24 Sinterklaas gifts for ages 1 to 4, from shoe to sack
For Sinterklaas, I鈥檇 start with what your child keeps coming back to at the moment: tapping, riding, building, pretend baking, playing house or searching a busy page. These twenty-four ideas run from age one to four, youngest first, and mix bigger presents for pakjesavond on 5 December with small ones for the shoe. Each pick shows its age, so you can quickly see which suit your child this year. One good gift is enough, and a shoe gift only needs to be small.
1. Hape Pound and Tap Bench, E0305
Age: 10 months+
For a one- or two-year-old who taps on everything within reach, this wooden bench gives the tapping somewhere to go. Knock the three balls through one by one with the hammer, then gather them up and start again. The xylophone also slides out, so the same hammer can play it on the bench or on its own. It is a percussion toy, so expect some noise on pakjesavond and after. This is Hape E0305, which Hape gives from 10 months.
A little way to play: Name the colour of each bar as your child taps it, then tap two bars yourself and see whether they want to copy you.
10 months+ 路 Hape E0305 路 6 parts: wooden bench, slide-out xylophone, hammer and three balls
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2. Mushie nesting stars
Age: 10 months+
A small gift for the shoe, for a baby nearing one or a new one-year-old who likes putting one thing inside another. These five stars in graded sizes nest together and stack up, so there is a tower to build, a stack to knock down and a set to fit back together. At first your child may simply hold a star, turn it over or tap two together, and that is a good start too. This is the Mushie nesting stars set, a gift that can keep coming out long after the shoe has gone back in the cupboard.
A little way to play: Build a short tower of stars together, let your child knock it down, then nest the stars back inside each other.
10 months+ 路 Mushie nesting stars 路 5 stars in graded sizes to nest and stack
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3. Plus-Plus BIG Basic, 150 pieces, 3272
Age: 12 months+
For a toddler who likes pushing things together and pulling them apart again, Plus-Plus BIG is one simple shape in a size small hands can hold. Join two pieces, then a third, and lay them flat like a mat or stand them upright. Every piece is the same, so there is no wrong way to begin, and an older brother or sister can build alongside. This is the BIG Basic box of 150 pieces, set 3272, which the maker gives for 12 months to 6 years.
A little way to play: Join a few pieces into a flat strip together, then ask your child what it could be: a road, a snake or a fence.
12 months+ 路 Plus-Plus BIG Basic 3272 路 150 large interlocking pieces 路 Does not fit Plus-Plus Mini
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4. Hape Pepe wooden pull-along dog, E0347
Age: 12 months+
For a child who has just started walking, a little companion on a cord gives each trip across the room a reason. Pepe is a wooden dog on wheels: hold the cord, set off and look back to see who is following. Later it can join other games, taken for a walk to the sofa, given a drink or tucked in for the night. Hape gives it from 12 months. The pull cord is the one thing to watch: when you are not playing together, keep it out of reach of very young children.
A little way to play: Take Pepe for a walk to a favourite spot in the house together, then let your child choose where to go next.
12 months+ 路 Hape Pepe E0347 路 Wooden dog on wheels with a pull cord 路 Keep the cord from very young children when not playing together
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5. Eichhorn Natural Wooden Building Blocks, 100 pieces
Age: 1 year+
For a one-year-old who loves putting things in and tipping them out, this container of natural wooden blocks offers building and sorting in one. There are 100 FSC beech blocks in different shapes, on a 25 mm base size, so they are smaller than large standard unit blocks. The container has a shape-sorting lid: post a block through the matching hole, tip them all out, then build a tower or a wall together. Use them under adult supervision. This is the Eichhorn set of 100 natural wooden building blocks.
A little way to play: Build a low tower together, then let your child choose a block and find the hole in the lid it goes through.
