It’s looking highly likely that Christmas isn’t going to be what it normally is this year. We don’t know for sure what the rules will be, and we’re probably unlikely to really know what’s going on until the week or even a few days before let’s face it, but one thing we do know is that we’re not going to let coronavirus ruin our Christmas entirely. Christmas is a special and magical time of year, especially for children, and it’s our duty to keep the festive spirit alive, which let’s be honest when you’re a kid means presents!!!
So with the current situation in mind, I’ve put together a selection of 8 different gifts for kids that can be ordered online and sent directly to them through the post. From letterbox friendly subscription boxes to one off postal gifts, I’ve got your Christmas shopping sorted. Go check this lovely lot out!
For The Budding Scientist
If you know a kid that’s always asking questions, enjoys mixing stuff together, loves making a mess, and is fascinated by how things work then this is the subscription box for them.
Letterbox Lab is a letterbox friendly science box that encourages children to learn through fun and engaging science experiments. There are two different boxes available:
- The Explore Box – Contains 2 – 3 different experiments and is ideal for kids who get distracted easily and prefer to dip in and out of things. This box is aimed at children aged 6 – 12+ and generally takes about an hour to complete.
- The Investigate Box (see picture below) – Contains 5 -6 different experiments and is an extension of the Explore box, encouraging children to take experiments further and learn more. This box is aimed at children aged 8+ and takes about 3 hours to complete.
What Do You Get?
Out of all the subscription boxes I’ve reviewed over the years, and there have been a lot, this one has absolutely blown me away in terms of what you get for the price you pay. You know how sometimes with activity based boxes despite being supplied with the main components you still need to find certain basic equipment at home for example pens, sellotape, scissors etc. Well this is not the case with Letterbox Lab, they literally equip you with everything you need for the experiments contained within the box.
To give you an example, I was sent the ‘Marvellous Mixtures’ Investigate Box which contained – a pair of safety goggles, a pencil, lots of disposable gloves, plastic bottle, measuring cylinder, pair of safety scissors, badge, instruction booklet and 5 individually wrapped and clearly marked experiment bags containing everything required for that particular experiment. Experiments include – Incredible Inks, Rainbow Glasses, Rainbow Spinners, Liquid Rainbow, Brilliant Breathless Balloon, and Squirmy Worms.
The idea is that with every box you receive you start to build up a basic collection of science equipment, such as petri dish, pipette, goggles, measuring cylinder etc., so that you can then use the same kit for future boxes. This is not only great from an environmental sense, but it also means rather than doubling up on kit, it frees up space in the boxes for even more fun stuff!
What Does It Cost?
The subscription plan varies slightly to the usual 1, 3, 6 and 12 month plans usually offered by boxes such as this, in that there is a lot more flexibility. An Investigate box will cost you £24 including p&p and you have the option of selecting whether you would like a box delivered every month or every 2 months. You can also choose to go for a 3 box pre-pay option, which works out as £22.50 per box, again with the option of monthly or bi-monthly delivery. And finally there is a pre pay option, which doesn’t tie you into a subscription plan, that allows you to choose from a minimum of 2 months up to a maximum of 12 months with the price per box decreasing the more months you go for.
This has got to be one of the best subscription boxes for kids that I have come across. From the quality of the products, the standard of the experiments, value for money, and the fact it is letterbox friendly, I was super impressed and think this would make an absolutely awesome Christmas present for the curious child in your life.
Find out more – https://www.letterboxlab.com
For The Board Game Pro
We love a family board game sesh in our house, and I’m sure like us you’ve probably had plenty of them what with all the extra time we’ve found ourselves with this year. Yet despite having a not too shabby selection of games we’ve got a bit, if you’ll excuse the pun, bored of the board games. On top of that, many of us have given into the digital babysitter a lot more than we usually would, hey us parents have been relying on the screens a whole lot more too let’s face it. And granted there have been times when this has been 100% necessary (remember the horrors of homeschooling anyone!?!?) but it has resulted in some pretty bad screen habits.
