The latest excursion into the Stanfords online Christmas store reveals the top 10 Christmas gift ideas for kids.
1. Animal Hands
What’s your child’s favourite animal? A giraffe perhaps, or a zebra? Maybe even a slithery snake… whichever species from the animal kingdom your little one prefers, they’ll love Animal Hands – a set of eight temporary finger puppet tattoos featuring entire animal faces and their iconic markings and colours. Suitable for all the family, all you need to bring them to life is a splash of water and your hands – it’s that simple. If your house feels a bit like a farmyard on Christmas Day, it certainly will do now! Perfectly safe for little hands, full instructions are included.
2. Hang Out Hammock
The chilly December weather may not lend itself to outdoor afternoon napping, but you’ll be glad for the Hang Out Hammock when the sunshine returns! Made from hardwearing 3 mm nylon cord with steel rings, this is one of the most substantial and comfortable hammocks out there. For the kids, the Hang Out Hammock makes the perfect addition to a den at the bottom of the garden.
3. Safari: A Photicular Book
Feed your kids’ passion for animals with Safari, a book quite unlike any other – for rather than displaying photographs of cheetahs, elephants and gazelles, it brings them to life thanks to Scanimation technology. What does this do? Well, it effectively turns each page into a 3D movie – the cheetah starts running, the elephant begins wagging its ears and the gazelle leaps into action. The days of imagining movies being included in books are over – and what better subject to showcase this innovative technology than animals in their natural habitats? Accompanying the stunning imagery is the story of the safari and a fact file of the best-known animals.
> Buy Safari: A Photoicular Book!
4. Where Are Santa’s Pants?
It’s Christmas time, the crowds are full of festive cheer, but there’s one thing threatening to derail the festivities: Santa has lost his pants! And to make matters worse, he has no idea where they are – at the ice rink, maybe? Or the beach? What about the train station? Where Are Santa’s Pants is a find-and-seek book in the Where’s Wally mould, only instead of looking for a bespectacled explorer on each page, you must find Santa’s pants. Christmas depends on it!
> Buy Where Are Santa’s Pants!
5. Globe 4 Kidz
Foster your kids’ interest in geography with the Globe 4 Kidz. This 30 cm-high illuminated globe, designed especially for children, will put the whole world at their fingertips. In addition to vibrant, fully up-to-date cartography, the Globe 4 Kidz, which has a 25 cm diameter, features more than 100 drawings of animals, landmarks and people – perfect for stimulating their imagination. Its creators have paid careful attention to how much detail to include, so your little ones can look forward to learning all about the world around them, something that’s particularly enchanting when the globe is lit up.
6. Solar System Wallpaper
Turn your kid’s bedroom wall into a spectacular view of the solar system, with the nine planets spectacularly illustrated orbiting a huge sun. Spread over eight sheets of thick paper, the Solar System Wallpaper includes cellulose wallpaper paste and full instructions on how to transform your wall. This awe-inspiring product will spark a lifelong interest in the planetary system and an appreciation of the majesty of our solar system – from the hydrogen and helium masses of Saturn and Jupiter to the ‘ice giants’ of Uranus and Neptune.
> Buy the Solar System Wallpaper!
7. Giraffe Animal Daysack
Add a touch of fun to a day out with this cute giraffe daysack. Featuring a waterproof hood in the shape of a giraffe’s head, your little one can be transformed into the tallest living terrestrial creature and one of the best loved and iconic in the animal kingdom. Featuring a removable safety rein and a top grab handle, it affords parents crucial control over their children while out and about. Suitable for little ones aged between one and four, the Giraffe Animal Daysack can has a surprisingly-large two litre capacity. Let your little one embrace their wild side this Christmas!
> Buy the Giraffe Animal Daysack!
8. Learn The Ropes
Learning to tie basic knots is a rite of passage, particularly for budding sailors and Scouts. But gone are the days of settling for flimsy string or old rope – now you can learn how to tie 16 classic knots with Learn The Ropes, a package that contains three different ropes and detailed, colourful instruction cards. And to get you into the sailor spirit, the ropes come in a nautical-themed box. Please note that this product isn’t suitable for children under eight years of age.
9. Mapominoes
As the name suggests, Mapominoes follows the principle of dominoes, but where once there were dots there are now maps! Coming in five different editions – UK, Europe, Asia and Australasia, the Americas and Africa – the aim of the game is to build a map using places that share a common border. In the Europe edition for example, you can open up the Baltic states by playing Russia or block an opponent by holding onto Germany or France. This simple, strategic game is suitable for ages eight and up – the perfect way for your child to boost their geography knowledge while enjoying this classic tile game.
10. London Unlocked: A Guidebook For Kids
Guidebooks are no longer the preserve of adults – London Unlocked is written specifically for school-aged children, with the capital’s attractions detailed in a lively, accessible manner. There are separate chapters focussing on the capital’s different regions, while handy ‘top 5’ lists cover topics like the best places to shop for toys, the best places to watch a film and the top adventure playgrounds. Rather than being a kid-centred guidebook, this is a guidebook for kids – the perfect publication for fuelling wanderlust and their interest in the capital.
Need more festive inspiration? Check out our extended range of Christmas gift ideas for kids!