Christmas Presents for Kids (2019)

Can you believe I’ve already started thinking about Christmas Presents for Kids? It felt like just yesterday that we were doing Halloween and the week before that was Easter. I really don’t know where this year has gone.

I don’t recall having done a Christmas Presents for Kids Gift Guide last year I think it was because I just didn’t get my ducks in a row in time. But this year, I am ready.

I’ve already trawled the shops, hit up an expo and done some research and I have quite a few ideas for varying ages. This guide does also include some of the great gifts we have given or received over the year.

This gift guide isn’t sponsored, no one has paid to have an item included on this list.

Please bear in mind this is just a guide. You know if something is too young or too old for your child.

This is just to give you some ideas!

Two things I’m definitely not doing for Christmas Presents for Kids (2019) is:

  1. Splitting this guide into girl toys and boys toys; and
  2. Pretending to know anything about kids 10 years and older. They are completely foreign to me!! What I would do is just give that child a gift card 🙂

In this guide I’m dividing gifts into two age groups: Kids under 5/6 years of age and Kids over 5/6. I’ll explain this divide in a bit but I promise there is method to my madness.

Don’t focus on the division though, there may be books or digital elements that are great in both categories. You be the decider or what your child will be into.

I’ve also added some stocking fillers in at the bottom and Sydney experiences that you can gift as opposed to physical presents which is always a great idea.

I've already trawled the shops, hit up an expo and done some research and I have quite a few ideas for varying ages. This guide does also include some of the great gifts we have given or received over the year. Please bear in mind this is just a guide. You know if something is too young or too old for your child. This gift guide isn't sponsored, no one has paid to have an item included on this list.

Christmas Presents for Kids

This may sound a little weird but if you’ve ever dealt with a group of 4/5 year olds as opposed to a group of 6/7 year olds you’ll know that there is a shift in them around this age. It doesn’t happen all at the same time for all of the kids but you’ll feel the distinct difference, physically and emotionally between a child starting Kindy and a child ending Year 1, they are completely different beasts.

Christmas Presents for Kids Under 5/6 years of Age

The brand NEW Bluey DVDs.

If you’re Australian based and you don’t know Bluey, I just don’t know what to say!! Bluey is already an Australian Icon. It’s better than the Wiggles. Yes, I just said that.

Bluey is a 6 year old little blue heeler pup who is just like every other Aussie 6 year old. She’s inquisitive, inexhaustible and absolutely adorable. Together with her 4 year old sister Bingo she is putting her mum and dad through their paces. It is so sweet and you’ll completely resonate with everything these ‘kids’ say and do.

Now, for the first time ever there will be THREE Bluey DVD Volumes out by the first week of December.

  • Bluey: Magic Xylophone and other stories (Vol 1)
  • Bluey: Horsey Ride and other stories (Vol 2)
  • Bluey: The Pool and other stories (Vol 3) DVD

Volume 1 includes Hospital (a real real tear jerker for any mums who have had preemie babies) and one of my kids favourites Keepy Uppy.

Volume 2 includes Hotel and Takeaway.

Could a list about Christmas Presents for Kids not include BLUEY!? Never. The Bluey Digital release is happening in the first week of November, how exciting.
Who doesn’t love Bluey!? We couldn’t leave her and her family off the Christmas Presents for Kids 2019 list!!

Each of the DVDs retails at about $20.

Gazillion Bubbles Monsoon

I’m tired of years of blowing bubbles for the kids or giving them the bubble wand and watching them spill the entire contents 5 seconds later!

One of my favourite favourite gifts that I have to add to the Christmas Presents for Kids 2019 – the Gazillion Bubbles Monsoon.

This little gadget made by Funrise really doesn’t seem like a big deal when you’re in the shops or when you pull it out the box but let me tell you, not only are the Funrise bubbles the best but this little machine is brilliant.

This machine will give your kids hundreds and hundreds of bubbles without all the drama of spills and messy bubble mix.

It would be remiss to not include one of the Gazillion bubble machines on the Christmas Presents for Kids 2019 guide. We just love it!