The Buzzlebox from Dark Imp is here to change all that, with a fab selection of family friendly games that have been carefully collated and put together into one off gift boxes to help drag us off our devices and get us interacting and having fun together as a family once again.
What Do You Get?
There are currently 2 different BuzzleBoxes available (Gardens & Chickens, Doughnuts & Cakes!), and BuzzleBox 3 (Moons & Astronauts) is coming soon. Contents vary according to which box you get, but to give you an idea we were sent the Doughnuts & Cakes BuzzleBox and got all this lovely lot inside:
- Doughnut Dash – A 2-4 player tactical board game in which the aim is to move your piece around the board collecting doughnuts as you go and stealing them from your opponents. Sound easy? Don’t be fooled as there are some nifty little moves in there to throw you off, such as direction changes, blocks and mirrors. The game pieces are really well made and the doughnuts in particular are super cute.
- Top Cake – A 2-4 player stacking card game. The aim is to create the most impressive stack of cakes without them falling over. Better the more players you have, younger kids in particular will love this one. We also love that it is handbag friendly, so should pubs and restaurants reopen in time for some festive foodie fun, this is perfect as a table game to keep kids entertained while they wait for their food.
- Sleuth Box – A 2 player deduction coaster game… genius!
- Puzzles – 3 cake shop themed puzzles.
- Game Cards – 3 games that can be played with playing cards, dominoes and dice, and yep you’ve guessed it… they’re caked themed!
All of the games are really fun, although some slightly harder to get to grips with straightaway especially when there’s quite a few playing pieces and rules, but after a couple of games we got into the swing of it and the handy ‘how to play’ video tutorial on the Dark Imp website definitely helped. Game playing aside, one of our favourite bits about receiving a BuzzleBox was the opening up of the box itself. It kind of felt like opening a mysterious brightly coloured treasure trove and it brought a smile to all of our faces as we pulled out each game. Lots of fun at a time when we need it!
What Does It Cost?
Rather than being on a subscription basis, BuzzleBoxes cost £49.99 and delivery is free. Certain games can also be bought individually and we think the tinned games in particular would make great stocking fillers.
I love the idea of buying this for the family as a kind of pre-Christmas, Christmas Eve gift, where you can all get into your pyjamas (new of course, everyone needs new Christmas Eve pjs – extra points for matching ones!), get some mulled wine on the go (hot chocs for the kids obvs.) and sit around playing games together. Christmas will be different this year, but let’s try and put a positive spin on it and think about creating some new family traditions rather than mourning the ones we’ve lost.
Find out more – https://www.thedarkimp.com
For The Brave Bookworms
I featured the awesome book subscription box from Books That Matter over in our Christmas gift guide for women and I am over the moon, pee my pants excited, about the fact they’ve got one for girls too!
Brave Girls Book Club is the world’s first book subscription box aimed at empowering and inspiring young female readers through the power of female led fiction and powerful protagonists. Targeted at middle grade readers aged 7-12 years, this is exactly the kind of gift I want my 10 year old daughter to receive this Christmas.
Although times have changed, strong female characters can still be very much under represented in children’s literature, and so how can we be expected to inspire and empower young female readers if we haven’t anyone for them to look up to as a positive role model in the books they read?
What Do You Get?
This is the first box from the Brave Girls Book Club and the theme is all about encouraging a love of reading – something I feel really strongly about. My daughter has always loved reading, however more recently because of school pressures to ‘read for 15 minutes every night’ she’s kind of lost the ability to lose herself in a book – the act of reading becomes a must do rather than a want to. I’m hoping this will help!
The contents of each monthly box will vary based on the theme, but you can expect to always receive a book as well as a selection of small gifts from independent creatives. Our box included:
- Paperback Book – ‘School for Nobodies’ by Susie Bower, which explores the theme of not fitting in.
- Squishy Duck – kids LOVE things that squish don’t they!?!
