Buying for children is always a balance between what they want; usually something noisy and plastic! What their friends are allowed; Xboxes, and the gifts you would like to give them!

Then throw in the over generous, well meaning relatives and no wonder we all get stressed about this time of year!

I’ve picked some unusual items I’d be happy to give my boy. Items which encourage imagination and play. Enhance fine motor skills, a love of reading and of course a bit of language learning thrown in.

These would suit early Primary School aged children. Maybe forward it to the grandparents!

1. Colour your own den!

These are brilliant build it yourself cardboard playhouses from Hobbycraft!

Not only do they help children learn how to construct something, but they are basically building their own little den!

Afterwards if they have enough energy left they can draw all over it and and design their own little world.

Ours, the Igloo will be complete with Penguins, which are my children’s current obsession!

There are several different dens available. An Igloo, a rocket, a shop, a fairy playhouse and a castle!

They are also excellent value for under £10!

2. Superhero Uniforms!

What child doesn’t have a superpower? We love these beautiful handmade capes, masks and cuffs by lovely Mum team Crafty Pear.

They choose the most incredible materials for their clothes and these are no exception.

There are a variety of colours on offer, lightening bolts, stars, personalisation and much more. They pride themselves on making stunning clothing just for you, so get in touch with what you’d like for your mini avenger!

They also now offer gift vouchers, so if you just can’t choose for someone this will solve the problem! You can find their Etsy SHOP here.

The date for last orders for Christmas is Friday 30th November so choose quickly!

3. Letters from Fairyland

Are you worried your children are losing the joy of the written word in a digital age? That the excitement of receiving a real letter is lost on them? If so take a look at this lovely idea from The Magic Ink Pot!

Letters from Fairyland is a wonderful personalised letter each with a different story. The letter is sent to your child from a fairy-tale character.

Choose from a daredevil Gingerbread Man, a shamefaced dragon, a troll with big dreams or Father Christmas himself! These are just some of The Magic Ink Pot's entertaining penpals!

You can send a one-off letter or select the subscription service where your little one can receive a letter every month for 3 months!

They also can create an incredible bespoke original children's book, full of imagination and richly descriptive prose.  Unlike other personalised book services, your story from The Magic Ink Pot is written and printed to order and is completely unique to your child.

It’s written based on your child's interests and personality. How special to have an entire story created for your child and your child alone.

View the whole range of The Magic Ink products here.

4. Books for Little Linguists!

If you would love your child to learn a language you must experience the wonderful books by Little Linguists’ Library.

They are story books that allow you and your child to learn a language together.

They create an easy way to start learning a language, teaching it naturally - in context and through repetition in an entertaining story setting.

Unlike dual-language books (where the temptation is often just to look at the English), these colourful and engaging picture books immerse you and your child in the foreign language from page one while helping you both to learn the basics.

They include easy-to-follow pronunciation guides, translations and an audio file of native-speakers reading the stories.

So you need never have spoken the language before - just pick up a book and away you go!

This is the perfect way to make your bedtimes more rewarding - by learning a language together.

Book One will be available in French and Spanish from Amazon on Friday 30 November! More languages are planned for the future. 

5. Dreams and achievements board

Do you have a little artist at home and you can’t keep any more of their stunning masterpieces on the fridge?

Or would your child love to display all their swimming certificates, drawings and favourite memories in one place?

These colourful noticeboards are brilliant for making a feature out of all of their little achievements which for them are pretty big!

Sundeala have a great selection of quality noticeboards. They can be bought framed in wood, or aluminum, or no frame at all.

They also have fun shapes from animals to trains. They are made from recycled materials, easy to pin but also hold your keepsakes firmly.

Available in many different sizes, they’re such a lovely way to create a feature in a bedroom and show how important you think their milestones are. A great confidence builder!

6. Fun fast games!

My little ones love playing games as a family but it’s quite hard to find something that everyone can follow!

We’ve just discovered Dobble, which is the best-selling game in the UK!

It’s a game involving observation and simply you have to look for matching images between cards. However once your family have got the hang of this there are several adaptions to it.

Within the tin there are also 5 mini games you can try as everyone gets better and quicker!

I love that it all fits into a small tin which makes an excellent stocking filler! They also suit a travel loving family as you can easily fit them in your hand luggage.

I can’t wait to start playing this at Christmas! It suits ages 6+ which is perfect for my son but I actually think my youngest will find this easy to understand as well.

Find Dobble on Amazon here.

7. Personalised T-Shirts for Cheeky boys!

Here at Mammaprada we’ve recently launched an Etsy SHOP creating personalised slogan t-shirts for all the family.

These can be customised with colour, word or name, colour of font! I really want you to have something created for YOU! So do check out the selection.

In the SHOP you’ll find examples of cute Italian slogans such as Orso meaning Bear or Lupo meaning Wolf! You can pick one of these or choose another word that means something to your and your little man.

For any customisation requests just email me: mammapradasales@gmail.com

Buon Natale! Happy Christmas!

Have any of these inspired your Christmas shopping?

**I have been gifted some of the items in this post, in order to review them.*