Yahoo Finance 25 fun and educational gifts for kindergarten graduation
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Graduating from kindergarten is a major milestone! It's when kids go from our little preschoolers to full-fledged elementary school students, complete with desks and tests.
For many kindergarteners, kindergarten graduation is a bittersweet moment in time where one chapter closes and another one begins. It can be exciting and scary and they can feel proud and emotional all at once. One way to help them (and yourself) through is honoring how momentous this day feels with a sweet and sentimental gift.
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As many kindergarten graduations are coming up on our calendars, you may be wondering what to get for the kindergartener in your life. Well, just in time for the celebration, we have a list of the top 16 fun and educational gifts that your kinder graduate will cherish and love.
1. For the kindergarten graduate who likes to code: Botly the Coding Robot
Botly the Coding Robot is the perfect toy for early coders who want a big bang for their efforts. Botly 2.0 is the next-generation of Toy of the Year-winning version, with all sorts of innovative upgrades. Botly teaches kids how to code with 100% screen-free play, and this version has implemented 16 fun interaction modes, which can transform Botly into a train, police car, ghost and more.
2. For the kindergarten graduate who is nervous about first grade: First Grade, Here I Come!
Since your graduate is about to embark on a new journey into elementary school, what better way to introduce them to first grade than a book about school. If you have a child that is a little bit nervous about transitioning to first grade, then this book will put them at ease by showing them what to expect and what to be excited for—a perfect summer read.
3. For the kindergarten graduate who likes figurines: Precious Moments “I Did It” Porcelain Figurine
Some of the best gifts to give are the ones that last forever. This porcelain figurine features a young graduation girl holding a sign that says, “I Did It” and an equally cute teddy bear with a graduation cap by her side. Not only will it be a perfect addition to your child’s room, it will be one that they cherish for years to come.
4. For the kindergartener who wants some independence: A TickTalk smartwatch
We've been testing this kid-friendly smartwatch for the past week and, we gotta say, it may be the holy grail of kids' smartwatches.
From a kid's perspective, the TickTalk looks cool super cool. The chunky and sporty style and customizable watch faces let kids express themselves.
From a parent's perspective, this watch has fantastic lock-down features that ensure our children are safe. Internal features allow parents to curate the child's contact list and how they interact with approved contacts. There are no annoying video games to wrangle with and you have options to enable or disable features like a calculator and music features.
If all that wasn't endorsement enough, the TickTalk can work on either At&t or T-Mobil and it comes in fun colors that are perfect for nestling in the Easter basket! If you shop now you can also save $40 with an Amazon coupon.
5. For the kindergartener who wants to do good: An AllTruists gift box
The best gift for that kid with a heart of gold! The AllTruists's gift boxes and subscription kits aren't your typical craft boxes. These crafty kits are service-focused and each is aligned with a highly-rated non-profit.
These kid-friendly volunteer activity kits are fun and engaging and AllTruists does a tremendous job with getting kids to understand how they can make a real impact in the world. Every box gives back to non-profit partners that focus on societal and environmental themes such as refugee displacement, hunger, preservation and helping animals in shelters (where they can make adorable dog and cat toys).
6. For the kindergarten graduate who likes keepsakes: Personalized Time Capsule Keepsake Box
Who doesn’t like a time capsule? With the time capsule keepsake box, you can personalize it with your child’s name and add two lines of meaningful text. Inside the box, you can place their favorite artwork from kindergarten or maybe even their name tag. The best part, you can determine when they open this box. If you have them open it on the day they graduate high school, it may be extra special because they can see how far along they’ve come.
7. For the kindergarten graduate who loves science: Crystal Chemistry Garden
All kids love treasures which makes this Crystal Chemistry Garden even more special. Not only does it make for a fun science experiment (an intro to chemical reactions), at the end of it, your child will have a garden made of crystals that they can enjoy and talk about—in just two days. For even the pickiest of kids, this gift will get their attention and more.
8. For the kindergartener who wants to see the world: LeapFrog Magic Adventures Globe
The LeapFrog Magic Adventures Globe is guaranteed to make your kid a geography buff and more curious about the world around them.
