When my twins open their gifts on Christmas I want them to be excited but I also want them to unwrap something that they will use over and over all year long. Being avid bookworms and emergent readers often the best bet is a book themed gift. Books, of course, but also gifts that encourage, heighten, and deepen their love of books.
If you are looking for gifts for your little reader, like me, you want things that encourage their imaginations. You want gifts that inspire them to want to read something again and again. You want the present that will make them squeal with delight. For a little bookworm, these are those gifts.
Happy shopping, happy gifting, and as always, happy reading!
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8+ Gift Ideas for Raising Bookworms
1. Books…and more books
This one is pretty obvious, but really you can’t make a list of ideas for bookworms without including books. Look below for my best recommendations for books to gift.
13 Best Read Aloud Books for Toddlers
10 Most Beautifully Illustrated Books
10 Best Books for the First Year
2020 New Children’s Book Gift Giving Guide
2021 Books You Don’t Want to Miss
2. Book + Stuffed Animal
A lot of familiar characters have been brought to life in the form of stuffed animals. This makes an easy and fun gift.
Simply buy a book from a favorite series, like this hilarious Elephant and Piggie book –
And pair it with a stuffed animal version of the beloved characters – like these two cuties.
My twins absolutely adore Elephant and Piggie (and stuffed animals) so this would be an awesome gift for them.
To Order this pair: Book + Stuffed Animals
3. Audio Books
We love listening to books on CD during Quiet Time and audiobooks when we travel. You can buy a lot of books with CDs or borrow them from the library. Buy a couple favorites to enjoy year round in the car or at home. Here is a list of all of our favorite audiobook recommendations: Awesome Audiobooks for Kids
Our favorite for Christmas time is the audiobook of The Polar Express. It is brilliantly narrated by Liam Neeson.
4. Book + Finger Puppets
Another way to bring a story to life is by acting it out with finger puppets. You can buy a generic set of finger puppets, but it’s also fun to pair a favorite book with matching finger puppets.
For example, the Five Little Monkeys series has long been a favorite in our house. This pair of 5 Little Monkeys treasury book:
And matching finger puppets, like these adorable monkeys would be a simple gift that my kids would giggle with all year round.
To Order this pair: Book + Finger Puppets
5. Literacy Game
Games are such a fun way to build literacy skills. We have a stack of word based kids games, like this fairytale mix-up game to My First Bananagrams, but our absolute favorite is Ukloo. It is scavenger hunt-like that seamlessly encourages early reading skills without your child even realizing it. It is simple and so much fun. My kids never tire of Ukloo. Best for 4+.
For older elementary school kids I highly recommend Boogle and My Word – our two current favorite word games.
also read: 10 Gifts for Kids to Encourage New Reading Skills
6. Book + Costume
For kids who love to read and imagine bringing a character to life can be a blast. My twins love to act out stories that they have read over and over again or pretend to be favorite characters.
To create this gift all you need is a book and a costume. For example, Fancy Nancy Book or two
+ a Fancy Nancy Costume
To Order This Pair: Fancy Nancy Book + Fancy Nancy Costume
7. Cookbooks for Kids
Cooking might not feel like reading but it absolutely is and best of all, it’s reading integrated into a real life activity so for struggling readers or reluctant readers it won’t feel like forced practice. I’ve done a TON of baking and cooking with my daughter in the past few years having her read the recipe for us. Slowly she’s become more independent both with reading the recipes and with cooking.
For this gift, I recommend pairing a cookbook for kids like one of these:
Be More Vegan by Niki Webster
Annabel Karmel’s Fun, Fast & Easy Children’s Cookbook
The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs
with an accessory, like a cute chef’s hat.
READ ALSO: BOOKISH BABY SHOWER GIFTS FOR NEW MOMS
