The Paper Chick: The Chicklet's Christmas List

All year long I'm watching for kid's gift ideas. When the girls see something they like in a store now they ask me to take a picture of it with my phone. When I see something online that I think they would like I add it to an Amazon wish list. Around October I start gathering all those ideas onto a list. Our family uses an online Christmas Wish List, that I highly recommend. You create your list and then your family can access your list with their password and even mark an item as purchased. Other family members can see that they're purchased but you will not.

I put a LOT of thought into making the lists. I want things that will entertain them, that I know they want, and that I know they will play with as well as learn from. I don't want to spend my money (or family members spend theirs) on things that will just sit and collect dust.

Here is a LONG list of toys, maybe you'll find something your kids would enjoy. Keep in mind that we are not buying ALL of these things. Our entire family and Santa pulls from this list :)

First they'll be getting a big big basket of art supplies: sketch pads, how to books, new play doh, sculpting tools, oil pastels...

Brian and I are also giving the girls a combined basket and a family tradition that we are starting. From us they will be getting illustrated, hardcover classics that we plan to read each night as a family. I'm excited to build on this collection over the years. I realize that this may not be something they are overly excited to see on Christmas morning but I think that it's something that will create memories they'll always have. This year we're getting a few of the Little House on the Prairie series, Pippi Longstocking, and then some of these Sterling Illustrated Classics, they are BEAUTIFULLY illustrated by Robert Ingpen

On the list you'll also find different puzzle type games:

Pattern play, Q bits

Artsy activities like

Magnetic Mosaics, Illustory (Kendall makes a book daily, she will love this) & Fingerprint Fabulous

Something to use outside--plasma car

And other fun things

Apple Letters, Tiny Toms, American girl pjs, Inchimals

At first I really struggled with Jack. This is the kid that most likes to pull things out of cupboards and climb all over the house. But once I got going I really had fun finding ideas.

This Little Tykes wagon was an easy place to start. I know that he'll love to throw his manly toys and dirt in there and haul that puppy around.

You can never go wrong with cars, solid wood and racetrack so this was added.

Like I said he likes to take things out of drawers, throw them back in....so the HABA shape sorter was added. Next a fun addition to the train table or maybe just to have a little train collection in his room.