The 'Help! What Can I Get The Kids?' Christmas Gift Guide

Kids are like little aliens.

Well, they are if you don’t happen to have (or frequently be around) any yourself. Actually, even if you do have your own kids it can be difficult to know what other people’s small offspring might like. Turns out they don’t come with instructions and standard wiring.

So here are some ideas, courtesy of my own little aliens (who picked out their favourites) and the Elves at Wicked Uncle (who provided a ridiculously HUGE amount of stuff to pick from):

Really Little People

According to Little B, 0-3’s might like:

The Jingly Jungle Bowling – £29.99. In fact, the whole family might enjoy trying to knock over some very cheerful and brightly coloured animals. Perfect entertainment for Christmas Day (and every other day as well). There’s also a Monster Bowling set, if you prefer something slightly more menacing to throw stuff at.

Or, for something a bit more sedate, how about the My Little Railway set – £39.95? Little B loves the ladybird train and the jumping monkeys, and the butterfly carriages, and the xylophone…actually she just loves all of it.

The other thing she is keen on is Snow Boarding Polar Bears – £15.99.

In the bath. Bath toys of any kind are usually a winner but these are especially exciting because they have glasses on, and they’re slidey. Apparently.

Slightly Larger Aliens Kids

According to D, for 4-7 year olds, the following will be a hit:

First off, giving any child their Very Own Rainbow – £24.99 – is sure to be quite exciting. D got hers a few months ago and despite repeated bashing (mostly accidental), it’s still fully functioning and lighting up her room colourfully each day.

She also highly recommends the Jewellery Box Kit – a bargain at £9.99 with three drawers to keep treasures in and plenty of paints, stickers and jewels to properly personalise it to taste.

And the Tub Time Grand Prix – £22.95 – provides the perfect happy-child remedy for getting paint covered kids clean again…

Almost-adult sized children

Well, Seb reckons he is almost adult sized, anyway, being 7.5 years old and 130cm ish tall… and he wishes to inform you that other children of similar stature (say, 7-11) would like:

Slime Time Fun Project – £14.95

It has slime, and it has fun in the name. It’s obviously going to be awesome.

Also, do not underestimate the greatness of the Wall Climbing Car – £21.95.

We have one of these and it really can climb walls, lighting its path with its bright little headlights and providing the perfect opportunity to sneak alongside and scare the pants off any grandparents who might be snoozing on the sofa. It’s easy to control and the batteries last longer than you might expect.

And the Stikbot Studio – £16.95 – offers the opportunity to recreate the scene of startled adults in excellent Stikbot stop-animation, with two poseable Stikbots, a mobile phone stand and full instructions. Wicked Uncle also have a variety of other Stickbot stuff to go with it, if you want to splash out a bit more on some elaborate scene making items.

Making stop-animation films is pretty easy and sneakily educational – Seb really enjoys its and loves writing storylines to act out on camera.

Big Kids

Finally, Wicked Uncle isn’t just for kids you know. If you have a bigger relative who needs a gift or a Secret Santa dilemma, then you might find the following interesting…

The Penguin Popper -£7.99 – (also available as a Unicorn) shoots small foam balls up to 20 feet. I find this very cathartic as a more violent version of a stress ball… the harder you squeeze, the further they fly. Even fairly small children can make it work, and – take note Father Christmas – they fit perfectly into the top of a stocking.

and on a larger scale, the Atomic Sword Popper – £21.95 – is not only great for swiping, but also blasting balls at speed. It’s incredibly reminiscent of the Nerf gun my brother had when he was younger (and I was not so young) which we all enjoyed beating each other up with.