There are two very different reactions a child can have to an educational Christmas gift. The first is: “OH! THIS IS SO COOL!” The second is the facial expression of a child who has just realized someone wrapped homework. If you're shopping for educational Christmas gifts for kids, the goal isn't simply finding something adults consider educational. It's finding something the child will genuinely want to open, explore, read, build, create, or use. Fortunately, those two thing

Tablets, phones, video games, and streaming aren't going anywhere, and they don't need to. But that doesn't mean every Christmas present needs a charger. Screen-free Christmas gifts for kids can give children another way to spend their time: reading, building, drawing, exploring, pretending, creating, moving, or simply getting absorbed in something that isn't happening on a screen. The trick is choosing a screen-free gift because it's genuinely fun, not because an adult has d

Christmas morning is exciting. The wrapping paper is everywhere. Someone can't find the scissors even though they were just holding them. Batteries are suddenly the most valuable resource in the house. And then, surprisingly quickly, Christmas morning is over. That's one reason gifts that keep giving all year for kids can be so much fun. Instead of putting all of the excitement into one morning, these gifts give children something to look forward to, use, learn from, or enjoy

If you've ever walked into your grandchild's playroom and wondered where another Christmas present could possibly go, you are not alone. The bins are full. The shelves are full. There are toys under the bed, toys behind the couch, toys with seventeen tiny pieces that somehow migrate throughout the entire house. And Christmas is coming. Finding gifts for grandkids who already have too many toys doesn't mean you have to stop giving them something fun to open. It simply means th