Right, kids’ Christmas presents. Every year I tell myself I’ll be organised, and every year I end up staring at a toy aisle in December wondering what on earth to buy. If you’d rather avoid the plastic tat that’s broken by Boxing Day or buried at the bottom of the toy box by New Year, this one’s for you.
I’ve put together a guide of things that will get played with, built or worn long after the wrapping paper has gone in the recycling. This year there’s a kids’ camera, Roald Dahl book nooks to build, a bracelet for the tweens and teens, and a couple of board games for the F1 fans. Whether you’re shopping for your own kids, nieces and nephews, or a friend’s little one, have a look through.
Photo Creator Beauty Cam
Digital cameras are having a bit of a comeback, and this is a fun one for kids aged seven and up who want to take photos and videos without needing a phone. The Photo Creator Beauty Cam is shaped like a pocket mirror (and doubles as one), with two lenses so they can switch between normal photos and selfies, plus a 2.4-inch colour touchscreen for looking back at what they’ve taken.
There are three light settings (white, natural and warm), along with built-in filters and frames to play about with. It charges by USB-C, so no hunting for batteries on Christmas morning, and it comes with a wrist strap for days out, parties and sleepovers. It has its own internal memory, and there’s a microSD slot (up to 64GB) if they fill it up. The RRP is £34.99.
Build Your Own Roald Dahl Book Nooks
One for the little bookworms. Build Your Own have brought out two Roald Dahl Book Nooks, The BFG and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, both based on Quentin Blake’s illustrations. They’re cardboard kits that you build into a miniature scene, which then sits on the bookshelf in between the books.
The BFG one has tiny dream jars, the BFG’s suitcase and snozzcumbers, and the Charlie one has Willy Wonka, Charlie, Augustus Gloop, the Oompa-Loompas, the chocolate river and a hidden golden ticket to find. There’s no glue and no plastic. You press out the pre-cut pieces and slot them together, so it’s a nice screen-free thing to sit and do together in that quiet bit between Christmas and New Year. The cardboard and packaging are fully recyclable too.
They’re for ages eight and up, and they’re £24.99 each.
Jewellery For Teens Tiny Bow Bracelet
Tweens and teens are tricky to buy for, so here’s one for the older end of the list. Jewellery For Teens make jewellery for ages 10 to 19, and their Tiny Bow Bracelet is a delicate little chain with a bow charm, plated in 18ct gold over stainless steel. That means it’s waterproof and won’t tarnish, which matters when it’s on the wrist of someone who will never remember to take it off before a shower.
It’s 16cm with a 5cm extender, so there’s room to grow, and it arrives in a jewellery box with free gift wrapping and a packet of love heart sweets. It’s £18.
Racing Line Standard Edition
If you’ve got an F1 fan in the house, this board game brings the Grand Prix to the dining room table. You race round the track trying to outsmart and overtake everyone else, dealing with whatever the race throws at you along the way, and the winner is whoever has scored the most points by the chequered flag. You don’t need to know a thing about F1 to play, so nobody gets left on the grid.
It’s for three to eight players aged eight and up, which makes it a good one for Christmas afternoon when the whole family’s round. The RRP is £29.99.
Once they’ve got the hang of it, there are expansion tracks to add on, based on real circuits. There’s Italia and Texas, at £10.99 each. They’re just the track, so you need the Standard Edition to play them.
Racing Line Junior Edition
For younger racers, there’s a Junior Edition of Racing Line made for primary school-aged children. The track is smaller, so a game only takes 10 to 20 minutes, and the cards need very little reading, which means little ones can join in without a grown-up reading everything out.
It’s for two to four players and has an RRP of £19.99. It also works as a stepping stone to the full game when they’re a bit older.
Scalextric Rally Championship Retro Race Set
Scalextric on Christmas Day is a classic, and this set is a nice nod to 90s rallying for the grown-ups too. You get two cars, a Subaru Impreza WRC and a Toyota Celica WRC, both with working front and rear lights, plus a track with a flyover and an overhead gantry. There are nine different layouts you can build with the pieces, so it doesn’t get samey.
It plugs into the mains, so no batteries needed, and the hand controllers have a speed limiter, which is handy for younger drivers who like to go flat out on every corner. You can also use the free Hot Laps app to count laps and time races. It’s £129.99, so it’s more of a main present.
Brick Like This!
A brilliant one for LEGO fans. In Brick Like This!, one person on each team gets a secret card showing a little LEGO model and has to describe it, without showing it, while their teammate tries to build it from the 48 bricks in the box. First team to get it right shouts “Brick!” and wins the round. There are challenge cards too, like building one-handed, which is where it gets very silly.
It’s for two to eight players aged seven and up, and a game takes around 15 minutes, so you can fit a few rounds in before the Christmas dinner’s ready. The RRP is £19.99.
Ticket to Ride Europe
For older kids who are ready for a bigger board game, Ticket to Ride Europe is a family favourite. You travel by train between cities across Europe, building routes (including through Swiss tunnels and on a Black Sea ferry) and train stations as you go, trying to become Europe’s greatest train magnate.
It’s for two to five players aged eight and up, and a game takes about an hour, so save it for a rainy afternoon when nobody’s in a rush. The RRP is £44.99.
Union Lite Complete Stunt Scooter
If you’ve got a little one who’s started eyeing up the skatepark, this is a good first stunt scooter. The Union Lite is made for beginners, roughly ages four to 12, and it’s light (around 3.2 to 3.4kg), which makes learning tricks a lot easier. It has an aluminium deck and bars and 100mm wheels, and it comes in three sizes (XS, S and M), so you can pick the right height for them.
It arrives about 95% built, so there’s not much faffing about on Christmas morning. It’s £94.95 in black.
Teletubbies x Warmies
Big hugs! Warmies have brought out a Teletubbies collection, so you can get Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa, Po and even Noo-Noo as heatable cuddly toys. They’re lightly scented with real French lavender, which makes them a lovely one for bedtime on cold winter nights. They’ll go down well with the little ones, and with any grown-ups who watched it first time round. They’re £29.99 each.
Build Your Own Pinball Machine
From the same people as the Roald Dahl book nooks, this is a cardboard kit that kids build into a working pinball machine. It has a spring-loaded launcher, flippers powered by elastic bands, a ramp, a vortex cone and five targets to score points on, and it comes with five glass marbles. There’s no glue needed, as all 61 pieces press out and slot together, and the build takes about an hour.
Once it’s finished they can play on their own or against each other for the highest score, which should keep them busy on Boxing Day. It’s for ages eight and up (with a grown-up on hand) and costs £22.99.
Paper Engine Publishing Imagine Me! Books
These two new books from Kes Gray, whose books have sold more than three million copies, let little ones become the hero of the story. In Builder Me!, they pop on their own wearable builder’s hat and join a construction crew, and in Superhero Me!, they put on a superhero mask and save the day. Both have rhyming stories, lift-the-flaps and a pop-up ending, with illustrations by Jorge Martin.
They’re for ages three to seven and are great for getting younger children joining in at bedtime, then carrying on the dressing up and pretend play afterwards. They’re £12.99 each, so either would make a lovely stocking filler.
And that’s it for this year’s kids’ Christmas gift guide! Hopefully there’s something in here that saves you a last-minute panic buy at the supermarket on Christmas Eve. Now go and get your shopping sorted, and maybe treat yourself to something nice while you’re at it. You’ve earned it. Happy shopping!