1 year+ 路 Eichhorn natural wooden building blocks, 100 pieces 路 FSC beech, 25 mm base size 路 Container with shape-sorting lid 路 Use under adult supervision
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6. Hape wooden ball racetrack, E0430
Age: 12 months+
For a toddler who drops things just to watch them fall, this wooden racetrack gives that a game of its own. Drop a ball in at the top, watch it roll down the track, collect it at the bottom and start again. Doing it again and again is the whole game, and it is easy to take turns. Set the track on a stable, level surface, such as the floor or a low table, before your child starts. This is Hape E0430, Roller Derby, which Hape gives from 12 months.
A little way to play: Count down together before each ball goes in, then let your child catch it at the bottom.
12 months+ 路 Hape E0430, Roller Derby 路 Wooden ball racetrack, 4 parts 路 Set on a stable, level surface
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7. Hape First Balance Bike, three wheels, E0104
Age: 18 months+
For a toddler from about 18 months who is always on the move, this is a first bike to push along with both feet. With three wheels it stays upright while they climb on, and the whole bike weighs about 1.45 kg, light enough for small arms to steer and for you to carry home from the park. The saddle adjusts as they grow, and it goes together without tools, which helps on pakjesavond. A hallway is enough for the first rides. This is Hape E0104, which Hape gives from 18 months.
A little way to play: Walk alongside to the end of the hallway or path and back, letting your child push off with both feet at their own pace.
18 months+ 路 Hape E0104, First Balance Bike 路 Three wheels, aluminium frame, about 1.45 kg 路 Adjustable saddle 路 No tools needed to assemble
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8. Maped Color鈥橮eps My First wax crayons, 6 pieces, 863806
Age: 18 months+
A small gift for the shoe, this is a first set of crayons for a toddler who wants to draw like everyone else at the table. The six crayons are chunky and rounded, made to hold in the whole hand, so a big scribble across the page is exactly the point. Sit alongside with a crayon of your own and follow their lines, or let them cover a whole sheet in one colour. This is the Maped Color鈥橮eps My First set of six. Stay close during the first drawing sessions, and leave some paper by the shoe if there is no room inside.
A little way to play: Tape a large sheet of paper to the table so it stays put, draw one line and let your child add theirs beside it.
18 months+ 路 Maped Color鈥橮eps My First 863806 路 6 chunky wax crayons for a whole-hand grip 路 Paper needed
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9. Fat Brain Toys InnyBin
Age: 18 months+
For a toddler who likes to post things and get them back, InnyBin gives the pushing somewhere to go. Press each of the six textured shapes through the flexible grid, then get the shapes out again and start over. Because the shapes are textured, there is something to feel as well as push, and it works as quiet play on their own or a turn-taking game with you. This is Fat Brain Toys InnyBin, F251, labelled from 18 months, a present that suits a child who repeats the same game happily.
A little way to play: Hand your child one shape at a time and talk about how it feels as they push it through.
18 months+ 路 Fat Brain Toys InnyBin F251 路 6 textured shapes to push through a flexible grid
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10. BONNYCO Jungle Animals XXL floor puzzle, 48 pieces
Age: 2 years+
For a two-year-old who loves animals and has some floor space, this XXL jungle puzzle makes a big present for pakjesavond. The 48 pieces are large and made of thick laminated cardboard, and the finished picture measures 92 脳 62 cm, with a lion, giraffe, elephant, zebra, hippo and iguana to find. Spread the pieces out, choose one animal to start with and build that corner together, using the guide sheet when you need a clue. It does not need finishing in one go, and the box has a handle for putting it away. This is BONNYCO GE0118.
A little way to play: Pick one animal, find all its pieces together, then look for where that corner joins the rest of the jungle.
2 years+ 路 BONNYCO GE0118, Jungle Animals 路 48 large pieces of thick laminated cardboard 路 Finished size 92 脳 62 cm 路 Guide sheet and box with handle
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11. Play-Doh classic colours, four tubs
Age: 2 years+
For a two- or three-year-old who likes to squash, roll and poke, four tubs of Play-Doh make a small gift for the shoe. Roll a snake, flatten a pancake or pinch out a little cake, and let your child decide whether to keep the colours apart or mix them all together. There is no design to follow, so the same tubs can come out again and again. These are the classic colours, red, blue, green and yellow, in 85 g tubs. The dough contains wheat and is not for eating, so stay close to a child who still tastes things.