This highly interactive globe not only gives insight and information about oceans, continents, countries, cities and regions around the world, it does so in an entertaining, engaging way.
An attached stylus allows kids to hear thousands of facts, ask questions, play games and watch videos on a small screen that gives them a birds-eye view into the parts of the world they are learning about. This toy stoked our testers’ interest in the world around them.
9. For the kindergarten graduate who loves to read books: Ada Twist, Scientist (The Questioneers)
Whether your child is interested in STEM or not, this book is wonderful in that it shows a character, Ada Twist, who is very inquisitive and is given the support by her parents and teacher to figure things out on her own, even at the expense of wrecking things through her science experiments. The book allows young readers to be curious, question things and try to understand what is going on through experimenting.
10. For the kindergarten graduate who likes games: An educational puzzle
The summer is almost here which means that you’re going to have to find some activities for your child to do at home or even on a long summer road trip. Well, if your child likes to come up with strategies or likes to problem solve, look no further than the Kanoodle Gravity game. There are 40 different puzzles to complete and the option to play with a friend—which is always more fun. The game comes with a puzzle board, 10 colorful puzzle pieces and a case.
11. For the kindergarten graduate who loves writing: A journal
It’s never too early to start journaling in a diary. Not only will kids get to jot down things about themselves they won’t remember later on when they’re adults, they’ll get to practice their writing skills. This fun-filled journal will keep your child engaged with the vibrant illustrations and filling in the blanks—such as how many inches they are to what they would pack if they would go to outer space. You may run into the problem of your child finishing the journal in a few days, so try to pace them.
12. For the future influencer: KidiZoom PrintCam
This camera is a kid-friendly version of the Instaprint cameras that are trendy right now. What makes the KidiZoom print camera kid-friendly, beyond its sturdy construction, is that it allows kids to add fun little stickers and skins for a creation where they can express themselves. It also lets kids view their photos on a digital screen and edit them to stay in color or get arty by converting them into black and white.
13. For the kindergarten graduate who loves story time: A Yoto Player
Our reviewers are huge fans of screen-free listening systems. Parents want their kids off their tablets, but it’s hard to go completely screen-free when tablets and TVs really are the ultimate babysitters.
Enter the story speakers that are gaining popularity right now. For slightly older kids, we like the Yoto Player. This cute, 4-inch, white plastic speaker narrates popular and classic kids’ books by way of small, pre-programed credit-card-sized content cards.
Our reviewer calls it one of “the best ‘toys’ we’ve gotten in recent years” and says that “it's the only thing we've found that can compete with the lure of a tablet loaded with YouTube kids.”
14. For the kindergarten graduate who loves to read (or you wish could read more): The Epic reading app
Whether your kid loves to read or you wish they'd catch the reading bug, the amazing Epic reading app is—bar none—one of the best literacy-building apps available.
With over 40,000 titles to choose from, Epic sends a curated stream of titles right to a phone, tablet or laptop ensuring that compelling reading material never runs dry. Completely searchable by age and grade, kids can easily find books that are right at their reading level and that will pique their interest.
For new or reluctant readers, we are huge fans of the fantastic "read-to-me" option where titles are read aloud, highlighting each word as it's spoken, allowing kids to hone their phonetic and comprehension skills and build their reading confidence.
$9.99 a month or $71.99 a year at Epic
15. For the kindergarten graduate who likes sensory play: Kinetic Sand Sandisfactory Set
Does your child like sensory play? If so, then this Kinetic Sand Sandisfactory set will be a perfect gift for them. The set comes with over 10 tools and molds and 2 pounds of kinetic sand. Your child can pretty much do what their heart desires including molding it into designs, slicing it, squishing it and much more—they’ll be sitting there for hours getting their creativity out.
16. For the kindergarten graduate who likes to draw: Crayola Light Up Tracing Pad
Kids love to trace pretty much anything. With the Crayola Light Up Tracing Pad, they can trace with ease. The pad comes with everything your child needs including 10 blank sheets, 10 tracing sheets, one graphite pencil and 12 short colored pencils. To make tracing easier, the LED drawing tablet will illuminate the pages and the paper-locking frame will secure the paper so the lines are cleaner. Your child will be creating so much art work you’ll need to create an art wall for them.
