Tiny Bits of Magic

Advice and info on parenting, family travel, and healthy family living from a mama of five

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8 Holiday Gift Ideas for Teens/Tweens

*This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are my own*

Having my own Teens and Tweens, I KNOW how hard it can be to shop for them. But I’ve got 8 ideas that are sure to make even the most aloof teen shout with delight on Christmas morning–and a handy link to buy, so your Holiday shopping will be a breeze! Just click on the photo for each gift or the link at the end of the post to get a jump on your Holiday shopping! Read on for 8 gift ideas for your teen and tween.

1. Star Wars – Hero Droid BB-8 – Fully Interactive Droid

The beloved little droid from Star Wars is here as a fully interactive robot.This interactive droid stands at 16 inches tall (19 inches with antenna). It moves smoothly and is capable of realistic interactions – just like in the film! Set Hero Droid BB-8 to Follow Me mode and it will roll beside you. The droid has voice recognition and remote control capabilities and is fully interactive and ready to spin into action. This Star Wars RC droid has authentic lights and sounds, plus film-accurate aesthetics, making it perfect for fans of all ages!

2.Bose SoundSport Wireless Headphones, Black

I bought this for my 14 yr old son’s birthday last month. My usually, hard to impress kid, was ecstatic when he unwrapped it! The headphones are wireless, with easy Bluetooth and NFC pairing aided by voice prompts. It is equipped with eexclusive “Stay Hear+” tips keep the headphones comfortably in place during movements and is sweat and weather resistance for reliability. It also boasts a  6 hours battery life per charge.

3.Spin Master Games – Escape Room The Game

Escape Room The Game from Spin Master Games is all the fun and excitement of popular escape rooms from the comfort of home. Play with family and friends and try to escape from multiple themed rooms before time runs out! There’s a way out of each seemingly impossible scenario — it’s up to you and your team of 3-5 players to figure it out and get out in time. Solve puzzles, find clues, and work together to find a way out of the room before your 60 minute time runs out. Players can choose from one of four popular themed rooms, Prison Break, Virus, Nuclear Countdown, and Temple of the Aztec.

4.Fingerlings – Interactive Baby Monkey

So this is predicted to be THE toy of the 2017 Holiday Season.  These interactive pets love to hang onto your finger, blink their eyes, turn their heads, blow kisses, swing by their tails, and talk in monkey babble! They come in a variety of colours including white, black, pink, purple, blue and turquoise. Adopt them all and have even more fun monkeying around! Clap your hands twice and your Fingerlings will sing together.

5. Stranger Things: The Sweatshirt

If your teen is a fan, this is a must buy this holiday season. Let them show off their “school” and show spirit with this clever sweatshirt.

6. Oculus Rift + Touch Virtual Reality System

Rift is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. Whether you’re stepping into your favorite game, watching an immersive VR movie, jumping to a destination on the other side of the world, or just spending time with friends in VR, you’ll feel like you’re really there. Comes with headset, touch controllers, two sensors and 6  games, Robo Recall, Luckyʼs Tale, Quill, Medium, Dead and Buried, and Toybox.

Looking for more ideas? Check out Jenny’s Teen Boy Gift Guide: Gamer Edition  here

7. Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 –  Camera

 

This is a great camera for Teens and Tweens. Not only is it portable, but it instantly spits out the photos. Comes in 5 different colors, has a “selfie mirror” for taking self portraits, and comes with a macro-lens adapter for taking close up shots.  Optional accessories also available.

8. furReal Roarin’ Tyler, the Playful Tiger

So my Tween is assuring me that this is on the Hot Toys List for 2017.  I am thinking “oh no, not another fake pet that does three things and then sits in the closet”. But The Roarin’ Tyler, the Playful Tiger pet seems like he may have potential.  Make noise and he roars back. Talk to him and he responds! This tiger cub responds to sounds and touch with 100+ sound-and-motion combinations! Pet his head and his eyes might close. Pet him on his muzzle and he moves! The Roarin’ Tyler, the Playful Tiger pet has a little chicken toy that he reacts to when it squeaks.

