Bookish Gifts for Readers and Writers
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Are you looking for reading and writing gifts for kids? Sometimes all it takes for kids (and me) to want to write or read are creative literacy gifts like a new journal or a playful word game.
These literacy gifts for kids will inspire them to read more, write more, and appreciate words and stories.
Go HERE for the Complete Holiday Gift Guide!
Bookish Gifts for Readers and Writers
Bookish Gifts for Ages 2, 3, 4, and 5
Storypod
ages 3+
On this interactive audio system, tap any Craftie, Audiobook or Trivia Card on top of the device and activate educational and entertaining audio content (Music/Songs, Fables, Fairy Tales, Stories, Biographies, and so much more.) My friend’s kids LOVE their Storypods.
Hot Dots Alphabet Set with 72 Activities
ages 3+
Practice the alphabet. Press the interactive Hot Dots Pen to any answer dot to receive instant feedback – green lights and congratulatory sounds for correct responses, red light, and gentle redirection for incorrect answers. Pen provides audio feedback and lights up green for correct responses and provides gentle redirection and lights up red for incorrect answers.
Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney (book and plush)
ages 2 – 4
Kids adore this classic rhyming story about a little llama who is struggling to go to sleep without his mama.
Yoto Player
ages 3+
300+ world-class, content cards from a curated selection of bestselling audiobooks, music, and singalongs. Simple animated pixel graphics also enhance creativity, phonics, math, and learning experiences. Record personalized audio cards for fun playback, too.
Fridge Phonics
ages 2 – 4
My kids LOVED this so much and so did I because it gave them fun ways to learn their letters and letter sounds with the letter’s name, sound, and many songs. Highly recommended.
My First Scribble
ages 2+
Starting when your child can hold a crayon, encourage them to draw and write — it’s the foundation of literacy skills. My daughter carried this exact notebook around with her for a year until she filled it up. Of course, I saved it because it’s so precious! The spiral binding makes it so easy to use. LOVE!! Pair with jumbo crayons or jumbo colored pencils and a cute carrying case.
My First Crayons
ages 2+
Build hand strength (which is important for handwriting) with these colorful crayons designed for toddlers.
Doodle Tablet
ages 3+
An LED writing tablet to use with a stylus that can encourage kids to write, doodle, and draw.
Monsters in Trucks by Laura Baker, illustrated by Nina Dzyvulska
TRUCKS
Toddlers and preschoolers will love the exuberant explosion of colors, monsters, and trucks filling every page. The rhyming text shows monsters building, drilling, and working very hard, whether they’re cleaning the street or eating everything they can. 100% adorable.
Richard Scarry’s Super Silly Seek and Find!
Ages 0 – 3
This is a colorful, oversized seek and find board book perfect for ages zero to three. From the bedroom to the bathroom to outside on a busy street and gas station, your littles will get to look for one or more items such as 3 trash cans, 7 green bugs, and 1 potted plant. Highly recommended to share with the little readers on your lap.
Geomag Magnetic Toys
ages 3+
Building blocks with letters will help your kids learn letters and start to build words as they grow older. This gift is playful learning at its best!
LeapFrog Spin and Sing Alphabet Zoo
6 months – 36 months
Play with letters, animals, and music with each spin of the wheel. Push and slide to develop motor skills.
Animal ABC Flash Cards
I’m not a fan of flashcards per se, but I love these because they are different, they are like a mini-alphabet book! Sturdy cards on a big ring with engaging illustrations that showcase an animal as well as the big and small letter of the alphabet. Great for on-the-go.
B is For Bananas by Carrie Tillotson, illustrated by Estrela Lourenco
BEDTIME
A silly story that will make you giggle, this alphabet book is really a story about Banana who does not want to go to sleep! He interrupts the narrator and shows his wide-awakeness, creativity, and energy! Also, he doesn’t need a bath– he wants to jump and be wild. Will Banana ever zonk out?
Play-Doh Letters and Language Set
Use the 26 letter stampers, stylus, roller, placemats, and play-doh to practice recognizing letters and letter sounds. Great for developing literacy skills in young readers.
Elephant and Piggie T-Shirt
I couldn’t resist including this darling shirt for a gift idea. Isn’t this an awesome celebration of a favorite book series?
My ABC Keepsake Book
ages 4+
I think the My ABC Book Keepsake is so cute — it’s filled with eye-catching stickers, punch-out’s and artwork. Create an activity for “A,” a birthday bash for “B”, and a celebration for “C!”