A little way to play: Roll a ball of dough each, then see who can stretch theirs into the longest snake.
2 years+ 路 Play-Doh classic colours 路 4 tubs of 85 g: red, blue, green and yellow 路 Contains wheat; not for eating
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12. HABA Rainbow Whirls wooden peg and ring game, 2202
Age: 2 years+
For a two-year-old who likes sorting and stacking, this wooden board comes with 16 pegs and 16 rings in eight colours to match, arrange and build into small towers. Put a ring on a peg, look for another in the same colour, or arrange the pieces on the board in a pattern of their own. There is no one right result, so it can be a sorting game one day and a row of little towers the next. The pegs and rings are separate pieces, so gather them up after play. This is HABA Rainbow Whirls, 2202, which HABA recommends from 2 years.
A little way to play: Pick a colour together and see whether your child can find every peg and ring in it.
2 years+ 路 HABA 2202, Rainbow Whirls 路 Wooden board with 16 separate pegs and 16 rings in 8 colours
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13. Here We Are, Oliver Jeffers
Age: Read together; retailer: 2 years+
To me, this is one of the most beautiful and moving picture books. Oliver Jeffers introduces our world through people, animals, land and sky, with a gentle feeling of looking after one another. There is plenty to notice in the pictures, so you can follow whatever catches your child鈥檚 attention and leave the rest for another evening. It is a book to read together, a quieter present among the parcels. This is the English hardback, and it is also in our books for 3-year-olds.
A little way to play: Find something in one picture that you also have at home, then look for something neither of you has seen before.
Read together 路 Retailer: 2 years+ 路 Oliver Jeffers, English hardback 路 ISBN 9780008266165
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14. Djeco Little M茅mo garden memory game, DJ08552
Age: 3 years+
For a three-year-old who is ready for a first game with turns, Little M茅mo is set in a garden. Look at the little creatures together, then everyone closes their eyes while one of them is hidden under the cardboard bush. Open your eyes and work out who is missing. A game takes about ten minutes for two to four players, and there is nothing to read. This is Djeco Little M茅mo, DJ08552, with nine small creature figures and 30 tokens. Djeco gives 2陆 years, but a retailer shows a small-parts warning for under-threes, so keep it away from younger siblings.
A little way to play: Put out just three or four creatures, hide one under the bush while your child closes their eyes, and let them say who has gone.
3 years+ 路 Djeco DJ08552, Little M茅mo 路 9 small creature figures, 30 tokens and a cardboard bush 路 2 to 4 players, about 10 minutes 路 Small parts: keep from children under 3
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15. MAGNA-TILES microMAGS Travel Set, 26 pieces
Age: 3 years+
For a child who builds wherever they sit, this travel set holds 26 small magnetic tiles in a metal tin, and the tin doubles as a base to build on. A three-year-old can stand squares up as walls, lean triangles together for a roof and pull it all apart again. There are 12 squares and 14 triangles in three shapes, enough for a small house or a tower. Everything packs back into the tin, so it suits a car journey, a train or a restaurant table over the winter. This is the standard 26-piece microMAGS Travel Set.
A little way to play: Build a small house on the tin together, then take turns adding one tile to make it taller.
3 years+ 路 MAGNA-TILES microMAGS Travel Set 路 26 small magnetic tiles: 12 squares, 14 triangles 路 Metal tin doubles as a building base
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16. Melissa & Doug Slice & Bake Cookie Set, 29 pieces
Age: 3 years+
For a three- or four-year-old who wants to help whenever there is baking in December, this set lets them run a bakery of their own. Slice through the cookies with the knife, add a topping, line them up on the baking tray and slide it into a pretend oven, then lift them out with the oven glove and spatula. There are 12 cookies that can be cut through and 12 toppings, so there is plenty to share with the family on pakjesavond. Everything goes back into a round tin. This is Melissa & Doug 4074, the Slice & Bake Cookie Set.
