For more suggestions, click on selected images below.
Buying Gifts For Others
This can be tricky, particularly if you don't know the child well. Here are some 'Look Books' to help inspire you
- Baby Gift Ideas
- Dollhouses
- Kapla
- Fairy tales theme
- Imaginary Play with Kitchen and Food Playsets
- Imaginary Play
and overview of some games:
Some considerations when
- Buying for babies and toddlers - Be mindful of safety and the age recommendation. Children up to 36 months old are especially vulnerable to choking and ingestion hazards. Best to buy from reputable retailers who know their obligations and/or, like us, purchase from Australian distributors (such as those belonging to the Australian Toy Association). Imported products cleared by Australian Customs may not necessarily have been checked for compliance with Australian laws.
- Buy multiple smaller gifts or mix the type of gifts - Suggest buy one or two gifts that you know the child likes, and then add others that the child may not have encountered before. This is one way of mixing sure-fire enjoyment with excitement about the unknown. Alternatively, you could give a mix of gift types - toys, games and/or puzzles.
- Buy a gift that can be 'shared' with family and friends
- When buying a board game for a young child, you could try finding a board game that can 'grow'. These are games that have multiple ways it could be played, the rules become more complex as the players' age increase. An alternative to the usual win-lose board games is cooperative games, where players work together to achieve the end goal. This type of game is generally targetted at pre-school to early primary school-age kids.
- Large puzzles (500+ pieces) can also be a great way for family and friends to spend time together. Large jigsaws are likely to take several days to complete (such as Ravensburger Disney 1000+ puzzles), families can spend time together and away from the television set. Play the 'name the Disney character' game as you go along, it can help with younger children's focus and interest. Puzzle sets that have both classic and new Disney characters can be a fun way for kids to find out more about their parents' childhood.
- When buying a gift to add to a collection - The challenge here is what the child already has in their collection. The easiest is to buy an item that was newly released in the current year. Otherwise, try to find a theme that their collection is based around, and purchase an item that is related to the theme or is a different variation. For example, a child with a large Sylvanian Families collection and have just about every rabbit family that has been issued. You could give a different family set, such as the Labrador family - domestic animal and newly released that year. Alternatively, you can purchase an e-Gift Voucher and let the recipient chose either their own gift.
- Buy a gift that is off tangentially related to the child's interest - Basically, a gift that might not at first glance seems related to the child's interest. With a little imagination, you may find unexpected combinations that could enhance a child's interest. It can also be a great addition if you are considering buying multiple smaller gifts. Check-out the By Theme categories for some inspiration.
- Classic Toy ..and those with a twist - Classic toys by definition are timeless. These days, there are various re-take of classic toys - classic toys that have been updated with modern design or material. Such as Playforever toy vehicles, Tegu (magnetic wooden blocks).