Jump Rocket

Jump onto (or just press down) the slightly inflatable pad and it shoots a polystyrene rocket up to 30m in the air.

This game makes for hours and hours of fun on the beach or on a field, anywhere that’s not inside the house.

There is one for sale from Kidstuff but the one we got was from National Geographic.

Top Tip: if you have pets you need to get replacement rockets because they get chewed, they’re really appealing to pets.

Hexbug Insects

I can’t leave these cool little things off the Christmas Presents for Kids 2019 list. My son when he was younger loved loved loved these little bugs. I am sure he would still love them at 7 years old, if I could find where they’ve gone.

Hexbug Insects are little solar powered insects that run around. They are a little creepy to look at, my daughter would never even touch them, but they are so interesting that curious little ones would watch them for ages! I would say 4 + is perfect for these unless you’ve got a mature 3 year old who doesn’t break things.

There is quite a collection in three different sizes, I’ve seen little green ants, big blue things and red spiders. They’re not cheap, they range from about $18 to $50 depending on the size. We have only ever bought the medium size though. You can find them at Australian geographic and at Kidstuff and MightyApe (although I’ve never bought anything at Mighty Ape before).

This isn't the most sophisticated of the Hexbugs but it's a good indication of what they look like. I had one of these running up my back just yesterday.

Beatrix Potter Stackable Learning Blocks

This is such a beautiful gift for younger children. In the classic Beatrix Potter style there are different size blocks that have letters and numbers on each side. For toddlers it would probably just result in a stacking game but for pre-schoolers it would be a learning tool. And for babies… well it would be a lovely decoration for the room.

You can get them off Catch of the Day (often the cheapest place for toys and books), Discount Toys and even David Jones. The best price I’ve seen was catch of the day for $20.

Frozen Styling Doll

With Frozen fever due to hit again before Christmas with the release of Frozen II there is a lot of Frozen items available.

I’ve already stocked up on the new Frozen II Elsa barbie doll.

But, the prize winner of the merchandise for this age group has to be the styling head. I’ve never met a 3 / 4 year old who doesn’t jump at the opportunity to brush, comb, style and tie a dolls hair. Combined with Frozen and you have magic!!

If Frozen isn’t your child’s thing there are little mermaids and Glitz girls and last year I even saw a Barbie one at Big W.

My daughter is so so desperate for one of these. Unfortunately she's not going to get one, all her presents have already been bought. I feel like it must go on the list though.
If your child gets one for Christmas, please don’t tell my daughter!! She will be so jealous.

Spot it!

This game is honestly great for the kids because they can play with the adults and beat them without the adults even letting them win.

It’s an observation game where the winner is the person who spots the matching object on two cards. For all the details, read our full Spot It! review here.

It comes at varying prices from $14.80 at Toys R’ Us to $20 at myer. I found it at Kmart here .

Fur Real Friends

If you feel that your child is missing out not having a pet but you just can’t get one, for whatever reason, then consider a Fur Real Friend. I must just warn you that you may be forced to talk it for walks, in public and the noise it emanates is really really strange.

There is a puppy and a kitty to choose from and you get the leash in the pack but you can have them on leash or off leash.

These little animals retail for approximately $40.

Vtech Learn and Dance Dino

I wish, wish this had been on the market when my daughter was younger. This toy was made for her. It’s a dinosaur that you put little discs into, with each disc it does something different.

Time to make this dino sing, stomp and spin. 9 action plates customise the dinos voices emotions and dancing styles. 3 light up buttons teaches colours, shapes and music. There’s even more than 30 sing along songs and melodies and a dino egg to store the plates.

It has the 9 action plates that customise the dines voices, emotions and dancing styles with 30 sing along songs. My daughter would have just loved that. For younger kids, the toy is aimed at 2 years olds and up, there are also 3 light up buttons which teach colours, shapes and music.

The dino comes in pink and green and is available at Target in Australia but also at Toy Universe.

I just love this little dancing musical dinosaur. Oh if my kids were younger. I know a few little tots who this would be just perfect for.

