Elemenoe’s 2025 Holiday Gift Guide

From Brittany (SLP) & Shawna (RBA): play-based picks, communication boosters, and simple moments that matter

The holidays are here, and if you’re anything like us, you’re already thinking about what might make this season fun, meaningful, and less stress for you and your kids. At Elemenoe, we’re all about play that builds communication, connection, and confidence, and that doesn’t always mean buying more toys.

Truly, one of the biggest secrets we share with families is this: your child’s favourite “toy” is YOU. Play peek-a-boo with your toddler, hide-and-seek with your preschooler, dance parties with your big kids, or silly story-sharing with your older ones. These moments matter more than anything wrapped under a tree.

But if you are hoping to shop this season, we’ve put together a practical guide that highlights toys and games that naturally support skills like communication, turn-taking, emotional regulation, cooperation, and being a good sport (yes, even learning how to lose!).

Below are our favourite picks…and we’ll add Amazon affiliate links to make things easier.

Before You Buy: A Helpful Way to Think About Gifts

When you’re choosing toys, start by asking, “What could my child learn while playing with this?”

• Do they need practice taking turns?

• Do they struggle with winning/losing?

• Are they working on cooperative play?

• Would they benefit from more pretend play or problem solving?

This simple shift helps you find gifts that bring joy and help your child grow.

holiday gift guide

Our 2025 Holiday Gift Guide

For Early Learners & Early Communicators (1–3 years)

Simple, sturdy toys that encourage imitation, requesting, gestures, early words, and cause-and-effect.

• Wooden xylophone ball popper

• Piggy bank with coins

• Sensory shape sorter

• Melissa & Doug pull-back construction vehicles

• Stacking cups

• Pop-up animals toy

• Montessori wooden object permanence box

How these help:
These toys create tons of natural opportunities for gestures (“your turn!”), early sounds, requesting help, labeling actions, and practicing waiting. You’ll notice that none of these toys have sound - kids learn language better when YOU make the sounds and add words like, “open, shut, up, down, in, out” instead of competing with a loud toy.

For Preschoolers & Young Kids (Imagination + Play Themes)

Perfect for building pretend play, shared attention, flexible thinking, and storytelling.

• Pretend dentist kit

• Vet clinic play set

• Pretend play cut food

• Acorn Soup game

• Fraidy Cats (our under-$5 obsession!)

Why we love Fraidy Cats:
We cannot believe this game is $5 at Dollarama.
Every single kid we’ve tried it with LOVES it.
Fast turns, big laughs, and great for flexible thinking.

Games for Practicing Winning & Losing

These games are fast, fun, and low-stakes—so kids can practice “good sportsmanship” again and again.

• Spot It (our favourite for quick reps of winning/losing)

• Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza

• Charades for Kids

Tip: Keep the energy light. Model shrugging it off, cheering others on, and saying “Nice job!” Kids learn so much from how we respond as adults.

Open-Ended Play

Creativity, problem solving, cooperation, and language opportunities just explode with:

• Magnetic tiles

Our kids at the clinic will play with these for HOURS—building towers, garages, animals, imaginary worlds, and everything in between.

Cooperative Games

Great for kids who need practice working with others before jumping into competitive games.

• Gnomes at Night

• Snug as a Bug in a Rug

• Outfoxed

• Stone Soup

Pro Tip: Start here before trying more complex or competitive board games. Cooperative games lower pressure and build foundational skills like planning, negotiating, and shared goal-setting.

For Older Kids

Games that build strategy, visual-spatial thinking, turn-taking, and flexible thinking.

• Blokus

• Kanoodle

• Magnetic puzzle/logic games

• Stacking Tetris-style games

These are perfect for kids who love a challenge and enjoy independent or shared problem-solving activities.

At the End of the Day…

You don’t need anything fancy to support your child’s development.
You don’t need the “perfect” toy.
You don’t need to spend a lot.

Children thrive on connection. If all you do this holiday season is laugh, play, act silly, read a story, or dance in the living room, you’re doing more than enough.

But if you’re shopping and want ideas that bring joy and build skills, we hope this guide gives you a helpful starting place. We’ve added Amazon affiliate links to make browsing easier.

Wishing you a season filled with meaningful moments and playful memories.
— Brittany (SLP) & Shawna (RBA), Elemenoe 🎄💛