Christmas gifts for preschoolers: ideas for ages 3 to 5 (and for a whole class)

The short version, for ages 3 to 5:

1. Art and craft supplies: washable paint, dot markers, safety scissors, glue sticks, a big roll of paper.
2. Pretend play: dress-up clothes, a doctor's kit, a play kitchen or shop.
3. Building: wooden blocks or magnetic tiles.
4. Books: a Christmas picture book to read every December, plus a series they love.
5. Puzzles and simple games: 24 to 48 piece jigsaws, matching and dice games.
6. An experience: a holiday show, a class, a museum or zoo membership.
7. A Christmas activity kit: crafts, coloring, mazes and games to fill the December weeks.

If you want December itself to be the gift, our Christmas Mega Bundle puts every Christmas printable we make in one download.

What's inside the Christmas Mega Bundle: six Christmas printables, 359 pages, for ages 3 to 8:

• The Ultimate Christmas Activity Kit: a countdown calendar and paper chain, letters to Santa, ornaments, a reindeer headband, gift tags and cards, bingo and memory games, 19 coloring scenes and dozens of counting, reading, maze and puzzle pages
• Merry Makers Christmas Craft Kit: 20-plus crafts with crayons, scissors, glue and yarn
• Christmas Around the World: eight countries, each with read-aloud facts, a coloring picture, a flag and a passport stamp
• Merry & Bright Christmas Busy Book: coloring, tracing, counting, mazes and matching
• Christmas Math & Reading Fun
• Cozy Christmas Coloring Book: big, simple line art

It's an instant PDF in black and white that prints on US Letter or A4, with a 14-day money-back guarantee. Want to try the style first? Try our free printable book.

Preschoolers change a lot in two years. A rough guide:

Age 3

• Chunky crayons, dot markers and a coloring book with thick lines
• Large-piece puzzles (12 to 24 pieces)
• A soft doll or animal with a few accessories
• A busy book for quiet time and car rides
• Their own small backpack or apron

Age 4

• Safety scissors and a craft kit
• Dress-up clothes and a costume box
• Magnetic letters on a baking tray
• A first board game with dice
• A 24 to 48 piece jigsaw
• A Christmas activity kit with crafts they can mostly do themselves

Age 5

• An art caddy with watercolors and oil pastels
• First early reader books
• A balance bike or scooter (with a helmet)
• Building sets with more pieces
• Maze and look-and-find books
• A "passport" around the world. Christmas Around the World works well here: eight countries, read-aloud facts about each country's traditions, flags to color and a cut-out passport to stamp.

The CDC's milestone checklists describe many 4 year olds as enjoying pretend play and playing with other children, and many 5 year olds as able to follow rules and take turns in games. Children develop at different speeds, so go by your child's interests more than the number on the cake. For more, see what a 4 year old should know.

If the toy box is already full, these feel just as exciting on Christmas morning:

• Experiences: tickets to a holiday show, ice skating, a class term, or a family membership. Wrap a drawing of the outing so there's something to open.
• Books: start a tradition of one new Christmas book every year.
• Cozy things: matching pajamas, a robe, slippers with grips.
• A baking kit: a child-sized apron, cookie cutters and a wooden spoon for holiday baking.
• Art supplies that get used up and replaced.
• Printable activity books: coloring, mazes, crafts and games that keep the winter break calm.

Our guide to gifts for 3 year olds that aren't toys has more non-toy ideas with budgets.

Some of the best Christmas gifts arrive before Christmas. A December activity kit given on December 1 turns the countdown into something to do, not just something to wait for.

• The Ultimate Christmas Activity Kit ($24, 204 pages, ages 3 to 7): countdown calendar, paper chain, letters to Santa, crafts, bingo and memory games, coloring and early math and reading pages.
• Christmas Around the World ($9, 31 pages, ages 4 to 8): a country a day for eight days.
• Merry Makers Christmas Craft Kit ($9, 28 pages): ornaments, headbands, lacing cards, cards and gift tags.

Buying for 12 to 25 children on a teacher's budget is its own puzzle. What works for a whole class:

• The same gift for everyone. Preschoolers notice differences instantly.
• Consumable, not clutter. Parents appreciate something that gets used up.
• No small parts, no candy. Some children in the class may still be under 4, and many classes have allergy rules.
• A personal touch. A note with their name or a class photo makes a few dollars feel special.

Ideas that cost a few dollars per child

1. A printed activity booklet: 8 to 12 Christmas coloring and maze pages, stapled with a card cover, plus a small pack of crayons.
2. A craft-in-a-bag: a printed ornament or reindeer headband template with a pipe cleaner and a few stickers.
3. A class photo ornament made from card stock.
4. A sticker sheet and a pencil tied with ribbon.
5. A book from a bulk set, with a bookplate you print.

Printing for your class: what our terms allow

Built Brains books include a licence for teachers to print for the children in their own class or group. So one copy of, say, the Cozy Christmas Coloring Book or the Christmas Mega Bundle lets you print a booklet for every child in your room. Please don't share the file with other classes or upload it to a school-wide drive; each teacher needs their own copy.

Parents buying for the class: if you'd like to give classmates printed pages, the simplest honest route is to gift the book to the teacher (or give a gift card) so they can print for the class under their licence.

• Under $10: a picture book, a coloring book, dot markers, a puzzle, the Christmas Busy Book ($9) or Coloring Book ($5).
• $10 to $40: dress-up clothes, an art caddy, a board game, the Ultimate Christmas Activity Kit ($24) or the Christmas Mega Bundle ($35).
• $40 and up: a play kitchen, magnetic tiles, a balance bike, an experience or membership.

A printable can arrive exactly when it's most useful:

1. Schedule it. Send any book from our gifts page with a message, and choose the delivery date. Pick December 1 for a countdown kit. The family gets an email that morning (US time), and you get a printable gift certificate to put in a card.
2. Give a gift card. Built Brains gift cards range from $25 to $500, or a custom photo card. They never expire and work on any book.
3. Print and wrap. Print the first week's activities, put them in a box with crayons and scissors, and wrap it to open on December 1.

Ask yourself three things: what are they into right now, what will they still pick up in February, and does the family have space and a printer?

Printables aren't the right fit for every family. If there's no printer at home, choose a physical book, a puzzle or an experience, or print the pages yourself before you give them. If the child is under 3, a sturdy board book and chunky crayons are safer bets; see our stocking stuffers for toddlers.

For a preschooler who loves to color, cut, glue and play games, a full month of Christmas activities is a gift the whole family enjoys.

The Christmas Mega Bundle includes all six Built Brains Christmas printables (359 pages) for ages 3 to 8: the Ultimate Christmas Activity Kit, the craft kit, Christmas Around the World, the busy book, Christmas Math & Reading Fun and the coloring book. It costs less than buying the six separately, arrives as an instant black-and-white PDF for US Letter or A4, and has a 14-day money-back guarantee.