A little way to play: Open a bakery together: your child bakes a cookie with the topping you order, then you swap and they place the order.
3 years+ 路 Melissa & Doug 4074 路 12 wooden cookies to cut through, 12 toppings, spatula, knife, baking tray and oven glove 路 Round storage tin
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17. Sylvanian Families Chocolate Rabbit Family, 5655
Age: 3 years+
For a three- or four-year-old who acts out family life with small figures, this is the Chocolate Rabbit Family: a father, a mother, a girl and a boy. The rabbits can be posed, so they can sit down to dinner or set off for school, and their clothes come off and go back on. Houses and furniture are sold separately, so a shoebox or a corner of a shelf can be their first home. This is Sylvanian Families set 5655, the family only, for a child who likes quiet small-world play and making up stories.
A little way to play: Let your child give each rabbit a name, then act out one small moment together, such as getting ready for bed.
3 years+ 路 Sylvanian Families 5655 路 4 posable rabbits: father, mother, girl and boy 路 Removable clothes 路 Houses and furniture sold separately
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18. Melissa & Doug Water WOW! Farm, 19232
Age: 3 years+
A small gift for the shoe, for a three-year-old who likes painting. Fill the chunky pen with water, brush it over a white page and a colourful farm scene appears; as the page dries, the colours fade and it is ready to paint again. There are four farm pages on a spiral pad, and it needs nothing but water, so there is no paint to wash out of clothes. That makes it easy to take to the table, on a car journey or to a waiting room. This is Melissa & Doug Water WOW! Farm, 19232.
A little way to play: Before painting, ask your child which farm animal might be hiding on the page, then paint together to find out.
3 years+ 路 Melissa & Doug Water WOW! Farm 19232 路 Spiral pad with 4 reusable farm pages 路 Chunky refillable water pen 路 Water only
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19. Melissa & Doug Let鈥檚 Play House cleaning set
Age: 3 years+
For a three-year-old who wants to help whenever you clean, this set gives them child-sized tools of their own, with wooden handles and a wooden stand to keep them on. They can join in when you tidy up after pakjesavond, then carry on in pretend play, cleaning a toy kitchen, a doll鈥檚 house or a shop they have set up. Show them how you hold each tool and let them copy you. This is the Melissa & Doug Let鈥檚 Play House cleaning set, which the maker gives from 3 years. Each tool has its own place on the stand, so putting them away can be part of the game.
A little way to play: Give your child one tool and one small job, such as a corner of the kitchen, then swap jobs.
3 years+ 路 Melissa & Doug Let鈥檚 Play House cleaning set 路 Child-sized cleaning tools with wooden handles 路 Wooden storage stand
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20. Janod Magneti鈥檅ook Dinosaurs
Age: 3 years+
A small gift for the shoe, for a three-year-old who is all about dinosaurs. Open the book-shaped box and there are 40 magnetic pieces and 10 model cards: your child builds a dinosaur by copying a card, or mixes the pieces into a creature of their own. It is quiet play that works at the table, on the sofa or on a journey to visit family. This is Janod model J02590, the dinosaur edition of the Magneti鈥檅ook.
A little way to play: Choose a card together, place the first piece, then let your child finish the dinosaur and give it a name.
3 years+ 路 Janod J02590, Magneti鈥檅ook Dinosaurs 路 40 magnetic pieces and 10 model cards in a book-shaped box
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21. Kinetic Sand Pink, 907 g
Age: 3 years+
For a three- or four-year-old who loves squeezing and shaping, this is 907 g of pink kinetic sand. It sticks to itself and does not dry out, so it can be kneaded, pressed into shapes and broken up again, and the same sand can be used over and over. It is sand only, with no moulds or tools, so add a cup, a spoon or cookie cutters from the kitchen. Use it under adult supervision and keep it on a tray. This is Kinetic Sand Pink, 907 g.
