2019 Gift Guide - Puzzles, Games & Books for Kids

Here is the next installment of our ultimate 2019 holiday gift guide. Today we're talking puzzles, games and books for your littlest friends (let's say the four and under crowd). There are just so many great gifts and I couldn't commit to only 10 picks for toddlers, so this is really an extension of that previous guide. Also I love that all of these games, puzzles and books encourage brain-strengthening interaction with your littles. We've recently added several games into our family time repertoire and it's really amazing to see how much they teach her. One of my personal faves is the Squirrel game. The first time we played it she did not want to take turns and was so upset when she lost her game pieces, but now after playing several times she's becoming more patient and doesn't have a meltdown when she loses her turn. Everything in this guide we either own personally, have played with first hand or plan to purchase. 

1. Princess Matching Game - When we went to Lake Arrowhead, the rental house has this game and my daughter loved it. The actual game as designed is meant for older kids, so we played a modified version with only a few pairs and as she gets older we'll add more matching pairs in.

2. Animals at Home Matching Game - Another great matching game illustrated by Claudia Boldt (we have several of her books) where you match animals to their habitats. I love that these games can be used in many ways so we've had this since my daughter was less than a year old and now over a year and a half later we're actually starting to use it as a game versus pretty pictures and talking about the animals.

3. Pack Me! Puzzles - I actually bought this super cute puzzle for Mia, our #MiLOWEbaby (shh... don't tell her). I love that it's actually four different simple puzzles (aka perfect for younger babies) all in a larger carrying case. I thought it would be fun at home and be great to take to restaurants or on the road when you want to keep your little one entertained.

4. Frankie's Food Truck Fiasco Game - We are huge fans of this brand and all of their educational board games. Each game has a central focus - this one being shape matching. We started playing these games with our daughter when she was little over two years old.

5. Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth - Oliver Jeffers is my favorite illustrator and I will buy anything he makes (ps - have you seen his amazing Tattly temporary tattoos? I'm getting plenty of those for my daughter's Christmas stocking). Not only is the book stunning to look at, but the story, which he wrote after the birth of his son, is all about how our kids fit into the world. It's a great read for kids and parents alike.

6. Love Nursery Rhymes - These musical books are perfect for entertaining your little ones in the car and at home. The Cali Books brand has several different versions depending on what type of songs you want to listen to (over and over and over again). Also I can tell you that we've only had to replace the battery once and we've had the books for over a year.

7. A to Z Menagerie - We recently purchased this book on vacation and it's become a daily read in our household. It's interactive and I love that the pictures for each letter are unusual items like croissants and blowfish and not the standards you see in most A-to-Z books.

8. The Sneaky Squirrel Game - As I mentioned above, these educational games are our favorite and this is the first one we ever purchased. This game focuses on color matching plus all the little nut pieces and the squirrel squeezer are adorable.

9. Story Box: Animal Adventures - Also illustrated by Claudia Boldt, this game contains 20 puzzle pieces (totaling eight feet long!) that can be put in any order and then you can make up stories based on what you see. We bought the ghost story version on a whim while traveling and our daughter loved it.

10. Portraito Magnetic Face Puzzle - Two different faces with 38 magnetic wood pieces to create funny faces. This one is definitely going on our shopping list!

11. Jelly Cat My First Puzzles - This set features 4 puzzles, one with 2 pieces, the next with 4, then 6, etc. It's a great gift that keeps growing as your kids do.

Did you miss any of our gift guides? Click here for best eco-friendly gifts and here for best toddler gifts.

Happy shopping!

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