Disclaimer: This post is brought to you in conjunction with Wicked Uncle. For a full disclaimer please see the end of this post.
There’s a flurry of family birthdays coming up here in the next few months. My daughter turns ten next month, but July also sees my nephew celebrating his first birthday. Add in the fact that my son is also keen to remind me that he’s likely to turn 8 before he actually goes back to school full time. I’m therefore on the look out for gifts for the three of them, and the Wicked Uncle website has become my favourite way to find the perfect gift.
The thing is that in this post-lockdown world that we’re emerging into, I think gifts need to vary a bit from the standard things that I used to buy for this sort of occasion. All that time spent at home in lockdown has really shown which toys and games in the house keep being brought out again and again, and which one still sit there on the shelf gathering dust.
It’s probably no surprise for regular readers to learn that classic games have been big hits here. Ones that have really stood the test of time. My kids introduced me to Mancala after seeing it at a Roman museum they visited and it’s a perfect example of a game that can be played by people of all ages. It’s also beautiful to look at and incredibly tactile too. A lovely combination.
Educational board games, logic puzzles and science kits are also firm favourites, as they manage to combine fun with home schooling. Always a good combination as parents have tried to balance their normal role at home with that of teacher to their kids. My son has been loving anything that he can build, either on his own, or as a joint activity with a grown up, and they’ve done wonders for his STEM knowledge and manual dexterity too.
With the weather having turned beautiful toys and games that can be used outside have also been incredibly popular. Many of these are nature based, adding on to children’s education that way, whilst others easily count towards PE for those kids that aren’t so keen on Joe Wicks.
For the youngest child in the household, toys that fascinate her for ages have been the winners for us parents. Yes she loves her cuddly toys too, but she’s had far more stimulation from things that her little hands can manipulate, whilst her brain tries to work out what is going on with them.
The wonderful thing about the Wicked Uncle website is that you can search based on how old someone is, and the type of gift that you’re wanting to buy. So much easier and better for gift buying inspiration than having to put in an exact search phrase. As well as classics there are some curve ball ideas in there that are often just perfect for when you want something that little bit different.
And if current regulations, or shielding advice mean you can’t deliver a gift to someone in person, Wicked Uncle can deliver directly to them. You even have the choice of twelve different styles of wrapping paper that they can use for you.
Disclaimer: This post was brought to you in conjunction with Wicked Uncle. Despite working with Wicked Uncle on this post I have also been a paying customer of theirs several times in the past, and my kids have also received some excellent gifts that other family members have bought via the Wicked Uncle site. For toy and game reviews on Penny Plays please click here.
All images from Unsplash.
Leave a Reply