Mr. Pencil Scribble and Write
ages 4+
Use the stylus to trace letters (upper and lower case), numbers, and shapes. Then watch as it comes alive with cute animals.
Alphabet Slap Jack
ages 4+
Help children learn their upper and lowercase ABCs while playing a fun card game of SlapJack, Go Fish, and matching games
Hot Dots Jr. Phonics
ages 3 – 6
I hear from many parents and homeschoolers that their children love this set that lets them learn and practice letter sounds, initial sounds, final sounds, and rhyming words. PEN sold here.
Reading and Writing Gifts for 5 – 9-Year-Olds
Maybe by Kobi Yamada (book and plush pig)
all ages
This book is a read aloud treasure for young kids and older kids. My hair stylist’s two-year-old loves it and he usually can’t sit still for books. It also made her 14-year-old niece cry.
Melissa & Doug See & Spell
ages 4+
50+ piece colorful wooden puzzle with easy-to-handle letters that fit into 8 2 sided cutout boards to spell 3 and 4 letter words.
LEGO DOTS DIY Alphabet
ages 6+
Kids can boost their creative skills by using the 700+ tiles of DOTS to customize their message boards, and room decor items.
Literati Book Clubs for Kids
all ages
Give the gift of books with curated, just-right, highly interesting books that arrive every single month with a selection of books that spark curiosity, intellect, and a spirit of discovery for each child.
Animal Village Create a Story
ages 5+
Cards with woodland animal characters, locations, and props encourage imagination and storytelling will inspire your bookish, creative kids.
Super Silly Mad Libs Junior
ages 6+
Perfect for the youngest readers and writers, these are hilarious fill-in-the-blank stories that remind kids about parts of speech and storytelling. Older kids, buy The Best of Mad Libs.
Zingo
ages 4+
Kids love this fun literacy game– it’s a fun way to build reading skills for pre-readers and beginning readers!
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Racecar Pens
ages 6+
Cool car pens in sport sleek designs. What bookish child wouldn’t want to write with these to create their own stories?
Book-Tails Bookmark: Dragon
A cute glasses-wearing dragon bookmark!
Reading Headlamp
ages 6+
Headlamps beat book lamps for reading hands down. Why? Because they’re hands-free AND have much better light! (All over the page light, not just in one spot.) Plus, how cool are you when you sit in bed with a headlamp?! Gift this reading gift along with a new book for your next holiday.
Magnetic Poetry First Words
ages 6+
120 magnetic word tiles will motivate kids to create sentences and stories.
Dragon Bookmark Book Tail
Give your kids a cute book dragon to mark their place in a book.
Illustory Create Your Own Book
ages 4+
Write and illustrate the 18 ready-to-use book pages with the provided pencil and artist eraser, outline pen, and markers. Mail-in a postage-paid envelope and a few weeks later, you’ll receive your professionally printed book! Younger kids, try the Lulu Jr. Illustory.
The Ultimate Invisible Ink Activity Book
ages 6+
Use a regular pen or an invisible ink pen to fill in this fun activity book with secret codes, fill-in-the-blank stories, quizzes, games, and other fun activities.
EPIC
Get a membership to this app and website to have access to thousands of children’s ebooks, making reading books fun with easy access.
Reading and Writing Gifts for Kids Ages 8 – 12
Plantable Pencils
Use these pencils with punny plant quotes, and then plant the stub when you’re finished and see what grows!
Give this Book a Cover: Spark Your Imagination with Over 100 Activities by Jared Lerner and You
ages 7+
Drawing and writing prompts will give kids fun activities to complete on their own. They’ll get to finish a comic panel story, write a story about a cactus, learn to draw in steps, and much more. Engaging & fun.
One of Our Giant Robots Is Missing: A Solve-the-Story Puzzle Adventure by Russel Ginns and Jonathan Maier, illustrated by Andy Norman
ages 7 – 11
At Roboland, Alicia gets separated from her classmates. She wanders into the employee’s only area and overhears them talking about dismantling her favorite robot, MegaTom. She knows it’s up to her to save him. Help her save MegaTom by solving the puzzles and mazes before the employees find out and catch up to them. You’ll love this exciting, interactive puzzle adventure from Puzzlooies!
Literati Book Clubs for Kids
all ages
Give the gift of curated, just-right, highly interesting books every single month with a selection of books that spark curiosity, intellect, and a spirit of discovery for each child.
Storymatic Kids!
ages 8+
360 cards = gazillions of stories (20 blanks included so you can invent your own prompts). This fun literacy gift for kids comes with a booklet filled with prompts, improv and party games, and suggestions. We own it and love it!