The Bosch Toy Chainsaw, Helmet and Accessories

Every time I see this set I’m reminded of Easter 2016 and my son running around wearing these items. I love this set the most out of all the Bosch toy tools because it does with a major tool, the chainsaw, but also little things to wear. And when your daughter or son puts those on, they are magically transformed into a construction genius. It is so sweet!

This set comes with the Helmet, ear muffs, gloves and glasses. It’s so great. I think we bought ours from Target, Big W or David Jones but I saw it for sale recently on Toy Universe.

Dragon Post

We can’t not include a few books on the Christmas Presents for Kids and here is the first. A stunning Emma Yarlett, if you haven’t read one of her books, you have got to get on to it. They are so cute. They are hard cover books with great story lines and individual letters in the books that you can take out and read.

You can check out our full review of Dragon Post here.

Emma Garlett's latest book has to be in the Christmas Presents for Kids list. Her books are just fantastic with little letters to be read.
This is an example of the type of letter you get in Emma Yarlett’s books For younger kids Dragon Post is best but for slightly older kids who aren’t scared of monsters or jokes about monsters then Beast Feast is best.

Dragon Post retails for $17 from online book stores.

Crocodile Creek Puzzles

If you’re looking to buy your child a puzzle I would say go for a Crocodile Creek puzzle. They are bright and colourful as are the boxes and the pictures are really lovely. While I am a loyal Ravensburger puzzle buyer, when it comes to kids in this age category, these are the puzzles to buy.

You can get them at Kidstuff in Australia but Discount Toy Co generally has a bigger range and at a better price. You’re probably looking at around $25 for one of these puzzles but they are really really great quality.

There are loads of different Crocodile Creek puzzles. They're lovely quality and nice and bright.
Just a small portion of the Crocodile Creek puzzles.

Camping Play Set

Amazon is selling a camping play set and it is awesome. It comes with the tent and then 17 necessaries little campers/hikers need to set up camp including a little battery powered pretend Gas Stove & Oil Lamp. There are also Binoculars, Utility Knife, Multifunctional Whistle, Cooking Pan, Plates, Shovel as well.

You can find it here.

Le Toy Van Doll House

This is a much bigger present! Retailing at about $250 this is the best of the doll houses currently available, in my opinion.

We got my daughter one of these for her birthday and it has been played with every second day for the last 10 months.

Although, the dolls that come with this house are seriously weird so don’t get those.

This is the doll house we got my daughter for her birthday this year and they're really beautiful quality little houses.
The most beautiful beautiful Dolls Houses.

Christmas Presents for Kids Over 5 or 6 years of Age

Bear Grylls Kids Audio Book

This has to be one of my favourite finds!!

I didn’t even realize that Bear Grylls was writing kids adventure stories let alone that you could get audio versions of this book.

Each story follows a child on a different adventure. From what I’ve seen online there is a desert challenge,

Treasure X Alien

This is such a GROSS toy. SO GROSS!! But my son got one for his birthday and was enthralled by it.

It’s an alien that looks like a monster in a tube and you get to take it all apart. Removing organs and squishing slime out its head. So awful but so enjoyable for 7 year old boys!

How gross are these. So first you take the tall alien out the green tube, then you have to remove it bit by bit. Some parts are gooey and you have to fiddle around in them to get other parts out. My 7 year old just LOVED this.
How gross are these. So first you take the tall alien out the green tube, then you have to remove it bit by bit. Some parts are gooey and you have to fiddle around in them to get other parts out. My 7 year old just LOVED this.

The best price I’ve found is $22 on Amazon.

Rubiks Cube 2X2

A Rubiks Cube is a famous famous toy, you know the one with the different coloured sizes made up of nine blocks. While that one is probably geared towards adults the 2 X 2 is a much simpler version. It’s not easy though so expect a few frustrations.

The 2X2 is about $14 and you can for it from toy stores and even Myer.

