IN SEARCH FOR A "REAL" GIFT: non-toys for preschoolers

Guys, my baby is turning three. THREE! The sweet, innocent days are almost over and I'm about to have a THREENAGER! Terrible three's are about to begin!

Okay, okay, I know it won't be all that bad. After all, who would have thought that my morning grump would magically turn into the happiest morning person in the world over night? Yeah, that was this month's big development. That and he got his pants on by himself today. It must be the three's coming that is making him so independant these days.

That being said, I am on the search for a present (or list of presents for the family that always asks what my boys want/need when holidays roll around). Not just any present. A real present.

I guess I'm making myself sound like I give my kids imaginary pets on their birthdays because I'm so cheap. Although, now that I've written this on the screen, it seems like a hilarious plan and why didn't I think of this before I've spent so much money on these little beings? Lost opportunity, but I digress.

What I mean by "real" is not just a toy that will amuse them. Not a toy that mimics real life. Not just any book that he'll want to read 15 million times a day (although I do love books and I'm happy to read one to him... the first million and a half times in 24 hours).

A "real" toy is something that he can learn from, a tool that he can use. I'm loving the minimalist movement, and as much as I'd like to move into a 900 square-foot house that used to be a horse trailer, hubby says no (that's my practical thinker for you). And I'm certainly not living minimally right now, but I like that minimalism weeds out frivolous things, clutter. And maybe I'm a crunchy homeschooler that leans heavy on the Charlotte Mason method that avoids twaddle. I'm beginning to think that there is such thing as twaddle when it comes to toys.

So far I've thought of a few real gifts for this boy (who shall from now on be Halpert in this blog because his hair looks exactly like Jim's from the Office) and even if I haven't decided on one yet, I thought I'd share:

1. Last year (or was it Christmas?) I got Halpert his own bedding set, and it is so freaking adorable. The colors really bring the room together and it's so different than the usual baseball or dinosaur theme for little boys.

2. My mom got each boy a kid's magazine in the mail and they love them! We spend time reading them and doing the activities in them over and over.

3. This boy loved to cook. He's always standing in a chair next to me begging to add the next ingredient into my gorgeous red stand mixer. I thought about getting him his own kitchen tools so he can learn to bake and cook with his own tools. There's also a nylon knife set for kids, but it says 5 and over (is that a rule or more of an actual guideline?).

4. I've been wanting to get my oldest, the Sheriff, his own yard tools for years and I never have! I figured it would the be the gift that keeps on giving... by making him work alongside us while working in the yard. Sounds like evil genius to me....

5. My sister gave this book to the Sheriff a few years ago and he never really appreciated it until this year. Now he pulls it out, goes outside, and flips through the pages to see what activity or craft he's going to do next. I highly recommend this to adventurers 5 and up.

6. We're pretty adventurous and busy people. Just last weekend, we dropped the kids off at my parents' for the night so we could go to a wedding five hours away. The Sheriff has his own duffle bag, but maybe Halpert needs his own luggage, too.

7. A few friends of mine suggested kid's tools. Real, functional tools from Home Depot. Why didn't I think of this before? My boys have had plastic tools before, but they could only screw plastics screws into the same place. But their own tools? They could work with Daddy on projects!

8. Clothes. Boring, kinda, but my boys love to pick out their own clothes. They have their favorites, for sure. Halpert is forever asking for the "owan!" one (translation: orange, his favorite color). Also, how awesome is this shirt?

9. Although the Sheriff doesn't care much for drawing (he'd rather be playing outside and smacking everything with sticks), Halpert really likes art and coloring. A big roll of paper, some fat markers, stickers, and an apron would be perfect for this boy. When I paint, I like to let the boys paint with me, but it would be even better if Halpert had his own paint brushes like these!

10. Okay, I cheated on number ten a little bit. I asked other moms on social media what they would get their kids for real toys, and while some suggested puppies and hedgehogs and sea monkeys (although amazing ideas and if you know me, I'd get one of each in a heartbeat, hubby would murder me if we got another pet or 5), other moms suggested memberships and trips. I'm blessed to be in an area with several children's museums in the area, but my favorite so far as been the Cheshire Museum. I was amazed and as excited as the kids were when I saw the real play stations, like a cabin, boat, and log fire in the camping section, and cars to ride and fix with mechanic's tools. 

Yeah, these aren't my kids. This was a picture from the website.

So there's my top ten "real gift" ideas for preschoolers. Now that I've compiled this list, I'm going to have trouble keeping my Amazon cart down to one or two items...