Travis Daventhorpe by Wes Molebash
FANTASY / GRAPHIC NOVEL
288 pages
Travis is a science-loving kid with an intelligent robot named Travbot who flies. After pulling a sword from a stone, Travis learns that he’s the prophesied hero who will defeat the evil Nol Invictus. Add in a black-hand birthmark, portals between the worlds, video-game-like character profiles, terrible swordsmanship, and intelligent dialogue, and you have a super-compelling, totally hilarious story.
Yummy Scented Glitter Gel Pens
ages 7+
My kids LOVE to write with these yummy smelling and sparkly colorful set of 12 pens. These last forever, too and make a perfect holiday gift for kids.
People Reading Books 1,000 Piece Puzzle
I just got this bookish puzzle for us and we loved it.
The Amazing Story Generator
ages 7+
Give this flipbook to your writers, allowing them to randomly combine three different story elements to generate a unique story idea. With hundreds of settings, characters, and plots to mix and match, the possibilities are just about endless. Full review of The Amazing Story Generator here.
Scurry by Mac Smith
ANIMAL ADVENTURE / GRAPHIC NOVEL
I love the art in this graphic novel about a post-apocalyptic time with no humans and only animals. The house mice are scrounging to survive from what the humans left, but there isn’t enough food for their community. When our hero Wix leaves to scout more food, he discovers the rat’s betrayal, dangerous predators, including hawks and crows, and a strange beaver kingdom. It’s an epic animal adventure of danger, bravery, and exploration!
Pocket Pals Mini Journals
Set of 5 pocket journals with brightly colored covers and lined pages. The perfect gift for your kids who like to write on the go.
Curbside Trash and Recycle Pencil Organizer
Two adorable mini storage containers that stand over 5-Inch tall — love these!
Kindle Kids Bundle
Perfect for growing readers, this Kindle Kids Edition offers a black-and-white glare-free display with no games, no ads, and no videos. It includes many popular book series including Harry Potter.
Metal Globe Pencil Sharpener
This Maped Globe Canister Pencil Sharpener is not only educational, but it’s also a lot of fun to use. With a single hole, it is great for sharpening the points of regular lead or colored pencils with the twist of your hand.
Match Point by Maddie Gallegos
review written by my daughter Jemma Tayor
REALISTIC (GRAPHIC NOVEL)
256 pages
Match Point by Maddie Gallegos is one of my favorite books I’ve read in the past year, with a cute style, wholesome story, and a message about the importance of communication. They also integrate ASL into the book in a really natural and interesting way for the graphic novel medium. Rosie’s dad wants her to become the racquetball champion, but she hates the sport. When she meets Blair, a cool girl her age who plays as well, she finally starts to learn how to have fun with the game again.
The Kids Awesome Activity Book by Mike Lowery
Visually appealing, kids will like how this colorful book offers a wide variety of engaging ideas in the form of stickers, games, mazes, drawing prompts, writing prompts, and more. It’s hefty, too — 121 pages with 96 prompts — so this one book contains hours of activity fun!
Embossed Journal with Lock
Perfect for the teen writer, this is a handcrafted journal with 120 pages of linen parchment paper and a swivel lock. Okay, I wouldn’t mind this gift either.
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide
Young and not-as-young writers LOVE this book. Flip to any emotion to get ideas for possible body language cues, thoughts, and visceral responses to illustrate that emotion. If your child loves to write stories, this is a helpful gift.
Bananagrams Game
ages 7+
Brainstorm vocabulary and practice spelling while you build a cool crossword grid and try to beat your friends or family. Addictive fun!
Quiddler Card Game
ages 8+
Think of this like scrabble but with cards. Create words from the cards in your hand — each letter is worth points so players must be strategic. It’s an engaging way for growing readers and writers to develop vocabulary in a fun family time game.
Bookworm Journal
Keep track of your favorite books with this book lover’s journal. Kids rate their books with stars and write down a few sentences about it, among other activities. Talk about a super cute reading gift!
Little Free Library Box
You can make or buy a Little Free Library! Put it in the front of your house and share books with your neighborhood.