A little way to play: Press the sand into a cup to make a tower, tip it out together and let your child decide whether to keep it or squash it.
3 years+ 路 Kinetic Sand Pink 路 907 g of sand, no moulds or tools 路 Use under adult supervision, on a tray
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22. JOYIN Mini City Cars & Trucks, 18 vehicles
Age: 3 years+
For a three- or four-year-old who sets up traffic jams on the living room floor, this set has 18 small vehicles for city stories, including emergency vehicles, buses and work trucks. Pull a car back, let go and watch it drive off: the pull-back mechanism needs no batteries. A road drawn on a large sheet of paper turns them into a whole town. The vehicles are small and meant for children from 3 years, so keep them away from younger siblings. Designs and colours may vary from the photo.
A little way to play: Line up two cars, pull them back together and let go to see which one goes furthest.
3 years+ 路 JOYIN Mini City Cars & Trucks 路 18 pull-back vehicles, no batteries 路 Designs and colours may vary 路 Small vehicles: keep from younger siblings
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23. Sinterklaas zoekboek, Charlotte Dematons, Dutch edition
Age: 4 years+
For a four-year-old who wonders what Sinterklaas does all year, Charlotte Dematons draws his world in big, busy scenes: the house in Spain, the workshop, the steamboat and the flat where the Pieten live, climbing wall and all. You can stay on one page for a long time, following a Piet or looking for Witje, Sinterklaas鈥檚 cat. This is the Dutch edition, but the book works through its pictures, so you can look together in any language. Our ideas for a 4-year-old include another look-and-find book, Rotraut Susanne Berner鈥檚 autumn town.
A little way to play: Look for Witje the cat page by page together, then let your child choose the next thing for you to find.
4 years+ 路 Dutch edition 路 Charlotte Dematons, Uitgeverij Dematons, 2023 路 Hardcover, 36 pages, about 25 脳 34 cm 路 ISBN 9789083340777
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24. AMIGO Halli Galli Junior, 7790
Age: 4 years+
For a family that likes a lively game after dinner, Halli Galli Junior is a card game with a bell, set in a circus. Players turn over picture cards and race to ring the bell when they spot the right clowns on the open cards. It is for two to four players, so a four-year-old can take on older brothers, sisters or grandparents. This is the German AMIGO edition, 7790: the cards are pictures, but the rules are in German, so read them through before pakjesavond.
A little way to play: Play a few slow rounds first, pointing to the clowns together, before you start racing for the bell.
4 years+ 路 AMIGO 7790, German edition 路 Picture cards and a bell 路 2 to 4 players 路 Rules in German
View on Amazon.nlHow do you make a Sinterklaas wishlist and share it with family?
Your child can still draw their wishes for the shoe; an online list is for the grown-ups who ask what to buy. A free Listeca list can hold gifts from any shop, and you share one link on WhatsApp. Family reserve the gift they choose, which helps prevent two people buying the same present. Reserving is not buying: they still buy it themselves at the shop. Here is how a Listeca wishlist works.
What do you put in a child鈥檚 shoe for Sinterklaas?
Something small that suits the child鈥檚 age. In this list, the Mushie nesting stars (10 months+), the Maped crayons (18 months+), Play-Doh (2 years+), and the Water WOW! Farm pad and Janod Magneti鈥檅ook Dinosaurs (3 years+) are small gifts to put in or beside the shoe. Watch for small pieces when a younger brother or sister puts out a shoe too. For a one-year-old, our first birthday ideas include a few more small gifts.
How many presents do you give at Sinterklaas?
There is no rule. I鈥檇 choose one present for pakjesavond that suits how your child plays now, and keep any shoe gifts small. If grandparents, aunts and uncles all want to give something, they can each choose a different gift from the same list, or join together for one bigger present. For a young child, one present to open slowly and play with straight away can be enough.
Making a Sinterklaas wishlist? Create a wishlist