Thoughtful gifts for children Christmas 2022: including educational, creative, STEM toys, and books

Give your child a gift they will never forget this year - be that the gift of a new skill, creativity or new knowledge
Thoughtful gifts for childrenThoughtful gifts for children
Thoughtful gifts for children

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Giving kids presents is one of the true unalloyed joys of Christmas time. That said, picking a present for kids can feel a bit daunting - after all, there's a plethora of toys out there, and trends change all the time. Many people will be pointing you in the same direction - indeed, our round-up of the most popular toys as suggested by Argos is a good place if you want to hit the zeitgeisty toys on the block.

We're not against any of those selections, but we wanted to cast a little further afield to offer wider options, as well.

Here, we've curated a selection of Christmas pressies designed to stay in fashion, spark imagination, and keep young people giggling. We've stayed away from single-use plastics as much as possible and only selected items we've seen children use and enjoy.

This could be something to spark a future hobby, or even a future career.

Below we have rounded up our pick of some of the best presents to give to your child which are sure to inspire them, whether they’ve always got their head in a book, are fascinated by wildlife, or are constantly asking questions.

As close as you can get to the real thing - but with less clean-up.

The Living Nature cuddly toy range is gorgeously true to life, perfect for a wee one that loves animals - and a soft toy to cuddle. What’s more, the stuffing of their animals is made with recycled plastic, meaning they are 100% eco-friendly.

We love them - and with 200 animals to chose from, there’s something to suit any child.

Encourage children’s sense of adventure with this world globe with doubles as a light.

The detailed design of the globe includes an equator line and geographical and political boundaries, so this isn’t just a lovely present it’s an educational tool that they can use for many years to come.

It has day and night viewing modes, complete with LED lights for major population areas. It’s set at a natural tilt on a sturdy base and is fully rotatable.

It’s also perfect for little dreamers who want to think about their future travel plans.

Reading a festive story to your child at Christmas time is enchanting, and this is an especially magic way to do it.

Your wee one can experience the magic of five festive stories, all in a beautiful personalised book. It includes stories such as The Little Donkey and Nativity Story, St Nicholas and When Santa got Stuck up the Chimney.

It can be printed with a name and message of your choice to appear on the cover and the inside page, because personalised items are extra special and will be something to treasure forever.Available in an A4 or A3 sized book, with prices starting at £29.99.

The Happy Craft Box is a monthly subscription box for children between the ages of and 12.

Each monthly box focuses on helping your child to learn a new skill, and is complete with everything they need for each activity.

Included in the box is a craft kit, materials and tools, full step by step instructions, growth and positive mindset activities, an affirmation postcard and a progress journal for children aged 9 to 12 and a progress wall chart for children aged 4 to 8.

Single and sibling boxes are available, so this is also the ideal present for siblings to share together.

Prices start at £19.97.

This is a fun education toy for your budding little scientist.

The microscope includes everything necessary for a child to be introduced to science and get started dissecting specimens.

Included are blank slides, transparent plastic ‘specimen’ boxes and other accessories that will enable them to look at various types of objects.

The kids can use this educational microscope to collect, observe, analyze specimens, and record findings on their objects.

It’s never too early to start teaching them essential life skills, and if your little one is already a big foodie then they’ll love this cookbook.

It’s filled with lots of child-friendly recipes so, with your guidance, they can learn to cook lots of delicious dishes.

The book also includes extra information so they can learn all about how plants grow, from seeds to seedlings, watering and weeding, to harvesting and composting.

This is the ultimate gift for any little Lego and music lovers.

Children can enjoy building the boombox with its stages and cool backstage area, and explore different musical worlds with creative characters. There’s four minifigures for them to play with.

Once the boombox is built, they can direct their own music videos inspired by different music genres as they play with the associated app.

All they have to is scan the QR code to see four fun worlds open up to create their musical masterpieces.

Coding Lab - new to the UK - is the coolest thing ever if you have a child interested in robotics, or are keen to encourage their STEM skills without boring them. Developed for children 9 and above, they offer a range of smart, programmable gadgets of expandable and reconfigurable capabilities. We love the GinoBot™, a robotics vehicle, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, ideal for primary and secondary school students.

GinoBot™ has built-in connectors, enabling structural and mechanical expansion - your child can build a robot, then reconfigure it. The 4-wheel drive version of Ginobot™ comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and has 2 colour sensors built-in at the bottom to follow coloured lines and 4 programmable RGB lights. It also has an ultrasound sensor at the front and 3 infrared distance sensors, enabling precise movements in all directions and preventing crashes.

Encourage your kids to keep active even when it’s freezing outside with this retro dance mat. If you loved the dance games in arcades that command you to jump, stomp, and move in time with flashing lights, your kids are going to love this. Ideal for a disco in the household - and a whole lot of fun.

It’s Pictionary, Jim, but not as we know it (ahem. Sorry. Wrong franchise). This is a hoot - instead of using a pen and paper, you use a laser R2D2 to draw, then visible on your TV screen.

Two levels of clue cards feature content from all the Star Wars films, The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian, perfect for superfans and casual fans alike. It’s fun and silly, and fast to play - perfect for Christmas.

We don’t know many little jewellery lovers that wouldn’t adore this - a gorgeous, personalised name necklace. Available in a range of different golds, chain links, and chain lengths, it’s a thoughtful gift for a special child that will last their lifetime.

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