompoms (the creative crafters at viewsfromastepstool.com have some great ideas!) to attract the leprechauns. Take them out on a walk and see if you can spot one of those sneaky little suckers or scour the house to find your hidden paper bowl leprechaun!

5. Playfoam Rainbow Color Match – Make your own luck with a lil’ rainbow Playfoam craft! Just cut a cloud shape out of white construction paper, draw a face, tape five craft sticks to the bottom, and draw a different colored dot above each. Now challenge your pint-sized Paddy to squish, squash, and roll out a strip of Playfoam and press it onto the craft stick beneath the matching color dot. Check out this video for step-by-step instructions

EI Editor | Posted on Nov 18, 2020

9 Must-Have Stocking Stuffers Approved by Santa Himself

Old St. Nick gives two mittened thumbs up to these curiosity-sparking, brain-teasing, creativity-inspiring toys and games perfect for stuffing those stockings!1. Keep those kiddos busy all winter break with a set of four different Special Edition Playfoam® Jumbo Pods! Including glow in the dark, sparkle, mermaidy, and unicornish colors, this set has plenty of Playfoam for squishy, squashy sculptors to create whatever their holiday hearts desire. Plus, non-toxic Playfoam won’t stick to carpet or clothes, so you can say so long to slime forever. For ages 3+. $5.99 for a set of four on Amazon!

2. Fill Christmas day with hours of pretend play, thanks to Playfoam® Pals™! Choose from a variety of themes – each pack is filled with a pod of squishy, squashy Playfoam and a hidden Pal. Kids dig it out, then use the Playfoam to build the perfect props for playtime. For ages 5+. 2-packs $7.99-11.99 on Amazon.

3. Creative Christmas cuties can make a merry masterpiece with Color by Playfoam®! Choose a unicorn or a dragon, then use the included tool to squish the Playfoam into each section of the canvas. Show off your creation, then scoop it out and start all over again – Playfoam never dries out so kids can create again and again. For ages 5+. $7.86 on Amazon.

4. Overstimulated much? Calm the Christmas day crazies with Playfoam® Pluffle™, the mesmerizing, mixable, can’t resistible, feel-good fluffy stuff that never dries out! Flip it over and watch it flow, scoop some up and see it slither, or use it as a base in your festive sensory bin. For ages 5+. 2-packs $15.99 on Amazon.

5. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Santa, flying back to the North Pole! With GeoSafari® Jr. Kidnoculars®, the only binoculars designed specifically for kids, little explorers can scope out all kinds of things! Kidnoculars offer focus-free, 2x magnification, enlarged eyepieces and foolproof placement goggles, and a breakaway neck strap for frustration-free, holiday break backyard exploration. For ages 3+. $14.18 on Amazon.

6. Fruitcake-fueled brains can put their strategic thinking skills to the test with Kanoodle®, the noodle-knotting solitaire game featuring 200 2-D and 3-D puzzles. Start by placing the pieces shown in the puzzle book, then use your smarts to pace the remaining pieces and solve the puzzle. Small enough for a stocking, this solo-play game will also give Mama a few minutes to herself ????. For ages 7+. $8.39 on Amazon.

7. A topsy-turvy twist on traditional Kanoodle®, Kanoodle® Flip features flipping puzzle pieces! Players set the matching block shape on the starting space indicated, then flip the block to the finishing line in as few moves as possible. Jingle bell bonus: your kids will be building strategic thinking and problem-solving skills as they try to beat their own best scores. For ages 7+. $14.99 on Amazon.

8. If your kiddo has mastered classic Kanoodle, Christmas is the perfect time to up their outer space game with Kanoodle® Cosmic! Players place the pieces shown in the puzzle book, then fill the empty spaces with the remaining pieces, including six asymmetrical shapes that fit four different ways! Two hundred puzzle challenges will keep kids coming back for more. For ages 7+. $12.99 on Amazon.

9. Light up Christmas night with BrainBolt™, the ultimate memory test! Kids take turns memorizing the light sequence shown, then following along as long as they can without breaking the pattern. For ages 7+. $21.99 on Amazon.