- 3 Pin Badges
- Bookmark
- Bag of Sweets – what’s not to like!
- Activity Pack – with colouring, author facts, puzzles, and wordsearches etc.
What Does It Cost?
A one month subscription to the Brave Girls Book Club costs £17, however there are some pretty decent savings to be had if you subscribe for longer. 3 months costs a total of £45 (a saving of £6), 6 months costs £90.00 (a saving of £12) and a 12 month subscription costs £180 (saving you £24). Shipping costs £3 per box so just be aware this will get added on at the checkout.
I think this is really good value for money and the ethos alone is worth every single penny in my opinion. A truly wonderful Christmas gift that sparks a passion that will last a lifetime.
Find out more – https://www.booksthatmatter.co.uk/brave-girls-book-club/
For The Little Baker
We actually reviewed this box back in the summer as part of our recipe box round up for kids, and we loved it so much we just knew we needed to include it in our Christmas gift guide too!
Nutritional Ninjas subscription boxes are all about getting primary age children involved with cooking, with the added bonus of educating them about different ingredients, encouraging them to try different foods, and of course having fun making lots of yummy things. Cooking is a life skill that all kids should be taught, and this box makes it easy to do this… even if as an adult cooking isn’t your strong point. The instructions are simple and easy to understand and the ingredients are measured out and clearly marked. This isn’t about using cooking as a means to teach maths, this is about learning the basics of cooking in a fun and engaging way in order to help children develop a healthy relationship with food.
What Do You Get?
Each month’s box contains a different recipe along with the ingredients for children to make something tasty and nutritional. An example of what you can expect to find in a box includes: 2 recipe cards – 1 sweet (Crumbly Chocolate Biscuits) and 1 savoury (Calzone), pre-measured dry ingredients for one of the recipes (in this case we got sugar, cocoa powder, flour and icing for the biscuits, a well done sticker, 2 question and answer cards, and a ‘lets get started’ card to keep track of what they’ve made and what it tasted like etc.
What Does It Cost?
A one off box costs £12.99, but you can save money if you sign up to one of their subscription plans. 6 months takes it down to £9.99 per box and 12 months reduces it further to £7.99 per box. There is also the option to buy a Nutritional Ninjas apron for £10 and p&p is included.
We think combining a subscription to Nutritional Ninjas along with an apron would make a wonderful Christmas gift for the budding baker, creative cook, or even the kitchen novice.
Find out more – https://www.nutritionalninjas.co.uk
For The Aspiring Architect
None of us are traveling much these days, but you don’t need to let that stop you from teaching your kids about the world. Little World Builder subscription boxes are aimed at children aged 6 to 11 who are curious about the world, and in particular the famous, historical buildings associated with different countries. Through discovery and play, the boxes teach children key facts about these iconic structures and take them on a journey across the world. It as much a collection project with children taking joy in collecting postcards and stickers from their trips, as it is a fun creative challenge, seeing them take on the role of master builder to reconstruct the buildings in 3D puzzle form.
What Do You Get?
The first box your child will receive is an introduction to world building to help them get started on their round the world trip. Depending on which option you go for you will receive either a Builder Kit or a Builder Pouch. To give you an idea of what you might get, the contents of the Builder Kit includes: a yellow tool box, a wall sized world map, a scrapbook cover, welcome postcard and an activity card and sticker.
There are then 6 Little World Builder kits (Big Ben, Taj Mahal, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Hall of Supreme Harmony, Empire State Building, and Sydney Opera House) each of which contains activities themed around the building in question. We were sent the Classic box which included: a 3D foam puzzle of the building, fact cards, an activity card, admission tickets, a scrapbook page, stickers, postcard, personalised award certificate and a craft (we got shrink art). However, you can also choose to buy the slightly smaller Mini kit, which comes with an activity learning pack and a 3D puzzle.
What Does It Cost?
As we mentioned, there are two different options in terms of which kit to go for – the classic and the mini. The mini is, as the name would suggest, a smaller pack and would probably be best for a younger child or to possibly test the waters to see if they like it.
