This is what my kids are getting for Christmas this year, and I am so excited about it! Fort Magic is a 354-piece fort building set. Not only can you build forts, it comes with instructions for many different construction projects. I love that it is creative, but also that they are big sturdy pieces to make forts large enough for kids to really play in long term.

This is basically a fire station version of a doll house. I love the detail and the various options for creative play.

My 6-year-old son has been wanted a doll for a while now, I’m so excited to have found this Superhero Will doll. The Superhero Will doll, also comes with a cape and mask for your son or daughter.

There are probably hundreds of kitchens to choose from; many of my friends have made their own. Our kitchen is hands-down one of the 5 most used toys in our house. It always surprises me how early my kids started playing with the kitchen. I think a kitchen is a great gift starting at 18 months.

I have had a variety of pot and pans over the years, but these are by far the most popular. I think it is because they look like real pots and pans. We also really like this cooking utensil set.

There are so many options when buying play food. Personally, I love New Sprouts play food. We have quite a few sets, but if you are looking for something a little different, check out some of our favorites: waffles, soup, and seasoning set.

My kids also love this felt pizza set from Melissa & Doug.

We have been through at least 3 cash registers in the past few years. This is the only one that has held up well.

My boys create elaborate stories with their dinosaurs and blocks.

Oh, I love PLAYMOBIL!  A lot of the sets are recommended for ages 4–10, and they do have lots of little pieces. These sets are so well made and so detailed. They also have SO many options! No matter what your child is interested in, they probably have a set for you. We have one of the PLAYMOBIL Castles and the Animal Care Center.

I love these playsets. There are so many options to choose from you can set up a whole town! Calico Critters are great quality but very pricy. Li’l Woodzeez are the Target version and significantly cheaper. My daughter has sets from both brands and they work really well together.

Duplo’s are a great first building set for preschoolers.

Everyone knows Lego is extremely popular. While the kits can be fun, they are often built and then forgotten. Instead of investing in many building kits, I have bought sets of Lego figures,  Lego wheels,  Lego doors and windows, Lego building plates, and boxes of just bricks.

This is another building set that is great for older preschoolers and early elementary school. We also have a transportation set that includes wheels and instructions to make different kinds of vehicles.

A nice wooden block set is a great classic toy. My kids use their set often for building towers as well as accessories when playing with animals or cars.

Bristle Blocks are great for toddlers and preschoolers. They are super easy to stick together and give your kids the ability to make all kinds of things. My 2-year-old loves building airplanes and cameras.

There are a lot of options when it comes to marble runs, I’ve found Marble Genius Marble Run Super Set to be easy to use and put together for a variety of ages. If you have older kids, Trix Tracks may be a good option. We have several sets and while our kids really do like them, they need an adult to help set them up.

My boys love this garage. They especially love that it includes a car wash. I like that it has a lot of elements of play, without taking up a ton of space. It has also held up so well with tons of play.

If you have a car lover in your house, a car play mat for them to drive their car is a great gift idea.

Neo Tracks are flexible car tracks that snap together to create endless designs. The battery-powered cars drive themselves around whatever design is created.

My 3-year- old plays with this set of tractors daily. I bought a bag of small pom-poms at the Hobby Lobby and he uses them constantly with both his tractors and his construction vehicles.

I recently bought a KidKraft Train Set and Table off of Craig’s List and my boys love it. I like it more than other sets because it isn’t just for trains. It also has cars, boats and whole play scene.

If you don’t have room for a train table, they also sell sets without the table, which are really nice as well.

I bought a set of these when we were on vacation this summer and I think I have just as much fun with it as the kids do! The arrows (which are not real arrows) are sold separately.

The curved shape of this swing gives kids more power and stability while soaring side to side through the air.

I will be honest and say I wasn’t sure if this would be worth the price, but it definitely is. The mat has a timer built into it, so you can try to beat your own time or someone else’s. We have had a lot of fun with this at family gatherings. Everyone from the kids to the grandparents try to beat each other’s times.

This is one of the best purchases I have made for my kids; it gets used constantly! It is great for practicing gymnastics, wrestling or my kids even stand it up on its side to use it as a wall when they are building a fort.