SpiroGraph

A spirograph is a little plastic box that has various discs with it that you put on top of the box to make kaleidoscope type pictures. It’s a really engaging little toy. I did not expect my son to love it as much as he has. So much so that we’re going to get my daughter a little one from smiggle.

The original spirograph is a HASBRO toy, of course, and you can get different sizes from most toy shops and big retailers.

If you're not sure what a spirograph does, this is an example. My kids love them hence why they've been included on our Christmas Presents for Kids 2019 guide.

Nerf Vortex Aero Howler

We had one of these when we were younger, I am not sure if it was the official brand but my gosh it was awesome. It even emitted the howling noise as it shot through the air.

The Nerf Vortex Aero Howler is a brilliant toy and when get the kids out the house. The only problem is that it needs space to really get it going. Your arm will ache afterwards though.

It retails at about $25 and you can get it from Rebel.

LEGO Hidden Side

This is the latest, coolest lego for “big kids” that merges lego building and AR. You build the model and then use a free Augmented Reality to app to delve into what’s been built.

 There are 8 different sets in different sizes.

Hidden on top and then the technic down at the bottom.
Hidden on top and then the technic down at the bottom.

LEGO Technic

Hands down my son’s favourite type of LEGO. It’s LEGO with a technical element, hence the name.

If the Hidden Side isn’t right or you can’t find it then you have to look into the LEGO Technic.

You get the standard LEGO Technic and then you get some that you can merge with another to get an even more sophisticated build.

Bakugan

I think Bakugans may be the new Beyblade although Beyblades seem to still be super popular.

Bakugans explode as you roll them and make up points somehow, I think it’s from the little hexagonal cards. I’m not 100% how the whole thing works but the kids play against one another and swap them as they would with Beys. How cool am I calling Beyblades Beys…

You’ll see what they are from the picture below. You don’t need the big rectangle cards though, only the little plastic Bakugan and then the small cards.

You don't really need the big rectangle cards at the top, they're more for swapping. What you need are the round balls that "explode" into animals and then the little silver cards at the bottom.
You don’t really need the big rectangle cards at the top, they’re more for swapping. What you need are the round balls that “explode” into animals and then the little silver cards at the bottom.

Velcro Dartboard

I know this sounds really rudimentary, especially when it costs less than $10 but it has brought my son and daughter hours of fun. Stick it onto the back of any door and let them throw their sponge darts. Our board didn’t come with darts but rather plastic balls with velcro around it.

We got ours purely by accident at the Reject Store but I’ve also seen it on sale at Discount Toy Co.

What to do with an idea

This hard cover picture book is my find of 2019, it has a beautiful story, lovely illustrations and is a concept that every child should remember for as long as they can. I’ve just realised that it is also a A New York Times Best Seller and award-winning book… Gee, I’ve got great taste!

We absolutely love this book and you can read the full review of What to do with an idea here.

We got our copy from booktopia. It’s not cheap but it’s the type of book you’ll keep forever!

This book isn’t really for younger ages because they tend to miss the point.

My absolute favourite book of 2019, a hard cover conceptual book to be kept forever.

Micro Sprite Scooter

I didn’t realise that my son wasn’t using his scooter anymore because he was embarrassed about having a “little kids scooter”.

If your child is in this age bracket and still riding their old mini micro or little kids scooter it may be time for an upgrade to TWO wheels.

I’ve just bought the Micro Sprite Scooter for my 7 year old and he is going to love it! Well, I hope so.

I’m a firm believer in quality when it comes to something carrying my child, especially a reckless 7 year old at his top speed. So after all my research we went with this brand. The other one that we considered was the Razor but this one seems a bit studier even though it isn’t as great as the Razor is for tricks…

They retail at about $175 but keep your eye out for a sale, maybe one of those big David Jones sales and nab one then. You can also get them at Kidstuff and at the Micro scooter website (this is the Aussie website).

Garmin Kids Watch

My son has had one of these since he was 6 and he has absolutely loved it. Although he calls it his fitbit. Similarly my daughter has been eyeing his out with envy for as long as he has had it.

