Whether your children are budding chefs, aspiring nurses, future veterinarians—or simply playing just to play—they will revel in all of the scenarios they can enjoy with one of these Holiday Gifts for Kids That Wow!
Preschoolers will show up for playtime ready to learn and have fun with each of these engaging, innovative, and immersive toys! Find more great holiday gift ideas in our full Melissa & Doug Holiday Gift Guide.
Our Top BIG Gifts To Wow Young Kids
Sort, Stock, Select Wooden Vending Machine Play Set
Why it’s an ideal gift: Satisfy hungry imaginations with the push of a button! Open up the back of the unique wooden vending machine and stock it with nine double-sided play food packages, including snack bars, drinks, and pouches. On the front, select an item, insert a color-matching play coin or bank card, press the corresponding letter and number button, and the snack drops into the collection drawer!
Fun feature: No batteries required! There’s a sign that can be personalized and a reusable activity card for keeping track of what to stock and what to display. Requires no assembly! All the pieces store in the vending machine for easy cleanup.
Skills: An engaging, hands-on way to help teach kids about cause-and-effect, and to encourage letter, number, and color recognition, sorting, matching, counting, and fine motor skills.
How to wow: Whatever “thing” your child is into – like being an entrepreneur before preschool – we’ve got a pretend play toy that speaks to their interests.
Sort, Stock, Select Beauty Kiosk Play Set
Why it’s an ideal gift: Perfect for mess-free imaginative pretend play, this innovative wooden vending machine play set comes packed with features and fun, including realistic-looking pretend play toy makeup accessories for eyes, lips, and face that let budding makeup artists imagine different looks and practice daily skin care and makeup routines! (NOTE: Does NOT contain real cosmetics; no color is transferred.) Open the back of the kiosk and stock it with nine double-sided play beauty accessories, including wooden lipsticks, pretend eye shadows, flip-top lotion tube, and double-sided pouches. On the front, select an item, insert a color-matching play coin or bank card, press the corresponding letter and number button, and the play makeup drops into the collection drawer!
Fun feature: No batteries required! There’s a sign that can be personalized and a reusable activity card for keeping track of what to stock, order, and how the pretend play beauty items are used. Requires no assembly. All the pieces are stored in the vending machine for easy cleanup.
Skills: This vending play set is an engaging, hands-on way to help teach kids about cause-and-effect, and to encourage letter, number, and color recognition, sorting, matching, counting, and fine motor skills.
How to wow: If your child enjoys a pretend play cosmetics routine, supplement their glow-up accessories with our Love Your Look Makeup Kit Play Set, a mess-free pretend play cosmetics kit that kids can take anywhere.
Ocean Easy-Fold Play Gym
Why it’s an ideal gift: The Melissa & Doug Ocean Easy-Fold Play Gym with Quick-Close™ storage is thoughtfully designed to encourage babies to play and learn through multiple stages and ages! Sturdy, wide wooden arches are pre-assembled for easy set-up, and offer caregivers easy access to the baby. The arches stay secure on the comfy, reversible play mat with sensory ribbons and a crinkling peek-a-boo clam shell. Mat and toys are machine washable. Press the innovative Quick-Close™ button to unlock the frame and easily fold for storage or to take the play gym on the go! The included Play Guide illustrates the many ways the play gym supports the powerful role play has in brain development, physical well-being, and creating connections.
Fun feature: One side of the mat features high-contrast black-and-white graphics for early visual stimulation, and the other includes a full-color ocean scene to keep older babies engaged as vision develops. Attach the included soft, skill-supporting toys to the gym or play with them independently!
Skills: Encourages sensory stimulation, hand-eye coordination, gross and fine motor skills, and cognitive development.
How to wow: Consider pairing the Ocean Easy-Fold Play Gym with our other age-appropriate baby and toddler toys.
Chef's Kitchen - Cloud
Why it’s an ideal gift: Budding young chefs can hone their craft in this beautifully designed, white marble-colored modern play kitchen! Sturdy, top-quality wooden construction means it will stand up to years of creative make-believe meal-making!
Fun feature: The easy to assemble chef's kitchen includes a refrigerator/freezer with innovative working ice maker that dispenses two included "ice cubes," an oven and stove top with dials that turn, microwave with turning plate, sink with moving faucet and handle, grocery checklist, movable hooks, and ample shelving and storage for easy cleanup.
Skills: Gross & fine motor skills, storytelling ability, cooperation, and creative expression.
How to wow: Stock up that pretend play kitchen by shopping for the proper pretend cooking accessories & play food!
Wooden Cool Scoops Ice Creamery
Why it’s an ideal gift: Scoop up cool pretend play creations with this full-service ice cream shop! The sturdy wooden counter features an ice cream and soft serve dispenser. This 42-piece play food set offers kids 3+ countless opportunities to develop early learning skills and to create, imagine, and role play as both the customer and the server. All the pieces are stored on the counter for easy cleanup!
Fun feature: Use the scooper to lift wooden scoops and fill a soft, fabric, roll-up waffle cone. Add toppings like sprinkles and hot fudge for an extra special treat!
Skills: Helps kids develop fine-motor, sorting, and counting skills and promotes imaginative play and storytelling.
How to wow: Complement your pretend play ice cream shop with more food-themed fun from Melissa & Doug.