These stones are great for building an indoor obstacle course or for playing “don’t touch the floor.”

I think an indoor swing set is an awesome idea! I know someone who has one and they rave about it. If you don’t want one with multiple attachments you can also get a Doorway Swing. One of these is high on my list for us this year.

This croquet set is perfect to set up in your living room or playroom for fun active play when it is too cold to go outside.

There are many kids’ trampolines to choose from; I like this one because it is large enough for 2 kids to jump at a time.

This board helps to simulate many boarding sports, like skateboarding. My kids love balancing and spinning on it and I am pretty sure it is indestructible.

We have this set, and it is a nice alternative when you don’t have room for a full ping-pong table. It is nice that it fits onto any table.

I really like this game; we use it as an indoor game during the winter. You throw the target ball and then throw your ring and bean bag balls to earn points. It even comes with a score keeper to wear on your wrist.

This set is easy to fold down and put back into the storage bag, which is a huge plus for me!

This DVD is great for younger kids, my kids got it as a gift a few years ago and still enjoy it.

This is on my son’s wishlist this year; he is obsessed with weather and will love studying it and doing experiments.

Snap Circuits has easy to follow instructions that help kids learn how every day electronics function. They’ll also gain valuable lessons in building and in following instructions.

Snap Circuits Jr is also available for younger kids.

My son is also getting this set of pre-made slides.

This one is on my son’s list this year. I am excited to see him out exploring and treasure hunting.

Mixing water with a little food color is a great learning experience for preschoolers; or use them for experiments as your kids grow. My kids LOVE this set!

My kids have this moon on their bedroom wall and are excited every night to turn it on. It even shows the 12 phases of the moon, so if your kids are interested in space, it would also make a great gift.

We have tried several different kinds of kinetic sand and this is hands-down our favorite.

This has been popular with all my toddlers and preschoolers. It really is one of my favorite quiet activities for that age group.

I keep this in my purse for restaurants or other places we need to wait, and it is almost always fought over.

Use challenge cards to build the castles pictured. There are are various levels of challenge from easy to expert. If you have a child who loves puzzles, this would be a great option.

Set up the traffic challenge and battle the gridlock as you slide the blocking vehicles out of your way to find a path for your red car to exit. This game features four levels of difficulty, allowing players to progress at their own pace. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Waterproof cards that have conversation starters and games to play at meals.

If you play card games with kids, I can’t recommend these enough; they really do work so well.

Kids ask yes or no questions in order to guess what the picture is on their headband.

A simple strategy game for ages 6 and up. Even my husband and I enjoy playing this one.

We really enjoy this dart board. The magnets are super strong, and we have never had an issue with them not staying on the board.

Klask is a magnetic game of skill. You control your game piece with a large magnet under the table. The goal is to move the ball down the board, avoid the obstacles and score a goal.

Busytown is a great co-operative game for preschoolers. Players need to work together to make it to their picnic lunch.

Parcheesi is a classic, but it is definitely our favorite game right now. I like it just as much as my 7-year-old does!

Think air hockey without the air. I really enjoy playing this with my kids, and I also love that it easily slides behind the couch!

Paint sticks for painting with no mess and it dries in only 90 seconds. The quick drying time is a big selling point for me!

I love these for toddlers and preschoolers! It is the fun of paint without the mess. You can also get activity books that are designed to go with them.

And don’t forget the clay tools.

Melissa and Doug makes several different kinds of sticker pads. These are great for non-messy play at home or for travel.

My boys love making paper airplanes with these papers.

My son loves to draw but he can go through a mass amount of paper in just a day. He is getting this board for Christmas to hopefully give him an outlet to draw without the mass paper waste. Don’t worry, he will still be able to use paper too.

A slide is always a good idea!

I will be honest, I didn’t think this toy would get played with very often. Turns out I was wrong. It was Titus’s favorite toy for quite a long time. He just loved fitting the coins into the bank.

What baby doesn’t love putting things into a container and pulling them back out? The bugs also have different textures and some rattle or make a crinkling sound.

I loved using a sturdy shopping cart for my kids’ first walking toy. Sturdy is the key word if you are using it to help a new walker. The great thing about using a shopping cart is that it is also a fun toy as your child grows.