Toddler Friendly Christmas Wishlist Activity

I'm one of those people who likes to get a head start on gift giving. I like buying Christmas and Birthday gifts in advance so I know I have something to give and don't have to run out last minute and chance not finding what I'm looking for or having to stand in a huge holiday line. I literally have a huge pile of toys and clothes I have bought on clearance throughout the year in my closet. 

One of the benefits of shopping throughout the year is you tend to get better deals and save money. 

One of the down falls is you may forget what you have bought and may over buy. 

We recently re-arranged our bedroom to make room for baby #4 and in the process moved all the stock piled gifts into our closet so I made a list to try to keep track of what I've already bought. After looking at the list, I think I'm pretty much done shopping for the kiddos this year but that won't stop me from letting them make their own toddler friendly Christmas list.

I have four kids, ages five and under. My oldest is about to turn six in December so I have to buy gifts for both her birthday and Christmas which is another reason I like to get a head start on gift shopping. 

Occasionally my husband and I will walk through the toy aisle and let the kids play and look at the toys. They always find toys that they like and say they want. Of coarse we don't buy the toys at the time, if at all, we just tell them to "add it to their Christmas list" aka I take picture on my phone of the items I think they may actually play with. 

If I find that item on clearance at a later date I may buy it, some items I delete because I decided the kids probably wouldn't play with it once it's opened, and some I send to Grandma as gift ideas.

Throwback to my daughter wasting time in the toy aisle when she was two:

My kids have been blessed and have more than enough toys but they are kids and kids don't understand the concept of money or too many toys so of coarse they always want more. That is one reason I let my kids make their own Christmas list every year. 

I try to explain to them that just because they ask for it or say they want it doesn't mean they are going to get it. Since they are all still young, I'm pretty sure it goes in one ear and out the other but a benefit of them being young is that they usually forget what they asked for once Christmas morning rolls around because they are distracted by what they did get. 

My daughter is getting to the age though where she is starting to remember and understand more so when I explained to her this year that we don't get everything we want, she responded with, "Why?".  

Anyways you are here for the toddler friendly Christmas list idea, not to learn about my stash of gifts or explaining to kids about gifts so here is...

When I was younger my mom would always give us all the toy ads to look at. I was one of five kids so we each got a different color pen or marker and were told we could circle items we liked. This helped my mom know what to look for when the time came to help Santa out. 

I remember looking through the Toys-R-Us catalog and going crazy. I thought it was so fun to circle toys in a catalog. 

Now that I have kids of my own, every November, I save any ads that have toys in them. When I get a decent pile I let my kids go through and circle what they like. 

The first year I did this, my daughter and son just kind of scribbled on the ads because they were to young to understand what was going on.  My son, two at the time, did circle all the dogs he found and kept repeating the word dog so I think it's safe to say he wanted a pet dog which was a no-go.

Last year my son circled a few things he liked and a Barbie. When I asked about the Barbie he said it was for bubby - he calls his sister bubby. My daughter circled all the girly things and a few random items. When I asked her about some of the random items she said it was for Daddy. I love how at such a young age, my kids saw something and thought about another person and I hope they always think of others!

This year my daughter already said she's going to try to find a few things daddy may like in the ads, so sweet!

If you are still with me, I hope you enjoyed those few stories. If you skipped down to the pictures, you missed the story explaining how it all started and what to do so here it is simplified...

Save all the store ads and magazines that come in the mail that contain toys. They usually come in the mail at the beginning of November. 

When you have enough, give each child a different color pen or marker and tell them to look through the ads and magazines and circle things they like or want. 

You can tell them to put a star or a heart by items they really really really want. Make sure to explain that just because they circle it, doesn't mean they are going to get it.

Don't mind the random candy cane hanging by my son's head, Luna, our Elf on the Shelf made a candy cane rope that day to climb. 

When the kids are done going through the ads, you can look through and see what they circled. You can keep them involved by asking them about different items they circled if you want to try to get a better understanding of why they may have circled that item.

Now you have an idea of what your kids want for Christmas!

Keep in mind your kids ages and that they may circle every toy just because they like toys and still don't understand the concept of want. They may also circle everything that has to do with what they are interested in at the time.

Example - My son circled everything that had Mickey Mouse on it one year because he liked Mickey.

This year my almost six year old daughter circled everything Frozen themed or technology related (laptop, kindle, phone, Nintendo switch) because she is obsessed with technology - maybe because she only gets to use it at school???

Since toddlers aren't always the best at communicating and don't fully understand what a Christmas list is or what a want is, this activity is a great way to get them involved in making a Christmas list.

A picture Christmas list is the perfect solution since most toddlers don't know how to write yet, plus it's ten times easier than asking them what they want and hearing the same thing on repeat or "I don't know".

This activity makes use of all those Black Friday ads, keeps your little one busy, and helps give you an idea of what your kids want for Christmas. This activity helps work on fine motor skills as your little one will be turning the page and working on circling objects. Hopefully your kid at least has fun going through the ads and circling toys while you get a few minutes to yourself.

This activity is great for toddlers but can work for kids of all ages! Some of the ads may even have a Christmas List area at the beginning for you or the kids to fill in what they would like. I personally think circling the items is easier but by making a list, all the items will be in one location!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

You may also like:

• 7 Gift Alternatives to Toys & Clothes
• 10 Gift Giving Tips that won't break the Bank (COMING SOON)
• 15 Useful Christmas Gift Ideas for a Newborn Baby

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