Giraffe - Plush
Why it’s an ideal gift: You don't have to be a kid to love Melissa & Doug's iconic giraffe plush toy. The plush giraffe is the perfect accessory in a baby's nursery, and is a great addition to any decor! People of all ages love its presence and charm, whether it's in the living room, playroom, or store front. The giraffe has been crafted with attention to realistic details, and features excellent quality construction. There are so many reasons that this adorable giraffe is easy to love!
Fun feature: Over 4 feet tall, this gentle giant brings a touch of the exotic into any environment.
Skills: Promotes empathy, emotional development, imaginative play, storytelling ability, and gross and fine motor skills.
How to wow: Bring home our Rainbow Plush Giraffe for a more colorful holiday gift, and explore our complete selection of plush toys to add to your stuffed menagerie.
Snacks & Sweets Food Cart
Why it’s an ideal gift: Savory or sweet? This rolling, reversible snack cart offers a choice of play menus! With the "Hot Dogs" menu and awning on display, kids can reach inside the sliding see-through doors to serve up a hot dog with toppings to order, a soft pretzel with mustard or salt, and more. Flip the awning and menu to "Ice Cream" and reverse the storage drawers, and reach in for cones, scoops, and pull-apart pops for dessert!
Fun feature: The sturdy wooden cart comes stocked with over 40 play pieces, so kids can make and serve everything on the double-sided, writeable menu.
Skills: Encourages development of gross & fine motor skills, imaginative play, basic math, numbers, creative expression, and storytelling ability.
How to wow: There’s more to life than just pretend play treats…shop our entire selection of pretend play food-themed fun!
Fresh Mart Grocery Store
Why it’s an ideal gift: Kids love grocery shopping, and once they start a trip through this pretend-play grocery store, they will never want to leave! Ideal for a few kids to play with at once, this free-standing play space has a browsing area as well as a checkout setup, complete with a hand-cranked conveyor belt in the bagging area! Use it as the centerpiece for a whole grocery-themed play experience!
Fun feature: The checkout area includes a “beeping” scanner and pretend card swipe machine!
Skills: Sorting, fine and gross motor skills, color recognition, math skills, collaborative play
How to wow even more: Add to the amazing options in the Fresh Mart Grocery Store with the 70-piece Fresh Mart Grocery Store Companion Collection.
Shopping Cart
Why it’s an ideal gift: The sturdy metal construction and pivoting front wheels make the play-grocery-store experience even more like the real thing! Roll the mini grocery wagon down pretend aisles for hours of fun!
Fun feature: The folding seat is perfect for small, pretend-play companions!
Skills: Creative thinking, gross motor, social-emotional development
How to wow even more: Stock up on the basics with the 9-piece Pantry Food Set—Wooden Play Food, which includes tuna, ketchup, spaghetti, soup, sugar, crackers, salad dressing, mustard, and cereal.
Get Well Doctor Activity Center
Why it’s an ideal gift: Easing fears while encouraging empathetic play, this sturdy, multi-sided wooden play doctor’s center gives kids the chance to take on whatever role they’d like to play: doctor, nurse, receptionist, patient or parent/caregiver! Display X-rays, a blood pressure monitor (with adjustable cuff), sanitizer pump, waiting area, and more make this a like-real checkup experience!
Fun feature: Kids can make their own artwork for the waiting room, and change the picture as often as they’d like!
Skills: Empathy and confidence building, social-emotional development
How to wow even more: Suit up for the next “appointment” in the Doctor Role Play Costume Set or the Pediatric Nurse Role Play Set!
Chef’s Kitchen—Charcoal
Why it’s an ideal gift: Kids will love this modern kitchen’s turning stove top dials, revolving microwave plate, and handle and faucet on the sink—all ideal for a multi-kid playdate. Use the kitchen as a centerpiece for building out a complete pretend cooking and food prep experience!
Fun feature: The working ice dispenser releases two play ice cubes!
Skills: Fine motor skills, organization, creative play, collaborative play
How to wow even more: Make the most of kitchen time with the 20-piece Let’s Play House! Baking Play Set, which includes an oven mitt, measuring spoons and cups, a muffin tin, and more! Also, the Slice & Bake Christmas Cookie Play Set makes a yummy addition to this gift!
Star Diner Restaurant
Why it’s an ideal gift: It's twice the fun at the Star Diner! This sturdy, double-sided wooden play space lets kids cook and serve from the kitchen side, and order and enjoy a meal on the booth side.
Fun feature: The kitchen, with an extra-large oven, realistic burners and dials, a two-shelf refrigerator, and plenty of counter space has fun details like a drink dispenser and milkshake maker with mixing rod that can be pushed up and down. At the two-seat booth, customers three and older can spin the jukebox dial to choose their favorite type of music, then drop the included coin in the slot - and the coin lands in a collection tray on the other side!
Skills: Fine & gross motor development, counting and sorting skills, imagination, storytelling
How to wow: Spice up the pretend play with a Chef Role Play Outfit!
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Looking for more of the best Christmas and holiday gift and toy ideas for kids of all ages? Check out these blog posts:
Shop Melissa & Doug Holiday Gift Guide
Melissa & Doug Shop Toys by Age
Best Holiday Toys & Gifts for Babies and 1-Year-Olds
Best Holiday Toys & Gifts for 2-Year-Olds
Best Holiday Toys & Gifts for 3-Year-Olds
Best Holiday Toys & Gifts for 4-Year-Olds
Best Holiday Gifts for Kids By Interest
