Last Year’s Gifts We’re Still Using {Updated!}
Sometimes the gifts that are most used come as surprises, and sometimes they don’t! The gifts below are ones that we have used day in and day out over the course of at least a year. Some have been in constant rotation for YEARS! I shared a similar list two years ago on the blog, and all of those gifts are still in use! I’ve included them below, too.
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This was my boys’ BIG gift last year. They make endless creations out of these babies. SO MANY FORTS. I love how open ended they are. They are boats, castles, drum boxes, chairs, restaurant tables…. The only drawback is the space to store them, but well worth their “weight.” I have an XL rubbermaid storage bin that tucks in our basement storage area, but it basically never is fully put away… only to sleep at night perhaps.
These are officially supposed to be musical instruments… they are tubes that are tuned to play each note of a scale. They have been used musically for sure (and borrowed by our co-op’s music teacher for a performance in fact). But, more likely they’ve been used in imaginative play… they’ve been wands, cannons in the Nutcracker, zoo walls, tunnels, sidewalks for their forts…
Speaking of forts… These are used allll the time for fort creation! They’re about 4.5″ and very versatile! The set from Sarah’s Silks (linked) includes 2 extra jumbo rubber bands.
Kid-friendly microscope and binoculars.
These are our nature tools that are most used, and definitely kid friendly. I love that they are durable, and EASY to use. The microscope is dual-eye, and the binoculars have no focusing needed. My soon-to-be 7 year old has not outgrown these yet!
These are packed over and over again, often for excursions that don’t leave our property. Nature guides tuck nicely into these for a quick getaway!
It’s been amazing to watch my boys’ skills improve over the last year. When we first got this, they struggled to stay on. Now they’re walking across with their eyes closed… backwards! (Holding onto the safety line!) I’m still working on standing 😉 It stretches between two trees in our backyard.
Baseball guys. (We just got Soccer Guys based on how much the baseball guys were loved!)
Both my kids love setting up pretend games with these little figures!
This was my kids’ big gift two years ago… and they were totally deflated when they opened it. Well, it took very little time before they came to adore this open ended piece of curved wood… it’s a wall for their forts (catching a theme?), a wave to ride in their ocean surrounded by stuffed ocean animals and on top of a blue blanket, a tunnel, a bridge…
STILL used, from my post 2 years ago…
For BOOK ideas, see my post here: Books We Read Over and Over!
All links are affiliate links. I only recommend items that we personally USE and LOVE. Happy gifting!
