There are so many options to choose from, but we’ve found over the years that many of the cheap plastic toys break or potentially contain harmful chemicals, so as much as possible we aim for toys made of natural materials that encourage play. We want them to develop great imaginations, learn useful skills and enjoy playing, so we narrowed this list down to our very favorite items that we either own (or have on our list for this year).

Kids Cook Real Food – great online video courses to teach your kids all the skills they need to gain confidence in the kitchen. We try to do at least one lesson each week and give our kids lots of opportunities to practice their skills throughout the week. I’m so impressed by all they can already do in the kitchen at such young ages!

Magna Tiles – these were some of our kids’ favorite toys at their preschool in Denver and provide hours of fun and creativity. We love to see their building skills progress as they develop better spatial awareness.

Stainless Steel Play Kitchen Pots and Pans – our kids love to make food and play restaurant in our kids’ kitchen, so we love giving them sturdy pots to play with!

Art Supplies – we incorporate art projects into every homeschooling unit, so we go through a lot of art supplies in our house. This Christmas we’re getting new supplies (shh…don’t tell!) and are excited to get these natural earth paints and natural beeswax crayons.

Sports Equipment – any and every sport receives a warm welcome in our house, so equipment is always at the top of our son’s list. Even at a young age we’ve decided to prioritize getting our kids “real” equipment rather than plastic versions. We’d rather they start learning proper technique and form, which you really develop best when you have the actual equipment in your hands. We won’t go through all the sports, but since hockey is usually at the top of the list, anything by Bauer is generally a great bet!

Books – they have been our go-to gift even before we had our own children. We both love reading and want to inspire all the kids in our life to develop a love of reading as well. Most of the time the books are well received, although we still laugh about one Christmas several years ago when our nephew groaned as he opened his present and said “it’s not going to be a book again, is it”? Our kids can always count on at least one book under the tree!

Hanna Andersson – my mom has started the wonderful tradition of getting matching Christmas jammies for all the grandkids. We love that most of Hanna Andersson‘s products are 100% organic cotton – so soft and so cuddly!

Swaddle Blanket – for anyone expecting a baby (or with a little one now!), these 100% bamboo swaddle blankets were our favorite. It was so helpful to have a large enough swaddle blanket to really wrap up our babies tightly and keep them cozy while they slept.

Onya Baby Carrier – we used a lot of different wraps and carriers for each of our kids as we loved to get outside adventuring and walking as soon as possible. This great ergonomic pack allowed us to easily carry our little ones on either our front or back. We still use it for our littlest one as we’re out working on the farm!

Mom or Dad dates – it’s so important to spend quality one-on-one time with each child (especially now that there are three!), so we often try to gift experiences that allow each child to have that special time. It doesn’t have to be expensive – some of our favorite memories have been going on hot cocoa dates or to the park!