We venture to guess you’ve noticed a lot of empty shelves lately. Many people discovered it as a result of their normal grocery shopping. But with the holidays upon us, it’s become even more concerning. If they’re out of chips at the store, you simply find something else to snack on. However, when it comes to the youngest members of the family, it may be especially challenging. These are the gift recipients that are usually the most fun to shop for, but with bare shelves… ugh. To help you get in front of the last minute crowd, we’ve put together a handful of ideas targeted at this age group. If you see something that strikes their interest, click through and secure it! If you’re looking for more ideas, be sure to check out the prior gift guide: family games!

Of course, be sure to come back regularly over the next couple of weeks as we continue to introduce more gift ideas as well as plenty of giveaways. Several of the items included in this guide will be showing up as part of our mega giveaway in the coming weeks and days! There’s no time to waste… start scrolling!

Beware of the Bear

Goliath

Be very quiet…Papa Bear is sleeping, but his mischievous cubs want his basket of goodies! Carefully open the door and poke his belly to make sure he’s asleep and sneak a goodie. But if you press your luck…Papa is going to wake up and jump out of the cave! If you can catch him with your ‘bear’ hands, your goodies are safe. The player with the most goodies wins the game! Do you dare poke the bear? For 2-4 players, ages 4 and up.

The Mermaids Jewels

Winning Moves Games USA

Mermaids have been swimming through the magical sea, collecting colorful jewels along the way. They have an overflowing treasure chest of “pearls” and want you to join in on the fun! Roll the die and collect pearls from the special pearl sorting treasure chest. Can you string together enough of these treasures from the sea to make your very own necklace? Contains: 1 Plastic Treasure Chest, 4 Necklace Strings with Safety Clasps, 1 Custom Die, 200 Plastic Colored Beads, and Illustrated Instructions. Ages: 5+; Players: 2 to 4; SRP: $16.95

Animal Upon Animal Junior

HABA USA

Things are getting wildly wobbly as the animals create a big stacking tower. Who will climb on whom? The die decides. But whether the animal stack stays standing or not is up to the players. They stack Animal upon Animal in three new games for young stackers. In the third game, they work cooperatively to race against the crab, training their dexterity skills with play. May the best stacker win!

Havdalah Sky

PJ Publishing

The perfect Hanukkah gift for young children! This sweet picture book by Chris Barash, published by PJ Publishing and PJ Library, depicts the sensory experience of Havdalah, the ceremony that ends Shabbat each week. Havdalah Sky opens with a family as they find three stars in the night sky and follows the family’s Saturday night celebration through blessing wine, smelling spices, and playing music. Young readers will delight in associating various aspects of the night with their five senses. The lush, cozy illustrations by Sarita Rich emphasize the source of light on each page and contribute to the book’s snuggly atmosphere. 

The Strawberry Band (Album)

Story Pirates

Inspired by kids’ stories, the Story Pirates’ fourth full-length album is a hilarious homage to concept albums. Every song on the was inspired by a kid’s idea and composed by the talented musicians on the Story Pirates team.

Guest vocalists include top Broadway talent like Lilli Cooper, (Tony nominee for “Tootsie”), Eddie Cooper (“Little Shop of Horrors”), Alysha Deslorieux (“Hamilton”), and Stephanie Hsu (“Be More Chill,” “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”).

Sesame Street Garbage Truck Craft Kit

MasterPieces Inc.

Sesame Street Garbage Truck Wood Craft & Paint Kit is made of real wood, and includes everything you need to create a beautiful work of art! It features moving wheels and an Oscar stand up play piece. The Garbage Truck Wood Craft & Paint Kit is the perfect gift for every Sesame Street and art loving kid! It includes 1 wood garbage truck, 1 Oscar stand-up play piece, 1 sticker sheet, 1 non-toxic metallic finish, 5 non-toxic acrylic paint tubs, 1 flat-tipped artist-quality paintbrush, and 1 instruction sheet with painting guide.

Ubongo Junior

Kosmos

Ubongo is a fast-paced, addictive, and easy-to-learn geometric puzzle game. Players race against the timer and against each other to solve a puzzle of interlocking shapes. The faster you solve the puzzle, the more gems you get. The player with the most valuable gem treasure after nine rounds of solving puzzles wins!

Magic Mountain

AMIGO Games

In this cooperative game, kids and parents work together to save the village from the villains. Players pull a hidden ball out of the bag, then work together to figure out the best route to roll it down the mountain. Every piece it hits moves ahead to the next open space of that color on the track, getting closer and closer to the village. Can you find the right path to get the villagers there before the villains?

Chompin’ Charlie

Goliath

Winter is coming, and it’s time for all the squirrels to collect their nuts. Roll the dice, then feed Charlie the matching colored acorn. Watch his eyelids – when they reach the top, he’s ready to pop! Grab the acorns that scatter from Charlie’s tree as fast as you can, and be the first to fill your secret stash to win! For 2-4 players, ages 4 and up.

Dr Livingston’s Human Body Puzzle

Genius Games

Dr. Livingston JR – 100 Piece Human Body Floor Puzzle that is 4ft Tall Includes an Anatomy Reference Guide

Tiger Stripes

Flying Meeple

In Tiger Stripes: The Card Game you are tiger cubs trying to earn your stripes. Capture matching sets of Prey Cards to earn your stripes. The first player to gain seven stripes is the winner.
• Easy-to-learn, quick to play
• Designed by a kid, for kids!
• Components are language-free, so younger players can play with instruction.

If you don’t have young kids to shop for or have already crossed everything off for those people on your list, then don’t fret. We have more guides just around the corner that include games for older kids, party games, pop culture, STEM, home and electronics and more! Stay tuned!