Kindred Gift Guide | Children's Toys | Pretend
If you have been following along lately, you know my passion for integrating our children well into our spaces, which of course includes their toys. See more of my thoughts on toys here. I have used the same stringent criteria for holiday gifting as for buying toys any other time of the year. For this Guide, I am also trying to support small, American businesses wherever possible, with only a few exceptions. I am aiming for beauty, durability, and open-endedness — this is truly an Heirloom Toy roundup of sorts. I hope you find it helpful and inspiring!
I could list page after page of toys I love and makers I respect, but I have tried my very best to keep this list curated. SO I have divided the Children’s Toy Guide up into several categories: Pretend, Build, & Read. Today, I will focus on just Pretend! Build will come tomorrow, and the Read category is so robust that books will get their own post later this weekend, along with a guide for Baby’s First Christmas :) Click on the bold headings for each item below to navigate directly to the links!
These are my 4 1/2 year old daughter’s most treasured, favorite toys. And now, my 2 1/2 year old son has also become enamored. His favorite is Super Mouse :)
What I Love
Maileg is a Danish company but has its USA branch headquartered in Atlanta, GA. They value their employees and hand package every order, even included little surprises or notes sometimes. Their customer service is unparalleled — we lost some bedding to one of the sets this summer on a trip, and when I emailed to see if I could purchase another set they sent a replacement for free!
The whimsical designs and attention to detail — these are truly heirloom quality toys with years and years of love in them!
The open-ended possibilities for imaginative play.
The small, portable sizes (especially for the “mice in a box” :)
This bonded leather play mat from Gathre was a Christmas gift to my big kids last year. We have traveled to the mountains and beach with it, and have built trains, houses, and other imaginative worlds on top if it. It is truly a staple toy in our home.
What I Love
Gathre is a mama-run, American business — yay!!
I love the round size of this mat in particular. It is compact enough to fit in my office for the baby to play on (like right now as I’m typing!), but is also big enough to have lovely detail to engage my big kids with its roads & buildings details.
Like all of Gathre’s products, it is made of wipeable bonded leather that is as easy to care for as it is beautiful. I can’t recommend it highly enough!
I discovered Sarah’s Silks about a year ago, and ordered the enchanted set for my big kids’ birthdays last year. They are now played with DAILY in our home!
What I Love
This is one of the most open-ended toys we own. They are most frequently capes for dress-up, but are also often lakes, tablecloths, baby blankets, shawls, etc.
This is also a mama-run, American company!!
These are made of 100% silk & dyed with natural, eco-friendly dyes. They are simply beautiful.
This is not a super open-ended toy, but has tons of imaginative play possibilities. Our kids are getting this for Christmas!
What I Love
Even though Target is a big box store, I love the Hearth & Hand line of wooden toys. We have had many over the past few years and have loved them all. Not only are they beautiful, but they have lasted well through many hours of play.
I may have looked at every wooden cash register on the market ;) For the size, accessories offered, and aesthetics, I have found this one to be the best value!
I love that the bills are felt, not paper, and the added bonus of chalk to write your own totals. This is definitely more of an imaginative toy, rather than heavily educational (although as kids get older they can start counting and tallying).
Although we don’t personally own this set, you can’t go wrong with over 1,000 five star reviews from this Etsy shop!
What I Love
You may be familiar with the German wooden toy manufacturers Ostheimer & Holztiger, which make the infamous Waldorf & Montessori inspired wooden animals. BUT these animals are made by a North Carolina mama using the same high quality non-toxic materials, for roughly the same prices.
Wooden animals encourage such lovely open-ended, imaginative play!
The smooth edges & beautiful colors make these safe and fun for a wide range of ages.
My son loves to take pretend pictures, so this is on my holiday wish list for him!
What I Love
Little Miss Workbench is a small, mama owned, American toy shop, with an educational & community focus!
No noise or batteries, yet this wooden toy is sure to captivate imaginations with its magnetic “button” and zoom lens.
The leather strap is a beautiful, practical bonus!
I searched high & low for a NEUTRAL set of wooden dishes, and found these to seemingly be the best value and aesthetic!
What I Love
These are from a small Etsy shop in Florida who makes Montessori inspired wooden toys. I want everything!
This is a very versatile set that can be used not only in a play kitchen, but also in a sensory table or with dolls.
The pieces are made of bamboo then sealed with beeswax & food grade mineral oil, making them durable & beautiful.
I must also be transparent with you. Even though you see mostly wooden, small shop produced items on this list, we also play with and own many plastic and big box store toys! Below are some of our favorites, which deserve an Honorable Mention ;)
Magnatiles - Seriously, my kids (and all their friends) LOVE these. So open-ended, versatile, and great at building problem solving skills.
Animal Families - We have almost all of these animal families and both of my big kids play with them regularly. They are great for imaginative play but also for grouping by size or type and are even fun outdoors or in our dollhouse.
Pastic Glassware - These are a lovely range of colors and appear regularly at tea parties and restaurant play. Not to mention the price can’t be beat!
Doctor Kit - This is another friend favorite, and encourages imaginative and role play.
Large Dump (and other) Trucks - We have this exact truck as well as other “off brand” versions of a fire, cement, and garbage truck that my son got for Christmas last year. We keep some outside in the rock play area, and some inside for imaginative play. I love the larger size and how durable they are, yet without added noises or batteries.
Please leave a comment with your favorite children’s toys or American toy makers! I am always exploring and love to discover new things! Thanks so much for reading, and happy holiday shopping!