I don't know what to get my 6 year old for Christmas/Yule!

[Pam_and_Abigail]

I'm stuck. I've got a month. I need help.

My first idea is to get my girls (ages 6 yrs and 3 1/2) a nice dollhouse to share, but because of the way they fight, I'm not sure a joint gift is best. DD1 doesn't play well with things that have small pieces (I think she gets overstimulated), whereas dd2 is much more meticulous.

I'm also not sure if dd1 would enjoy it, as she keeps saying she's too old for dolls, too old for toys, etc. I'm not sure how she's growing up so fast.

She's into:
firetrucks (she just got a ryan's room one for her bday)
volcanoes
robots
math
gymnastics
active play (she already has a bike, skateboard and a scooter, but maybe something like a balancing board? Anyone have a link?)
dress-up
baking
ballet
fishing

again, things with small pieces seem to overwhelm her.

[LynnS6]

How about an ambulance to go with the fire truck?

When ds was in his fire truck phase, there was no such thing as "too many" fire trucks, because they are all different. So, we have a pumper, a tiller, a rescue truck, a ladder truck and an ambulance.

Ryan's Room makes a fire house that could go with the fire truck and double as a "doll house" for her (and it's relatively simple, so not too many small parts). Then maybe you could get a small dollhouse for your other dd and then you'd have 2 houses that they could each play with, but they'd be slightly different. (So, the dolls could go off to work at the fire station, say).

What about an experience -- a trip to a fire station? the ballet?

Dress up clothes? We got ds a dynamite fire fighter outfit for his birthday when he was 5 and it still fits him (and gets used) at 7.

6 is also a good age for board games -- a number require some math, so that would be a good way to incorporate that love too.

Science kits - there are some nice "build your own volcano" ones that are pretty simple.

[4evermom]

Do you have any inside space where you could put up a swing or a rope ladder or something?

Do you have a padded mat for tumbling?

You could pick up small scale real baking tins in fun shapes, rolling pin, child size apron, oven mitts, maybe a chef's hat, etc and put together a real baking kit.

[zeldamomma]

How about science kits, or "real" cooking things and a cookbook? When my oldest was that age, Santa brought her a toaster oven and some easy-bake oven accessories.

I wouldn't do a shared gift, your dds are pretty far apart in age, and having to share something like a dollhouse is likely to frustrate them both. If it were something like a swingset that they could both use without having cooperate, that would be different.

ZM

[MommaFox]

:
Or if you've got the space, a little climbing wall to go with the rope ladder, etc. I mean, if you've got space for a balance beam.... Heck, Build a balance beam. Just make sure you keep the area padded. ow!

[Pam_and_Abigail]

I've been trying to get back to this thread to respond for days.

We have very little space, so anything involving it is not going to work (there are 5 of us living in a teensy house, less than 800 sq. feet).

I was thinking she migh be old enough for one of those science experimen kits.

We did the ballet thing last year (and this year we have a baby),I like he Ryan's Room Firehouse idea, but it was hard enough to get the truck to Canada, I can't even find anyone who will ship the firehouse up here.

we already have a lot of baking stuff (pans, aprons, oven mitts, spoons)

A padded mat for tumbling? That sounds fun. Where might I get one of those?

As far as age, there's only 2 years 4 months between them, and when they're not fighting, they play very similarly. I'm going back to the shared dollhouse idea, because I think they both would enjoy it. DD1 would probably outgrow it sooner, but I think she'll be very upset if only her sister gets the dollhouse. I'm thinking I could still get each girl a smaller gift for her own. There's no good way to do it, really.

a) I get dollhouse for both girls, they fight over it
b) I get dollhouse for dd2, they fight over it plus dd1 feels left out
c) I get dollhouse for both, and dd2 feels like she got something she's not interested in

I need to decide soon, or nothing will ship in time. I really like the Rose Cottage dollhouse I found, although I'm also drawn to the M&D folding one, even though I don't like its style, but it's cheap and takes up less space in our teensy house.

Another thought is getting them each a nice Corolle doll. DD1 said she's not into dolls much, bu that she *would* like one that peed so she could change its diaper. I'm also not ready to accept the idea that my little girl is too big for dolls or dollhouses.

[4evermom]

gym mat

I was thinking of this sort of folding mat. I know they tend to be pricey, though.
http://www.webclicshoppingmall.com/FOLDING-GYM-MAT.html

[Literate]

We gave both girls a wooden dollhouse 2 years ago. It's on the train table in dd2's room. They play with it *every* day. Granted, ours is large and we have tons and tons of things for it (they use wooden furniture, little animals, dishes, foods, everything!) so there's lots to share.

[flowmom]

Last year, Santa delivered one gift for my children and the children of another family (1.5 yo, 3 yo, 4 yo and 6 yo) while we were staying at cabins in the woods. Each child got a stomp rocket. It was a real hit and they played with them in surprisingly creative ways.

[LynnS6]

Plan toys makes a fire house too that's wood -- I found some on Ebay.ca

Also found a ryan's room one on Ebay.ca
(OK, they're both shipping from the US, but they are on Ebay.ca, so they must ship to Canada)

IKEA sells some nice sensory furniture, they've got a balance see-saw thing

Is she into trains/trucks at all? A nice little train set doesn't have too many small parts and could "go with" the doll house.

[Pam_and_Abigail]

I made them trains last year (but they don't have tracks, I thought it was more open-ended, but I guess tracks are more fun).

I think we're leaning toward one large, open shared doll house from Plan, and one other smaller gift each, of which dd1's will be more significant. I'm thinking about breaking my rule "no battery operated toys" and getting a remote control vehicle. I'm considering one called a "morphibian"

Thanks for all the suggestions!