Old-School Gifts for Kids
(…and maybe some nostalgic grown-ups!)
Buying gifts for other people should be such a fun activity, but if you don’t know what to buy, it can turn into a giant source of stress. That’s why I’m pulling together a collection of gift guides for everyone on your list. Click here to see them all. We are adding more every day (including gift guides for food lovers, elementary-aged boys, teen and tween boys, wine and alcohol lovers, coffee lovers, Star Wars and Marvel lovers, old school gifts for kids, stocking stuffers, white elephant gifts and lots more!), so fill in the form below to be notified when they go live!
I would like it to be known right off the bat: I have nothing against video games. My kids play them (mostly Madden and NBA 2K20) and love them. However, there obviously needs to be a balance, and there’s nothing like watching your kids sit down and play a board game together, or go crazy at the coolness of a ViewMaster. So I’ve put together a list of some fun, retro gift ideas that will get kids off the Playstation and having some good, old-fashioned fun.
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1. Roller Skates – When I was in elementary school, every year (and I still can’t fathom how this was allowed, considering that we would get yelled at for walking on the gym floor in anything other than sneakers), we would have a roller-skating unit in gym class, and it was the. best. They’d put music on, and we’d just skate around in circles the whole class and it was amazing. I know roller rinks (and certainly roller skating in gym class) aren’t a thing the way they used to be, but maybe, just maybe, if kids saw these ridiculously adorable pineapple roller skates, that would change. Purchase the Adjustable Girls Roller Skates here.
2. View Master Classic 3D Viewer – A few years ago, we found a View Master and a huge stash of old View Master reels in a box of stuff from my in-laws’. My kids’ minds were BLOWN. We spent hours going through all of them, and they just kept talking about how cool it was that it looked like you were actually looking into the scene. The fact that these are still being made and sold makes me happier than I can say. Purchase the View Master Classic 3D Adventures Discovery Boxed Set here.
3. Cardboard Shop Playhouse – This fun cardboard playhouse has everything a kid could want: a place to hide out, a place to play pretend, and walls they can color on! Add a big set of washable markers, and your kids will be occupied for hours on end. Purchase the Cardboard Shop Playhouse here.
4. Board Games – If you don’t already have a regular (or even occasional) family game night in the plans, you need to get working on that, stat. We absolutely love playing games in our house. So much so that our kids (yes, even my high schooler!) actually ask to have game nights. Just taking an hour or two out of your week and spending some time with the whole family, laughing and having fun, can make a huge difference. Check out my guide to our favorite board games here.
5. Freestanding Wooden Fresh Mart Grocery Store – My kids used to love playing store. They would collect a whole bunch of random stuff from around the house, set it up somewhere and then have us come in and buy things. This store is pretty much that, but to a whole new level. I mean, there’s a scanner that beeps! And a conveyor belt! And a credit card machine! My 7-year-old self would have lost her mind over this store. Purchase the Freestanding Wooden Fresh Mart Grocery Store here.
6. Shopping Basket and Food Set – This is the cutest little food set ever. I love the little fish! You could package this together with the Fresh Mart Grocery Store above (because what’s a grocery store without any products??) or get it on its own for imaginative play. Purchase the Shopping Basket and Food Set here.
7. Spirograph – This is another super nostalgic item for me. My sisters and I used to absolutely love Spirograph. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a set of little plastic disks with holes in them. You place a pen in one of the holes and move it around one of the tracks. As you do, it creates incredible designs, which you can then go back and color if you want. With the sheer number of disks and tracks to choose from, the design possibilities are almost endless. Purchase Spirograph here.
8. Wood Case Art Set – If you have a kid who loves to draw, you can’t find a better gift than a big, fancy art set. I love this one because it has a ton of stuff in it — including colored pencils, crayons, pastels and watercolors — but it’s all contained in a neat, compact wood case. Purchase the Wood Case Art Set here.
9. Sewing Machine – My mom is a seamstress, and I started learning how to sew when I was probably 8 or 9. I will never forget how proud I was the first time I made something for myself. Your child will be so proud the first time he or she makes something to use or wear or give as a gift. This sewing machine is a great one for beginners, as it’s compact and easy to use, but it has enough functions to still be practical as your child’s sewing skills progress. Purchase the Brother XM2701 Sewing Machine here.
10. Telescope – I don’t think there’s a kid out there who isn’t fascinated by the stars and the night sky. I chaperoned Connor’s 4th grade field trip to Harrisburg a couple of years ago, and pretty much every single kid said that their favorite part of the State Museum was the planetarium show. This telescope set packs up into a compact, convenient backpack so you can take it with you wherever you want to check out the stars. Purchase the Portable Refracting Telescope here.
11. Slinky – Who remembers the Slinky commercials from back in the day? “It’s Slinky, it’s slinky, it’s fun, it’s a wonderful toy…” The nostalgia is strong with this one, my friends. Purchase a Slinky here.
12. Lite-Brite – And speaking of nostalgia… I’m pretty sure the Lite-Brite was my #1 favorite toy when I was a kid. If you don’t remember the Lite-Brite, it has an internally lit screen with a bunch of tiny holes in which you place small clear plastic colored pegs to create a design. I remember when my parents would let me keep it on when I went to bed like a night light. It was pretty much the coolest thing ever. Purchase a Lite-Brite here.
13. Fashion Plates – Oh, Fashion Plates. How I coveted you when I was little. This set includes a 15 different mix-and-match plates, with which kids can create a whole bunch of different outfits. Then they can create patterns and color them. So perfect for your budding fashion designer! Purchase Fashion Plates here.
14. Deluxe Potholder Loom Kit – My sisters and I were so into these loom kits that I’m pretty sure my sweet mom had about 100 potholders. But thanks to the beauty of YouTube, nowadays you can find tutorials for making a whole bunch of different things with this loom, including scarves, blankets, purses and more. Purchase the Deluxe Potholder Loom Kit here.
15. Kickball Set – At one point this summer, we had probably 15 kids playing a giant kickball game in our backyard during a barbecue. And as all of our friends were leaving, I heard several of the kids asking their parents if they could get bases and kickballs for their yard too. Purchase a Kickball Set here.
16. Rubik’s Cube – A couple of years ago, Rubik’s Cubes went crazy in my sons’ elementary school. The kids were all working on solving them for hours after school, and setting up competitions on who could solve them the quickest. It made me so happy to see how excited they were to play with a toy like this rather than video games. Purchase a Rubik’s Cube here.
17. Twister – I don’t care who you are, or how old you are, Twister is just plain fun. In addition to the board games I mentioned earlier, Twister would make such a fun family game night. Plus, I love the retro style of this particular version. Purchase Twister here.
18. Lincoln Logs – After my mother-in-law passed away a few years ago, we got a huge box of Dave’s old toys, including a big set of Lincoln Logs. The boys went completely bananas over them, making house after house after house. I don’t know what it is about those little corners that the logs make, but they just make me so happy. Purchase Lincoln Logs here.
19. Simon – I am so ashamed to say how much better my kids are than me at this game. I am hopeless. But I am thrilled with how much they love to play it, so I guess there’s that. Purchase Simon here.
20. Battleship – This game has been around forever, and it has evolved into something almost unrecognizable. The new versions have planes, sounds, lights and all kids of other bells and whistles. This version is the old school, bare bones, awesome version of my youth. Purchase Battleship here.