As a mamma of a little girl I have to really resist the swathes of pink and dolls every time I visit a toy shop.

I’m not against her playing with ‘Girls toys’ but sometimes the pink aisle is very overwhelming!

Luckily my daughter wants to be a fire woman and her favourite toy is her Kids Scooter so I think she knows her own mind anyway!

I’d love to gift my daughter things which are beautiful but this shouldn’t be their only focus. Maybe they are wonderfully made, help her relax, learn and create a desire to try something new.

So what do you choose if you’d like to feed their imaginations and independence? I’ve gathered together a selection of items I love and I hope you get inspired by them too.

1. Gingerbread!

If you have a creative little girl at home she will adore this.

A felt decorate your own Gingerbread House!

The kit contains a big house and a bag of decorations, all with easy to apply Velcro so they can be re-positioned as often as needed!

Once they’ve created a masterpiece it can be hung up on the wall or a door during the festive season.

Children will love feeling like they took part in putting up the Christmas decorations.

Keeping them busy at a great price, this is from Hobbycraft and costs just £6!

2. Waterproof aprons and chalk mats

I love these wipe clean aprons with little pockets. Normally ours get so covered in flour and egg they always need a proper wash.

The little reversible chalk board is an amazing idea. It rolls up to fit in your bag and has a sweet pouch to put their chalks into.

Crafty Pear always come up with such lovely ideas for children in high quality fabrics.

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.

TODAY is the last date to get your orders in for Christmas 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. Naughty Girls!

This is such a sweet story about Jenny the naughtiest girl in the world, well at least in Yorkshire!

She has a little sidekick, Philip and of course Jenny learns a bit of a lesson.

This is the first book in a new series and a modern fable about appreciating what we have and helping those who are less fortunate.

Jenny, a little girl from Yorkshire has aspirations to be the naughtiest girl in the world and doesn’t appreciate her long suffering aunt and uncle with whom she lives.

Her best friend is a talking cat named Philip and he takes Jenny on trips into her imagination.  

I love that the author Dawn-Marie France said this about Jenny:

“I wanted to create the main character as a strong little girl, with faults like everyone, but with ability to listen and learn."

Perfect for feisty girls, with kind hearts who like an adventure! You can find it here on Amazon.

6. Story cubes

The simplicity of this game is amazing!

Nine cubes, you each take turns to roll them and whichever 9 pictures are showing you must make up a story using them and your imagination!

This is a real family game that crosses every age group. I know my 3 year old will come up with some brilliant stories using it.

Another game that’s a perfect size for a stocking!

Grab one here and have an easy after dinner game.

7. Personalised T-Shirts for Little Bambine!

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 Fragolina meaning Little Strawberry or Coccinella meaning Ladybird! You can pick one of these or choose another word that means something to your and your little girl.

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

8. Our Little Globe

These are Worldwide Adventure kits for little explorers!

Your little one will receive a monthly box, focusing on a new country. There is so much in this package it’s staggering.

It will keep children entertained for hours!

The first package includes their own mini suitcase.

• A Passport and stickers to document their adventures across the world

• A world map to plan their adventures

• Themed craft activity to provide a lasting reminder of their country visit

• Family recipes including spices to inspire classic country home-cooked meal

• A personalised letter to your mini-adventurer from a pal in the country they explore!

This is such a sweet idea!

Then the following months have themed craft activities about that months country visit. Family recipes including spices to inspire classic country home-cooked meal. A personalised letter from a penpal abroad. Stickers to personalise their suitcase and passport. A unique illustration to slot into their suitcase, that allows them to visually explore the country.

They are also offering a special Christmas Box, to show how Christmas is celebrated around the World.

Your child can learn about spending Christmas in Japan, Spain, New Zealand, America or Germany.

They would love to hear from you with your requests!

9. Writing desk and chair

This is a very sweet dressing table and chair. However I think it would make a lovely desk for your little girl to use for her drawing.

We bought one for my daughter some time ago and she loves it. It’s her little space and she spends so much time there, using her stickers and doing craft activities.

Crafted from wood, it is set with a heart-shaped mirror and makes a pretty focal point for any child’s bedroom or play area.

It does require self-assembly so get Grandpa on the case on Christmas Day!

This is available from charity Sue Ryder who donate 100% of their profits to help provide palliative, neurological and bereavement support.

So you know your purchase is assisting a great cause this Christmas.

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.*