The first Mini Adventure and Builder Pouch cost a combined £24, and then you can set up a monthly subscription for £12 a box, 3 months for £11.50 a box, or 6 months for £11 a box, plus shipping. The Classic Adventure and Builder Kit costs £36 when you buy them together and after that a monthly box will cost you £18, or you can opt for the subscription plans to bring the cost down to £17 a box for 3 months, or £16.60 a box for 6 months.
You can also purchase add on items such as a scrapbook (£5) or toolbox (£6) and there is the option to personalise the kit with your child’s name.
We loved building the Sydney Opera House puzzle, especially as the instructions were really clear and easy to understand, and the end result looked awesome – it’s now got pride of place on our shelf. Little World Builder kits offer the chance for parents to drag their kids away from screens for a bit, to enable them to step outside of their own little world, and enter the big wide world outside. A little bit of escapism when we need it the most.
Find out more – https://littleworldbuilder.com
For The New Mum
OK so we’ve gone slightly off piste with this one, but we think the new mums deserve a shout out too, so here’s something for them.
1thousanddays is an interior design company, which specialises in the principles of Montesorri – the idea that children thrive best in an environment where they learn through play and where independence and self sufficiency is positively encouraged. The company is so called because the first one thousand days of a child’s life is considered the most important time in terms of holistic development. And whilst their main area of business is room design, they have also brought out a range of learning tools to help get you started. So in a way this isn’t just a gift for mums, but really it’s for babies too.
What Do You Get?
The My Baby’s Calendar Bundle offers 3 different ways to chart the physical development of your baby from 0-8 months. It includes an A4 calendar that you can pop up on the fridge or above the changing table (basically somewhere you can see it easily), a 24 page desk pad with daily activities for you to do with your baby, milestone checks as well as some interior design inspo to ensure the nursery is set up in an optimal way, and a set of 24 flash cards featuring the same. The idea is that the brightly coloured cards can be reused and referred to more than once and they also have an observations section on the back for you to make notes, whereas the desk pad is a tear off and do – a bit like a tick list.
Examples of the kind of advice given include:
- Rock and Roll – make sure baby has space to kick arms and legs without being hurt.
- Pull and Squeeze – Provide objects that can be squeezed and pulled without breaking to promote fine motor skills.
- Self-Feeding – Let your baby feed him/herself independently. Don’t be afraid to make a mess.
What Does It Cost?
The My Baby’s Calendar Bundle costs £2o, or you can buy the cards and desk pad separately for £9.99 each. 1thousanddays also offer a Montessori Personalised Themed Shelf for £30 and a Nursery Design Business Consultation for £500.
We think this would make a great gift for any new mum who loves being organised and wants to be involved with every step of their babies development.
Find out more – https://www.1thousandays.com
For The Naturally Curious
If ever there was a time to get outside and enjoy the natural world this is it, but considering the amount of time you’ve probably already spent outdoors with your kids I’m guessing you might be struggling for ideas to keep them entertained and engaged. This is where My Awe and Wonder box steps in, with its mix of science and nature inspired craft, experiments and challenges to help educate and inspire children in a fun and messy way – well, kids love a bit of mess don’t they!
Aimed at primary aged children every box has a different theme, which is linked to the National Curriculum (ummm hello home schooling without even trying!), but is done in such a way that your child won’t twig they’re learning something in the process. As a parent I know that the mere mention of something being educational causes them to instantly switch off, but give them an activity that’s fun and engaging and you’re laughing. At the moment I’m loving anything that gets them off of their screens, and these are great because they can be done outside, meaning you all get a healthy dose of fresh air too, and we all know how good that makes us feel.
What Do You Get?
Each box contains 4 activities (STEM challenge, craft challenge, science experiment and a nature activity) along with all of the kit needed to complete them. The box that we received included:
- 3 laminated instruction sheets (an absolutely genius idea!)
