For Day 3 of the 12 Days of Shopping, Jeanette and I wanted to break down gender stereotypes with gender bending gifts for kids. We want to celebrate mighty girls AND sensitive boys; crafts for boys and science kits for girls; and imaginary play can go beyond tiaras and tutus!
How about you? What are your favorite gender bending gifts for kids?
Tools and Ovens for Boys and Girls
10 Piece Tool Set from Red Toolbox, $43
Combine this set of REAL woodworking tools with a book and a trip to the local hardware store! My girls and my son took woodworking classes at summer day camp and in middle school. It’s a great life skill and a lot of fun too!
If you are not handy (like me), you can take it slowly, step by step, and learn together!
The Kids’ Building Workshop: 15 Woodworking Projects for Kids and Parents to Build Together by Craig Robertson and Barbara Robertson, $10
Here a project from Lowe’s for inspiration!
Gender Neutral Easy Bake Oven, $44
The Easy Bake Oven was geared towards girls. Notice how it was pink and purple for decades? Well, times they are achangin’. Here’s a sleek black and silver model you can gift to all your kids — boys and girls — to play with together! After all, when it comes out, everyone wants some, right?!
Modern, Cool and Gender Neutral Dollhouses
This toy town is $75 from Manzanita.
This treehouse is $88.
Board Games of Strategy: Can Boys Beat the Girls?
How about games of strategy? My son and I love this wooden artisanal Connect Four from Monkey Pod Games, $75
My husband is teaching our kids to play Go, an Asian game of strategy like a reverse version of chess. This set is $79.
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You found the coolest stuff ever! I want all of it. I remember you mentioning the game Go in a previous post, so I downloaded it on my phone, but I would much rather have a real board to play on. And that Connect Four? GIMME.
Hi Jeanette,
My kids really like that tactile quality of the GO pieces…smooth like marbles so I would highly recommend the set if you don’t mind that it takes up space. The wooden ConnectFour is a pleasure to play; my son keeps his on his bureau where it looks good when not in use! I am loving your list as well! I think we really need that bean bag toss game! And those suction toys are way cool!
I recently read a great newly published picture book entitled “Made by Raffi” by Craig Pomranz about a boy who learns to knit and becomes comfortable with who he is, despite feeling different from his classmates. His classmates too eventually come to appreciate Raffi and his gifts.
Hi Mama-Lady Books,
THANK you for your perfect picture book suggestion!! I love the storyline! I think this younger generation of kids are much more comfortable than we ever were with gender bending which I think is great!
That treehouse is fabulous! Thanks for sharing!!
Hi Alison,
I love wooden toys so much too! Thank you! I’m so glad you liked it!
You find the coolest ideas. Loved the games you shared. I wouldn’t recommend toy guns, but that’s what I grew up with — cap guns my grandmother made at a toy factory after WWII. I was the envy of all the boys in the neighborhood. I wouldn’t hand them to kids today, but it was a different time. We played cops and robbers all day.
Thanks so much Patricia! My kids would LOVE toy guns, especially cap guns. I wonder if I can find them these days. We do buy quite a few Nerf guns which are well played with. I need more ammo for those though. Cops and Robbers sounds like such good old fashioned fun. I’m not sure what my kids play at with the nerf guns. I think they just usually divide into teams and go at it with the lights off to make it harder.
We have the Manzanita castle town. It is awesome. And Emma got a toolkit for her last birthday – at her request 🙂
Hi MaryAnne,
I love that Emma got a toolkit! Is she enjoying it?