Today is Black Friday! Walk into most stores and you will be bombarded with the “hottest toys of 2019”.  It can be overwhelming especially if you are looking for something that won’t be forgotten or set aside after a few days.  However, some of the best toys are fun, timeless and educational. Get a head start on your holiday shopping with these ideas for the season.

• Books: Obviously, books make a perfect gift to promote literacy and it's fun to pick out books that fit the child.  However, if you aren’t sure what kind of book to buy, gift cards to local bookstores are fun options that allow the child to pick out a book they want. Make a visit to the bookstore a part of your gift by spending time together reading lots of books before your child chooses the one they want. If you need some ideas for quality, age-appropriate books, check out these websites:  
• https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/50-books-all-kids-should-read-before-theyre-12
• https://www.cbcbooks.org/readers/reading-lists/best-of-lists/childrens-choices/
• https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/childrens
• https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/books-and-reading-guides/recommended-childrens-books-by-age.html
• Magazine Subscription:  Kids love getting items in the mail - it's even better when it happens on a regular basis.  Try a subscription to a magazine such as Highlights (https://www.highlights.com/store/highlights-magazines-for-kids) or National Geographic for Kids (https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/).  For other magazine suggestions, check out https://www.readingrockets.org/booklists/great-magazines-kids
• Book of the Month Club:  Just like a magazine subscription, joining a book of the month club is a gift that keeps on giving throughout the year.  Some suggestions include https://www.giftlit.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5cvw2vGD5gIVB6SzCh2U-wqbEAAYAiAAEgL_s_D_BwE and https://lillypost.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5cvw2vGD5gIVB6SzCh2U-wqbEAAYBiAAEgLsRfD_BwE
• Writing materials:  Giving your child a variety of unique and fun writing materials will encourage them to want to write. Put together a writing kit that includes a variety of materials along with a container to put them in to keep it organized. Items you may want to include in your writing kit besides markers, crayons and pencils are:
• Paints and Paintbrushes, Dot Markers
• Colored Gel Pens
• Stamps (Letter and words), Stickers
• Paper (Lined, unlined, customized/colored paper, sticky notes)
• Dry-erase boards/chalkboards
• Journals or notebooks
• Personalized Stationery:  Notecards or letterhead with your child’s name on it make a perfect gift especially for writing those thank you notes after the holidays.
• Board Games, Art Materials (PlayDoh, Clay), Legos and Puzzles:  All of these toys will help children develop their fine motor skills which will make the actual act of writing (i.e. holding a pencil, tracing) much easier.

We hope these suggestions will help you check off your holiday gift lists this year so that you and your children will be excited about the possibility of reading and writing when the presents are unwrapped.  Happy Shopping! 

Any questions?  Please email us at Janice@Neighborhoodlit.com.  Taylor Burke is a teacher and Director of Communications at Neighborhood Lit. and works closely with Janice Migliazza, a Reading Specialist and owner of Neighborhood Lit, Route 34, Colts Neck to bring you this information.

(Image by Nicole De Khors from Burst)