17. For the kindergarten graduate who is money savvy: Silver Piggy Bank
It’s never too early to start teaching your child the value of a penny or even a dollar. With this silver piggy bank, you’ll not only give them a gift that will last them a lifetime, you’ll also teach them the valuable life skills needed for the future.
With every simple chore that they do, you can give them a coin that they can add to their piggy bank—which will make it more engaging and rewarding for them. If you’re sentimental and want to add a name or a message, you can add personalization to the piggy bank for an additional $12.50.
18. For the kindergarten graduate who loves family memories: Create Your Own Reel Viewer
The Create Your Own Reel Viewer has to be one of the most memorable gifts on this list—like literally. You’ll be able to add your favorite memories to this reel viewer and since this is a kindergarten graduation gift, what better way to celebrate all things kindergarten including the first day of school, the first 100 days and more—it comes with one reel of seven images. Your child will be able to keep this reel forever to reminisce on the moments they had when they were in kindergarten.
19. For the kindergarten graduate who likes pictures: Silver Milestone Frame
Just add a photo of your child’s first day of kindergarten into the Silver Milestone Frame and it will be a gift that your child could treasure forever. Not only will it look beautiful on the countertop or on your child’s desk, but your child can always look at it and be proud of that day and be able to remember it. You can personalize it with your child’s name for an additional $15, up to 51 characters.
20. For the kindergarten graduate who likes to create stories: Create Your Own Published Storybook Kit
With the Create Your Own Published Storybook Kit, your child can take their own story and make a real book from it. The kit comes with a blank cover page, 20 blank storybook sheets, a 10-pack of markers, a guidebook and a pre-stamped envelope.
To get started, they can fill out the papers with a unique story of their own and accompany it with an illustration that they drew. Then, when they are ready, the filled-out papers can be placed into the pre-stamped envelope and mailed out. Finally, the story will be bound and printed on book paper and within no time, your child will get a hardcover book of their story in the mail.
21. For the kindergarten graduate who likes card games: Melissa & Doug Smarty Pants 1st Grade Card Set
Now that your child is graduating kindergarten, you may be thinking about getting them ready for first grade. With this fun and educational Smarty Pants 1st Grade Card Set, your child can do fun activities including trivia quizzes, word-play, problem-solving puzzles and more. This card set will be one of many things that will help prepare your child for first grade.
22. For the kindergarten graduate who has a sweet tooth: Signature Tackle Box
If you have a kindergartener, you’re probably all too familiar with their sweet tooth. To celebrate this big milestone in their lives, candy may be the perfect unexpected gift that they’ll love.
The Signature Tackle Box includes a wide assortment of colorful sweet and sour treats. Divided by sections in a clear box, your child will be able to see what they want without having to dig into it. These sweet treats will keep them smiling (and running) as long as they last.
23. For the STEAM-loving kindergarten graduate: Bright Stripes Sculpture & Science Kit
For a full day of creative and science- and technology-based learning, these three-activity kits are great for getting their little minds to grow. This one by Bright Stripes has immersive activities that are based on sculpture and science. These activities really help kids make the connections between how the arts and sciences are interconnected—all while they’re having fun making really cool projects that are just right for this age.
24. For the kindergartener who is eager to tell time: eeBoo Around the Clock Puzzle
Kids are starting to get a grasp on time at this age; the summer is the perfect time to help your child master the time-telling skill with this beautiful puzzle.
This is a fun 2-in-1 toy that starts as a puzzle and then turns into a time-telling toy with movable hands. It marks the time by hours and minutes and not only teaches kids how to tell time, it introduces them to the concept of a 24-hour day.
25. For the kindergartener who is ready for summer: An epic sandcastle-building kit
They've graduated from kindergarten and now they'll graduate from sand-pail castles. This Toy of the Year Award- and "Shark Tank"-winning set is about to raise the sandcastle bar.
The innovative clip-together molds in the Create-a-Castle 5-piece kit take out the guesswork that usually comes with tapping out a structure from conventional castle-building kits. What you get is instant gratification with super-sized builds that will leave kids bursting with pride and crazy with excitement.
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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
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