There you have it. 8 awesome holiday gift ideas for Teens and Tweens. And if you’re looking for additional gift ideas check out this link for other ideas.

Happy Holidays!!


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Four Family Holiday Traditions You NEED to Start This Year

I know, I know. Right now you’re thinking you cannot possibly add any more to your already busy holiday schedule. I get it, but trust me when I say you are going to WANT to find time for these family holiday traditions!

family holiday traditions

 

Family Holiday Tradition #1

Stamp wrapping paper. This is not a Christmas exclusive tradition; you could stamp paper for Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, winter, or even Festivus. I started stamping Christmas paper with my son when he was 7 months old. He is now 16 and we have created our own unique wrapping every year since. Start off by purchasing wrapping paper that is actually paper—anything that has a shimmer or gloss will not hold the ink as well. We like to buy a large roll of plain white wrapping paper, found at any craft store. We roll the paper out on our kitchen floor into sections and stamp way. Once we have filled the exposed part of the roll with festive and colorful stamps, we roll the stamped section and roll out the next blank section. Repeat until you’ve stamped the whole rollfamily holiday traditions

Family Holiday Tradition #2

Kids’ Secret Santa. What a better way to teach your kids to embrace the spirit of giving during the holidays than with a Secret Santa exchange. It works well in our house, since we have five kids.   If your household is a bit smaller, feel free to incorporate grown ups into the fun. The rules in our house are simple; you have to leave a secret gift for the person you chose at least once a week. Gifts can be small or handmade. One final and a bit larger gift is given during the “big reveal” on Christmas Eve. Our Secret Santa fun starts the weekend after thanksgiving when we pick names. I then take the kids to the Dollar Tree or Five Below where they pick up supplies for their gifts. The older kids use their own money earned from doing chores around the house while I help the little ones financially. The kids get so excited on “shopping day”.  It is truly incredible to see how much thought they put in to the gifts for their siblings.  Remember, the gift doesn’t have to be expensive  or even purchased. Getting creative is part of the fun…. a homemade coupon book, handmade bracelets or pictures, the sky is the limit. The point of the tradition is three-fold, and it is not about the gifts. Number one, you are teaching your kids the true meaning of the holidays by giving them the opportunity to truly GIVE to one another. They are sacrificing their own time and money to purchase or create gifts of their own idea for someone else. Second, you are creating an opportunity for each kid to really see their sibling as a person. It’s a chance to really THINK about what their sibling’s interests are and what their sibling would really like. That kind of consideration doesn’t come easily to kids…especially if you have a large age gap between your oldest and youngest. It gives the chance kids to get to know one another and really see each other as people, not just as another kid in the house. Thirdly, your kids are making Christmas memories TOGETHER, memories they will keep forever.

Family Holiday Tradition #3

Cookies: If you are not doing this, give it a try. Yes, I know it’s messy and takes a ton of time and it’s messy (did I mention that already?), but really it’s worth it. You don’t have to make 70 different kinds of cookies. You don’t even have to make your own dough, buying refrigerated cookie dough or the pre mixed dry packaged cookie dough will suffice. The kids will not care. The fun comes from making their own treats with you by their side. Each of the kids has his/her own favorite,  but their collective vote for cookie is definitely for sugar cookies. Not only can they cut the cookies into shapes  shapes, but they can decorate them too. Yes, I did mention messy…but trust me, it is so worth the clean up!

Family Holiday Tradition #4

Let the kids pick their own ornament. This is a yearly tradition in our home as well. We let the kids pick out their own ornament, something that represents who they are right at this moment in time. Yes, my Type-A mama personality does guide them a bit but for the most part, I let them go at it. It is great to see what they pick and it is even more exciting to open the boxes of ornaments every year and see all of those memories.

Christmas can be such a busy time. With all that we THINK we need to get done during this time of the year,  it is easy to lose sight of what the season is REALLY all about. Creating traditions within your family makes your family stronger, provides opportunities for everyone to interact with one another, creates a bond between family members, and makes each member feel as though they a part of something special. Traditions are important, so take a deep breath this holiday season and go make some family memories!

What are some of YOUR family holiday traditions?