Need useful/educational ideas for Christmas list

I know there is a thread at the top, but I mostly need ideas of things I can put on our wish list that is around $20-$30 and isn't toys... Last year dh's family only got books for my kids, and we have a ton of those, and I feel guilty asking for more toys, lol. Games are ok though, I'm just not too sure what is appropriate for 3 yo? I need bed rails and bedding but I don't see any of them afford that much.

 

Their is a ducky game that my son liked at around 3yrs old. It matched colors and shapes. Play doh is nice and cheap, it helps with colors and it's good for sensory too. I also like it because after so many uses it gets old and you can throw it out. What about puzzles? Mine loved the big floor puzzles (you can find them with the alphabet or almost any picture), at that age I did most of the putting together but they did enjoy trying and seeing what the picture was when it was done.

 

flash cards are great (color/letter/number ones),with some imagination you can do different games with them. the dollar store has A TON of flash cards!

memory games, match games

it's not really educational, but my girls have "gone fishin" and they love it...

picture bingo

i just got them some (disney princess) dominoes for 5 bucks, not so much to play dominoes yet... more for lining them up to knock them down... helps create steady hands or whatever ardon:

my girls love to play these games, tho only for about 20 minutes, then they're on to something new

 

puzzles are a great idea. I was "reprimanded" by DD1's preschool treacher because she didn't have puzzle experience :blush:

what about art supplies? all three of my girls love art projects

sewing cards

lacing beads

Letter Factory DVD - I think most "educational" DVDs are hardly that, but I really do think my girls learned a lot from this and I've heard the same from other moms

 

Do you have an aquadoodle mat? We have a couple different ones, but my daughter's favorite is the one that has the alphabet border that can be traced over. She loves filling them in and telling me what letter she just made.

 

I'm the crazy aunt who buys the pillow pets lol! Puzzles, aquadoodle or any of the water based coloring sets, legos, hide and seek animal game

 

Okay, first of all there is no such thing as too many books!

Do they have a magnadoodle thingy? Those are great for keeping in the car.

Puzzels, my girls did a lot of puzzels around that age and now they can do puzzels in the 100 to 300 piece range. (It's a skill you develop the more you do it.)

Dress up clothes. Creative play is very educational!

Leggos or megablocks--choose one and let people who will be buying gifts know which one you have so that all the sets are compatible.

 

Thanks for the advice, keep them coming, lol.

 

Classic games like Ant in the Pants, Don't Spill Beans and Don't Break the ice, Perfection are fun. A new CD is always nice. I'm thinking about getting the leap Frog Scribble and Write for my three year old...looks cute and got decent reviews.

 

I agree with books, puzzles, and craft supplies, you can never have too many of any of those!