It is a great gift in that it not only functions as a watch and step counter but also lists chores and sets goals for them to achieve. Hook it up to your phone and they can be rewarded with a game once they achieve those goals.

The fact that they are waterproof is also handy because kids get wet. Even unintentionally.

You get different straps and colours and you can even change the stap as they grow up and out of the initial childish characters.

Just one of the different types of watches for kids on the market.  We love the Garmin the most and that's what our kids have.

Nintendo Switch

This is a big big gift. Probably the most expensive that will feature on this list. After our experiences with iPads, the Wii and playstation this is what we recently bought and we’re very happy with our choice.

I would recommend going with the Switch as opposed to the Lite.

If you’re looking for age appropriate games, drop a comment below and I will tell you what we

Guinness Book of Records

My son got this for his birthday from a friend and was enthralled. It was so sweet to see how amazed and impressed they were by the contents.

The Guinness Book of Records retails at about $44.

Top Tip: wait until David Jones has it’s christmas book sale or buy on Booktopia and link to your Qantas Rewards Program to get points.

Sydney Experiences to Give

There are some really great Sydney Experiences to gift to kids. From tickets and vouchers for once off events to annual passes. This category has a whole lot and is great for all ages. Excluding babies because they are generally free everywhere you go.

Tickets, Vouchers and Gift Cards

Timezone

Timezone is the games arcade that you’ll find all over the place. You can get a certain amount that allows for kids to play for an unlimited time but then they only get a set number of tokens which can cause the odd tantrum.

Rebel

A Rebel gift card always goes in handy for a new pair of googles or ball or to go towards a fan shirt.

Smiggle

I think with the introduction of stationery at school, younger kids are beginning to really enjoy stationery again. Smiggle is insane. If you’ve never been in one you should take a headache tablet and then two young children in there. It’s bright and colourful and has thousands of stationery items. They have just started introducing toys but it’s still focused on stationery.

A gift card means giving a child an item but also the option to browse smiggle for ages!!

Build a Bear

My kids absolutely loved this when we did it last school holiday. It is an expensive option as the bear alone costs and then all of the clothes do too. I’ve recently seen a voucher half price on groupon so maybe give that a try.

Annual Passes

Luna Park

I think we’ve been to Luna Park 4 times this year and my kids still love it. You can find loads of information about Luna Park at our review here.

Taronga

Taronga is not just about the animals. There is the sky ropes that you get a discount for with the annual pass and the playgrounds and sky safari included in the pass. You’ll also get advance chances to buy Vivid at Taronga tickets.

Featherdale Wildlife

One of our favourite places to visit. If it was closer to us we would definitely get an annual pass. For a full review, you can find it here.

Australian Reptile Park

It’s not just about reptiles. There are lots of friendly kangaroos and a beautiful tortoise and koalas too. The Australian Reptile Park also has a great playground and BBQs so you can stay there for ages. You can check out our full review here.

I've already trawled the shops, hit up an expo and done some research and I have quite a few ideas for varying ages. This guide does also include some of the great gifts we have given or received over the year. Please bear in mind this is just a guide. You know if something is too young or too old for your child. This gift guide isn't sponsored, no one has paid to have an item included on this list.

Stocking Fillers

  • Multicoloured pens.
  • Sticker sheets.
  • Chalk hair colour, I’ve seen it everywhere recently!
  • Handballs.
  • Pencils with ooshies on top of or the pencils that smell nice.
  • Highlighters (my kids love love highlighters, I don’t know why).
  • Bath bombs.
  • Hair bands and hair clips.
  • Socks.
  • Hot wheels.
  • Fancy erasers, surprisingly they come really cheap.
  • Collectible cards.
  • Water games. Those little games with the two dials or buttons you press to shoot water up and get the mini hoops moving.

If you’ve got any more great ideas that you think should be added to this list, please feel free to get hold of me at: Michal@AllThingsMomSydney.com and refer to this post.

Looking for something bigger, more elaborate?

You could always invest in a trampoline… a Vuly is our go to and you can read our guide on how to choose a trampoline here or you could get your child one of those incredible ride in cars, we have a review over here.