Anonymous wrote:I think 3.5 is still a little young for magazines. Also art supplies can also become too much if they already have some.

Stickers are a great small gift that most kids love. Honestly, at that age, my kids loved getting band aid (with fun characters). Just be sure to wrap them in a box that will allow the 3.5 year old to rip open the paper.

As others mentioned, the High Five one is good for that age- pretty sure that's around the time my DS started receiving it. It's basically a bunch of little stories and then a recipe/craft at the end. This thread has made me think he would now like the Nat Geo one though (he's 6), so stashing that in my pocket for when a relative asks me for christmas ideas!

Highlights high five, as others have suggested, is the perfect gift. My 3 yo son lives for this thing to be delivered each month. It’s wonderful.

I think 3.5 is still a little young for magazines. Also art supplies can also become too much if they already have some.

Stickers are a great small gift that most kids love. Honestly, at that age, my kids loved getting band aid (with fun characters). Just be sure to wrap them in a box that will allow the 3.5 year old to rip open the paper.

Kiwi Crafts

My toddlers and little kids loved NatGeo. They were huge animal and nature fanatics.

High Five is the Highlights magazine for up to age 5 or so. National Geographic Little Kids is the younger version of Nat Geo Kids magazine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an indoor play place nearby? You could get a gift card to that. Like Scramble or Jumping Joeys (RIP) or Busy Bees (also RIP).

This!! I love these places. My kids beg to go to them weekly but they are expensive.

This is really a know your crowd thing! Indoor play places are a little bit of parenting hell for me, we rarely go - but some of my friends love them! I only add this to say, know your crowd. if you noticed your sister takes the kids to these types of places then it's a great gift but if not might not be a good one.

Anonymous wrote:Is there an indoor play place nearby? You could get a gift card to that. Like Scramble or Jumping Joeys (RIP) or Busy Bees (also RIP).

This!! I love these places. My kids beg to go to them weekly but they are expensive.

I’d do a subscription to a kids magazine (Highlights and Ranger Rick are still around I think) plus a big bin of craft supplies. That’s what we go through the most and what I tell my in-laws to get for my four year old: stickers, glue sticks, construction paper. They are lol so lots of cute kits you can pick up at a craft store or target, like paint your own birdhouse or making refrigerator magnets or whatever. Melissa and Doug have a ton of cute kits if they want to look on Amazon.

My kids liked their subscription to Ladybug magazine at that age. Sidewalk chalk and bubbles are good outdoor consumables or do a bath themed gift with like a rubber duck for the baby and some cool bath bombs for the 3yo? Or get a bunch of stickers and markers and coloring books for the 3yo and get like baby markers for the baby?

"Consumable" craft activities are wonderful. Chalk, crayons, colouring books, sticker books, playdough/slime (ask about this especially if they're stuck with wall-to-wall carpets), "stickers" for the windows, bubbles, etc. would all be much appreciated.

- parent of a 3yo and 1yo in a small apartment here

Anonymous wrote:What about a magazine subscription?

Ooh I like this. Thanks!

What about a magazine subscription?

Is there an indoor play place nearby? You could get a gift card to that. Like Scramble or Jumping Joeys (RIP) or Busy Bees (also RIP).

Crowdsourcing some gift ideas for my 2 nephews (3.5 yo and 6 mo). They currently live in an apartment so space is an issue, and as my sister put it, they're overwhelmed with toys, books, and clothes because they can't offload the baby stuff yet. They don't live around here, but I was originally thinking an experience type gift like a zoo/museum membership but they already have a membership to the one thing like that that is convenient to them. Trying to figure out something for the 3.5yo in particular- he's pretty bright so wondering if a game like Zingo would be appropriate? Or some "consumable" craft activity?