Holiday Guides

Last-Minute Gift Ideas for Preschoolers

by Graham Charles -- Being Savvy San Francisco

Now, four days until Christmas and one until the first candle of Hanukkah, is when the last-minute gift idea requests come rolling in. I'm widely known as a reformed procrastinator, so I get many of these desperate pleas for help.

Here are a few of my old standbys for last-minute presents preschool-aged kids:

Magazines

I'm really fond of getting a subscription to Baby Bug or Wild Animal Baby for young children. While it's true that there's no excitement of opening a package on the holiday itself, most toddlers are lost in a sea of gift wrap by midmorning anyway and won't particularly remember who gave them what. A magazine, on the other hand, gives every month. My two-year old Fern asks nearly every day if her latest issue of these kid-friendly board-book-style mags has arrived.

Memberships

Along the same lines, a membership to the zoo or a favorite museum (the Discovery Museum, maybe?) is a great boon for kid and parents alike, especially as admission prices are creeping up and free days thinning out.

Thinking Putty Magnetic

If you insist on having something to open, one of my favorite toys for magnet-happy older kids is the new magnetic Thinking Putty from Crazy Aaron. You probably know about the various glowing, heat-sensitive, metallic versions of this advanced version of Silly Putty; the magnetic edition is just plain bizarre. Magnetic goo? You have to see the movie to believe it -- and the Web site promises delivery by Christmas (a.k.a. Five Candles) if you order by Monday.

Kapla

Finally, you can also just drop by any good-sized independent toy store -- Ambassador in West Portal is our current favorite -- for a box of Kapla. These are precision-cut building planks; because of their exact proportions, they can be used to build some really impressive architectural structures. This is the kind of block kids don't outgrow -- well, ever. I still play with mine.

Hope that helps round out your Christmas list! If you have any more last-minute ideas, let us know in the comments!

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