Gift Guide
These are a few of my favorite things for elementary aged kids…they make excellent gifts. 💝
In my school art room, students use a lot of creative play items–great for building problem-solving skills, flexing those creative muscles and losing track of time.
Pictures are linked to tried and true gifts that I highly recommend. Many links are “affiliate links” (which means a little bit of each purchase using them goes in my pocket instead of Amazon’s, at no additional cost to you).
If you’re looking to gift art supplies, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorites here.
Playable Art Cube
We’ve recently added a bunch of creative play items to my school’s art room for “studio days” and the kids are having a BLAST with the new stuff.
When I first got these playable wooden blocks, I had no idea that they could form a cube (because it came looking as it does on the left). One day, a student said, “Look, Mrs. O’Shaughnessy—I made it into a CUBE!” 🤩
The individual blocks are connected with a tough string that can rarely be seen. This you’re looking for a fidget, a sculptural puzzle or a creative challenge!
Stacking Kittens
Ok, it seems SO simple but give this one a chance. This creative play activity may be my favorite of the bunch! Stacking and balancing wooden blocks shaped as cute lil kittens is a BLAST.
I brought this sculpture game along to Thanksgiving with my spouse’s family and it was a perfect group activity that was enjoyed by everyone. People could easily drop in and join (or leave). After the kids went to bed, the adults played. It was so fun to take turns rolling the dice and seeing how many kittens we could stack before it fell.
This creative problem solving game comes in different quantities (18, 30 and 42 piece options) and different types of animals. We opted for the kittens, but there are also dinosaurs, funny animals, and sea animals.
Before getting this set, I ordered a different wooden stacking cat game that was cheaper…and lemme tell you, that set was not worth it. When it arrived, it was thin and in a package about the size of a chocolate bar. Needless to say, it was promptly returned. These wooden blocks (pictured above) are so much better and totally worth it!
Zolo Play Sculptures
The Zolo Groove and Zolo Blanco sets are interchangeable play sculptures. You can use permanent markers to jazz up the black/white set (Zolo Blanco) but I prefer the aesthetic as it is. These are really fun nonsense sculpture kits that remind me a lot of our Shapescapes Sculpture in a Box (also a fun one, especially if you have a kid ages 4-7 years old).
The Pop Zolo play sculpture kit is substantially smaller than the other 2 options and fits into an orange carrying case that also has plugs for playing with the parts. I found it a little on the harder side to attach and remove the variables but it has been fun for the kids (and for me)!
Magnetic Wooden Blocks
These magnetic wooden blocks are a hit for creating sculptures that stick. They come in all sorts of variations with color and quantity. I cut out the pictures from the box to keep with the set and the kids enjoy trying to replicate those ideas. They also like creating their own!
Wooden Lacers
I love these wooden lacers. They’re cute, creative and durable. Kids love taking the caterpillars in and out of the holes in the fruit, and the block of cheese with the “mouse” is a fan favorite. My younger elementary grades gravitate towards the wooden ones especially, but there are also some awesome board book type ones as well that are really great.
These would be great to keep in a purse/bag when out and about to keep little hands busy and off the screen during any downtime.
Stacking Rocks!
Stacking Rocks! (pun intended) 😅 Kids love stacking items as high as they possibly can and seem to enjoy the thrill of them falling just as much. These wooden gemstones are aesthetically pleasing and provide a creative challenge that is fun for all involved.
Nesting Blocks
This wave set is one of the newer nesting wooden stackables in my school’s art room. I like that the pieces are wide and the shapes are irregular. Building with these provides a fun challenge for kids. There is also one shaped like a flame and a geode one that I thought looked neat.
We also have the classic rainbow blocks that have seemingly un-ending possibilities. I have younger to older elementary students coming up with the coolest ways to arrange these blocks!
Pearl & Neon Watercolor Paint
These sets of pearlescent and neon watercolor paints are absolutely incredible. They are made by Ooly (be careful going to their website, you may want to buy everything on it)! Both sets are quality and show up on white and black papers. I’ve been wanting to get my hands on some of their circle watercolor paper. Pair these paints with a pack of Ooly’s brushes, or Royal & Langnickle brushes, and you’re all set for making beautiful paintings!
You can also find these and more painting supply options in the “Painting” section of my Amazon faves.
Some other creative play toys my students can’t get enough of are Straws & Connectors (we have the neon and the classic colors), Keva planks (we have the purple and teal sets but I’m pretty into the look of the classic wood grain) and Magna Tiles. All of these are excellent for thinking in 3D and building those sculpture skills.
