Christmas gift ideas for a six-year-old that will last/ be used for a long time

[AliasGrape]

Today I started a clear/ sort out of DD’s toys, partly because I’ve been putting it off since her birthday in the summer, and partly with Christmas in mind knowing there will be more stuff incoming.

Got me thinking about the stuff that’s been worth it, had a lot of play and stood the test of time for us.

DD just turned 6.

Would love to know from those with older children what they bought around this age that was worth it and got lots of use. I’m loathe to buy more stuff I’ll just be passing on/ donating/ trying to sell/ again within the year. We have a big family and she’s very lucky that lots of people buy for her - some are happy to give money towards something bigger but others want ideas for actual gifts so it would be good to start a list so I’m ready when asked.

For anyone with younger kids, in case it’s any help at all, these are the ones that have lasted the longest and had the most use here:

• A super cheap but good quality plastic tea set. Amazingly it’s still complete and has been used regularly since she got it for her first birthday. Might not be the most aesthetic choice but it still looks brand new after being in the bath, the paddling pool, serving many a teddy tea party. Easy to clean and robust.
• A wooden ice cream store/ set, this was a more expensive one she got at 2, and still gets used now.
• Yoto player - I’ll be honest she’s not as bothered about the stories as much as we’d hoped, but she loves the music, the daily podcast etc.
• usual bikes, scooters etc
• For her birthday this summer a climbing frame for the garden, only been a couple of months but it’s been well worth the investment and wish we’d done it sooner, she’s never off it
• Board games, she loves them
• A baby Annabelle/ general baby doll stuff and accessories - possibly just on their way out, though she was clear she wasn’t ready to part with them yet and they do still get a bit of use
• Magnetic tiles - she actually likes the mini ones best
• odd one but a bug hunting kit - she still uses the magnifying glass, little pots, binoculars etc in lots of different ways
• Lego
• one of those massive cardboard colour in houses - got one Christmas and lasted 2 years as a den/ playhouse - only got rid because we needed the space
• Doctors kit - ours was either an Aldi or Lidl wooden one that random bits have been added to over time, bought when she was 2, still gets used

Not worth it for us:

• any kind of Elsa’s castle, Barbie house, dolls house, mini figures etc. just never been how she’s played and she was always attracted by them and put them on her Christmas list but they wouldn’t be played with
• Barbies or Disney dolls in general - again always a want, and kind of worth it for the ecstatic reaction on receiving, but ultimately not played with. Barbie mermaids are an exception, they get lots of use in the bath!
• Craft/ jewellery making kits - I understand why people buy these and I tend to want to do the same myself, but they can be so big and end up just as much plastic as the plastic tat toys, a pain in the arse to store and ultimately just don’t hold her attention as much as plain old pens/ crayons and paper, scissors etc

It depends on the child, my dd played endlessly with her doll’s house and Playmobil - was still secretly playing with it in y6! I could have thrown all her other toys away.

For us a good investment around this age was a truly massive (bigger than her) very squidgy soft teddy bear that was part cushion, part cuddly toy and encouraged dd to curl up in bed and read a book until she fell asleep. She still has that bear now age 16 and has already declared it will be going to university with her.

A proper trampoline that doesn’t squeak serves us well too.

A netball or basketball hoop, if you have space.

A good skipping rope or high quality yo-yo or bat-and-ball game

A small cooking set (apron, spatula, whisk, wooden spoon, cake tin, kids recipe book)

Den building kit
A watch
Interactive globe
Bop It
T shirt from Illuminated Apparel
Swingball
Marble Rush

My DD's most treasured items are the animal, bird and aquatic volumes of the DK anthologies. She turned 7 last week and reads them constantly- she got the birds/animals last Xmas.

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Play silks that were bought for babies are
still being used in the dress up box.

Wooden blocks also still make an appearance alongside schleich animals.

One of my DDs loved babies and dolls but the other was into her animals so small animal figures were a hit for one and doll accessories for the other.

similarly one of my boys was all about the superheroes so we had imaginext galore but the other wasn’t and he liked Lego and magnatile type stuff

Quality art stuff has always gone well here- sketch pads, coloured pencils, electric sharpener, pens etc.

Classic board games eg labyrinth, uno, scrabble, monopoly … chess!

Bath toys - that coffee shop set shared here is a huge hit. Maybe a Tomy brand one? And funnels and jugs.

Well used: Tonie box and Tonies, Sylvanians (especially the car), Duplo and Lego, Olli Ella dolls, Dolls Moses basket and baby wearing for dolls, Carrera racing cars, trampoline, outdoor toys like sand and water box, hoopla, marble run (Galt) tidlo kitchen, play food, tea -sets etc, Allen Allberg books, Enid Blyton books, sticker dolly dressing, usbourne Look inside books, easel, big jigs train track.

Thanks all. I know it’s really child dependent - just hit home today quite how much stuff she was like ‘nah I don’t really want that anymore’ - on the one hand I’m glad to be getting rid of at least some clutter; on the other thinking what a waste of money (not necessarily ours, a lot of gifts etc too!).

I guess it can at least all be passed on and other people can get use out of it.

I feel a bit out of ideas for this year, the only things she keeps saying she wants are those bloody squishy dumpling things which I really don’t want to be buying. So it’s helpful to know what others have loved.

The best thing I EVER bought either of my DC was the wooden art easel from IKEA (with the chalkboard and whiteboard). I bought it for DD when she was 2.5, she's now 12.5 and she and/or DS8 have used it almost every day since. It's pretty big but you can get smaller versions that fold away.

They've never bothered with the chalk side really but the whiteboard side is used all the time. It's been used for general drawing, practising letters/spellings and numbers/sums, playing games (hangman, Pictionary), imagination play (schools etc), making lists, recording winners of races (mainly DS and his Hot Wheels!)... the list is endless. We've been through so many pens over the years because they use it so much!

I think I got an electric keyboard at about that age - was still being used as a spare / travel one when I went to university.

Possibly a bit niche, but if she does have a hobby or would like to start one, then pieces of kit might last longer than pure toys.

wooden kitchen

And i have a boy

Place marking

Yoto. We bought one for DS when he was 6 and DS when she was 3 and they have been used every single night since (still going strong over two years later).

Open ended toys that can spark imagination to go alongside existing toys. E.g. building blocks, rainbow, building boards that can be used alongside magnetic tiles, small toy animals etc.

Puzzles which are a bit challenging now but will therefore last a while.

Books including puzzle type books, sticker dolly dressing, etc.

Dolls house with maileg mice, expensive but you could start a collection that you could then add to each year. Or Sylvanian families. Or Tender-leaf dolls.

Play silks and/or dressing up outfits.

Yoyo, binoculars, magnifying glass as stocking fillers.

A “grown up” camera to learn a lovely hobby that can grow as gets older.

Outdoor toys to go alongside climbing frame, eg. Mud kitchen, raised planter to grow fairy herb garden, Wendy house or football goal depending on interests.

Teepee tent.

Washable colour in place mats and other screen-free toys to play with whilst out the house/meals out etc.

Micro scooter/Bike

Special jellycat toy

Some of above probably won’t appeal depending on interests but hopefully some ideas!

Oh also the ball run extension if you have Connetix tiles