Box Book Sets book series are the best reading gift to give a child… they give your children hours and hours of reading pleasure and they’re fun to collect. I doubt my daughter will ever get rid of her Harry Potter boxed set. Ever. 🙂
The Best Board Books for Babies and Toddlers
Age 2:
20 Best Books for Age 2
Age 3:
Best Books for Age 3
Age 4 & 5:
Best Books for Ages 4 and 5
5- and 6-Year-Olds:
Best Easy Reader Books for 5-and 6-Year Olds
Best NONFICTION Books for 5-and 6-Year-Olds
6- and 7-Year-Olds:
Best Easy / Beginning Chapter Books for 6- and 7-Year-Olds
7-Year-Olds:
Best Books for 7-Year-Olds (2nd Grade)
18 Fantastic Chapter Book Series for 2nd Graders (7-Year-Olds)
Best NONFICTION Books for 7-Year-Olds
8-Year-Olds:
Best Books for 8-Year-Olds (3rd Grade)
24 Book Series for 3rd Graders (8-Year-Olds)
Best NONFICTION Books for 8-Year-Olds
9-Year-Olds:
Best Books for 9-Year-Olds (4th Grade)
32 Book Series for 4th Graders (9-Year-Olds)
Best NONFICTION Books for 9-Year-Olds
10-Year-Olds:
Best Books for 10-Year-Olds (5th Grade)
27 Book Series for 5th Graders (10-Year-Olds)
Best NONFICTION Books for 10-Year-Olds
11-Year-Olds:
Best Books for 11-Year-Olds (6th Grade)
26 Book Series for 6th Graders (11-Year-Olds)
Best NONFICTION Books for 11-Year-Olds
12-Year-Olds:
Best Books for 12-Year-Olds (7th Grade)
Best Book Series for 7th Graders (12-Year-Olds)
Best NONFICTION Books for 12-Year-Olds
13+:
Best Books for Teens
Reading and Writing Gifts For Kids Ages 13+
Literary Notepad
ages 12+
How cute is this book-shaped notepad filled with blank, lined pages?
Tree of Hearts Journal
What a lovely looking 5 x 7 lined journal for all your thoughts and creative musings!
Create This Book
Color, imagine, write, and create in this book of prompts and activities.
Kindle Fire
For kids who like technology, the Kindle is an enticing way to read. My kids both have their own and go through phases of reading hardbound books and ebooks. It’s nice to have the option of ebooks, especially when you’re traveling and don’t want the weight of heavy books. We think this makes for a wonderful reading gift!
Audible Membership
My teenage daughter can’t get through an audiobook in three weeks, the time for her to borrow an audiobook from the library. That’s why I’m spending money on Audible so she will READ A BOOK. Because with so many school-required books, she isn’t reading books and prefers to listen to an audiobook while she draws or does something else. It’s expensive, but I really think it’s worth it to keep her in books!
Colorful Blank Notebook
Beautiful watercolor designs on the pages will inspire thoughts, gratitude, stories, plans, and more.
Want more awesome gift ideas?
Gift Guides by Age
Best Toys & Gifts for 3 Year Olds
Best Toys & Gifts for 4 Year Old Boys
Best Toys & Gifts for 4 Year Old Girls
Best Toys & Gifts for 5 Year Old Boys
Best Toys & Gifts for 5 Year Old Girls
Best Toys & Gifts for 6 Year Old Boys
Best Toys & Gifts for 6 Year Old Girls
Best Toys & Gifts for 7 Year Old Boys
Best Toys & Gifts for 7 Year Old Girls
Best Toys & Gifts for 8 Year Old Boys
Best Toys & Gifts for 8 Year Old Girls
Best Toys & Gifts for 9 Year Old Boys
Best Toys & Gifts for 9 Year Old Girls
Best Toys & Gifts for 10 Year Old Boys
Best Toys & Gifts for 10 Year Old Girls
Best Toys & Gifts for 11 Year Old Boys
Best Toys & Gifts for 11 Year Old Girls
Best Toys & Gifts for 12 Year Old Boys
Best Toys & Gifts for 12 Year Old Girls
Best Toys & Gifts for 13 Year Old Girls
Best Toys & Gifts for 13 Year Old Boys
Best Toys & Gifts for Teen Boys
Best Toys & Gifts for Teen Girls
Holiday Gifts for Kids: Gift Guide for All Ages
Best Monthly Subscription Boxes for Kids
BEST GAMES FOR KIDS TO GIVE AS GIFTS
My niece’s birthday is fast approaching, and that is why I’m thinking of gifting her with a children’s E-book that will help enhance her cognitive skills. Well, I agree with you that it would be a great idea to give her the 26 letter stampers too since this will help develop her literacy skills. We also share the opinion that it’s a smart move to give her puzzles as well.