We discovered fun holiday children’s gifts with the help of Sarah Hyatt from Dancing Bear Toys and Gifts in Frederick. These must-have items make great gift options for children of all ages.
Baby

Spin Again
Manufactured by Fat Brain Toys, Spin Again allows
children to build their gross motor skills as they unstack and restack the colorful gears while learning about size and color correspondence through play. $29.99, ages 1+ years, fatbraintoys.com
Preschool

Chunkies Paint Sticks Variety Pack
Designed by OOLY, these paint sticks are designed perfectly for little hands. Chunkies are a mess-free paint alternative sure to provide hours of entertainment for preschoolers. $27.99, ages 3+ years, ooly.com
Early Elementary

Gummy Candy Lab
Produced by Thames & Kosmos, Gummy Candy Lab lets children create their own lemon- or cherry-flavored gummy treats in a mold with different creatures. This kit uses seaweed powder to create plant-based candies. While creating with sweets in mind, children learn about reactions and the scientific method. $19.99, ages 6+ years, thamesandkosmos.com

100 Great Words
Created by eeBoo, this deck of 100 flash cards teaches children long words such as “onomatopoeia” to encourage their ever-growing vocabulary. $7.99, ages 8+ years, eeboo.com
Tween

DIY Miniature House
Manufactured by Hands Craft, these little houses are 3D wooden puzzles. They may take some patience to build, but the results are worth every tiny detail. $39.99, ages 14+ years, handscraft.com

Mystic Market
A fascinating strategy-based game by ThinkFun where children learn simple economic concepts by purchasing of items to make potions with the goal of turning a profit through the sale of those potions. $19.99, ages 10+ years, thinkfun.com