- Grow your own basil plant – pack of basil seeds, 2 compost pellets.
- Take your rainbow for a walk – balloon, kitchen roll, 3 bottles of food colouring, pencil, straw.
- Make your own hanging wind sock – 40ml PVA glue, 6 pieces of ribbon, piece of material, string.
It’s a really lovely selection of activities, with easy to understand instructions and so would be easy enough for an older child to do by themselves if they wanted to. My ten year old daughter loved making the windsock by herself, but wanted to do the rainbow experiment together so that she could share it with me.
What Does It Cost?
There are two different sized boxes for you to choose from: a single child box and a family box for if you all want to get in on the action. The cost of a single child box is £12 for 1 month, £35 for 3 months, or £70 for 6 months and the family box costs £14 for 1 month, £39 for 3 months, or £78 for 6 months. Parcels are letterbox friendly and delivery is free in the UK
My Awe and Wonder Boxes are a perfect way for the family to have fun together. It’s about getting outdoors, getting messy, experimenting, having fun, making, exploring, learning about the natural world around us.
Find out more – https://www.myaweandwonderbox.co.uk
For The Bae Babes
Originally set up as a kind of lucky dip reward system for kids to encourage good behaviour and as a little incentive for getting homework and chores done (liking the sound of that parents?), Baebox is a monthly children’s luxury subscription box filled with lots and lots of awesome goodies.
My daughter’s class at school has a box called the drab looking box and it’s essentially the same thing – do something good and you get to choose something from the box – but Baebox is about as far removed from a drab looking box as you could possibly get and the prizes inside are way better than a bouncy ball or a pencil topper!
Whether or not you choose to use the box in this way, they also make gorgeous gifts in their own right and are absolutely perfect for Christmas – perhaps even more so this year to help cheer up and surprise the kids with something to take their minds off of the worries in the world right now.
Baebox is aimed at both girls and boys aged from 5 right up to teens and they also offer boxes aimed at students and newborn babies. We love how well put together these boxes are and the quality of the goods inside them and we’re pretty sure your kids will too.
What Do You Get?
Each monthly Baebox is themed and tailored to the recipient i.e. girl/boy/age etc., however the contents themselves remain a surprise right up until the box is opened. There will always be 5 treats or gifts and at least one of those will be a full sized product, but to give you more of an idea of the type of things you can expect to get in there here’s what we received in the October Baebox Girl 11+ box:
- Skulls and roses mini gift bag
- Pair of Van Gogh ‘Starry Nights’ socks
- Haribo sweets
- Lisa Parker ‘ Tree of life’ boxed mug
- Handmade dream catcher
- Halloween themed lipstick
Each box is beautifully wrapped with brightly coloured tissue paper and little decorative extras – ours had glow in the dark ghosts and shiny gold cats – the attention to detail is second to none.
What Does It Cost?
First things first you’ll need to choose what box to go for based on who you’re buying for. The website makes this process really easy and will direct you to boys or girls where you’ll then have the option of a Smartie box (age 5-10) or Baebox (11+). Pricewise, as with most subscription plans you’ll save more money the more months you sign up to. A one off box costs £18.99, 3 months reduces it to £17.99 a box, 6 months 16.99 a box, and a 12 month subscription takes it down to £14.99 a box. These prices also include delivery by courier in the UK.
Use this box as a means to help get them to shift their backsides over the Christmas period or simple buy it as a gift to delight each month, either way it works for us!
Find out more – https://baebox.co
So there we go, lots of lovely Christmas gift inspiration for you all, at a time when perhaps you’re not feeling all that inspired yet. Christmas is what you make it, and it certainly doesn’t need to be all doom and gloom – heaven knows we’ve had enough of that this year! Receiving a surprise gift through the post is the best feeling, because not only is there the gift itself, but it’s knowing that someone out there is thinking of you even if they can’t actually be there with you.
*all products gifted for review
We’d love to hear what’s on your kids’ Christmas list this year, so get in touch!
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