Did you know that Christmas is only about a month away? If you haven’t already started on your Christmas shopping, here are some educational gifts that you can order online from local sellers. #supportlocalsg
First of all, I’m a huge fan of giving books as gifts, so here are some of my favourite online bookstores, in alphabetical order: 1. Closetful of Books has a great selection of titles, including some local books. There’s a chat function on the website, and you can ask for book recommendations there.
2. Epigram publishes numerous local books including the popular Sherlock Sam series, as well as interesting titles for adults.
3. Flip for Joy has been my go-to Chinese bookstore since N was a baby! The lady boss, Meiru, never fails to provide excellent book recommendations, so just drop her a DM on IG if you need help picking suitable books.
4. Natventure Books focuses on nature-themed books, all of which have lovely illustrations and beautiful messages.
5. PlayLeXue is my other favourite Chinese bookstore, with Chinese books and educational resources such as busy bags, suitable for various ages.
6. Woods in the Books is a quaint local bookstore, and I like their Sunbeams Surprise boxes which include a selection of handpicked items from their store.
7. World Scientific Education stocks interesting Science-themed books, focusing on STEAM/STEM education, as well as other educational titles.
I also like giving educational gifts, and I’ve found many lovely items from these online stores: 1. Liliewoods Social has a physical store at Great World City if you want to browse through their large selection of books, educational materials and games, but you can also shop online. I particularly like the eeboo puzzles and flashcards, and I almost never walk out of the physical store without buying at least one item.
2. Luka Reads is something we just discovered, and if you’re looking for a robot reading companion for your children, then Luka® is definitely a fantastic option. All three of my kids are in love with our new Luka® Hero and the twins especially have been fighting over it! N uses Luka® Hero to read Chinese books to him, and for someone who is quite resistant to Chinese, it’s really amazing that he can sit there for ages, looking at the words as Luka® Hero reads to him. I’ll be reviewing Luka® Hero soon, so look out for my post but if you can’t wait, use the discount code GWTT20off to get $20 off Luka® Basic and Luka® Hero!
3. Ohmymats (click link for 10% off) is the only store that we get our colouring mats and markers from, as I like the quality and designs offered. Read our review HERE.
4. Tickle Your Senses is my go-to store for sensory play materials, and my kids only play with the TYS play dough because of the great texture and lovely colours. Over the years, we’ve accumulated many items from this online store, and I’ve also ordered their custom packs of play dough and cutters for the twins’ birthday goodie bags. N likes the mini figurines, and I got the twins a Tenderleaf dollhouse for their birthday this year, which they absolutely love. I also started them on one of the Edx Education Math to Go kits, and you can see some photos and videos of them working on it in my IGS Highlights.
5. Le Petit Society’s flagship store at Paragon is another shop that I love. We usually get at least one set of CNY outfits from them, because their designs and fabric choices are always lovely. Meimei loves the Elsa dress that I got from LPS for her! There are also many books, games, activity kits and puzzles available for all ages, so do check out their website if you don’t have time to visit the physical store.
If you’d prefer to shop on Shopee, here are some of the educational items that I like: 1. Mathlink Cubes are great for helping children to visualise numbers, comparing quantities, and can even be used to teach basic problem-solving. My kids however, like using them to build things, especially guns of all shapes and sizes, so I guess it encourages creativity too? Do note that even though there are cheaper sets available, some of them don’t have the different-shaped holes at the side. We haven’t tried those with just circular holes before, but the quality doesn’t look as good when I compare the photos, so I prefer to get these which are from Learning Resources.
2. Sticker books are great stocking stuffers, and I was pleased to find these Usborne ones on Shopee. The quality is pretty good, and I like that there are many different themes to choose from. I actually got them mainly for the twins, but N asked for some as well, and they all spent quite a lot of time working on their sticker books.
3. Math Skills Fractions Learning Resources is a learning kit developed by an MOE-trained teacher, and includes manipulatives to teach fractions. I feel that kids learn best through play, and it’s good for even P1/2 kids to play with these manipulatives, so that they can learn about fractions in a fun way.
4. Learning Resources Fraction Tower is useful for showing kids the relationship between fractions, decimals and percentages. I got this to complement the Math Skills Fractions Learning Resources, and it helps N to visualise the fractions better.
5. Portable Insect Cages are perfect for insect lovers, and I got these for the twins, because they’ve been showing an interest in insects, thanks to KorKor. The large handle makes it easier for them to carry, and they can open and close the container easily when they want to put leaves or caterpillars in.
6. Elephant and Piggie books are really fun to read, especially for new readers. This seller is pretty good, and I like the Oxford Reading Tree books too. The National Geographic readers are being sold at a really great price, and I got both the Nat Geo Level 1 and Nat Geo Level 2 sets as Christmas gifts.
I also shared a list of items that I found very useful for our new home, and I think some of them would make great gifts too! Check out my post HERE.
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