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You are here: Home / Gift Guides / Top Book and Toy Gifts for Preschoolers to Spark Their Imaginations

Top Book and Toy Gifts for Preschoolers to Spark Their Imaginations

October 24, 2018

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Gifts for preschoolers should inspire, not clutter! And what better way to get your little one moving and grooving to the beat of their imagination with a special book and a matching toy. After reading the book, cuddled up with a loved one, your child can springboard off the storytelling into pretend play with one of the matching toys.

Best book and toy gifts for preschoolers

I’ve carefully selected the picture books based on my experience both as a parent and as a story time volunteer and I know your 3-5 year old will love all these choices! So whether your child loves vehicles, space, or going zen with a coloring book, your will find the perfect present in this gift guide for your preschoolers to inspire their imaginative and creative spirits.

(Note: product images and links below are affiliate links.)

Book and Toy Gifts for 3-5 year olds


In Iggy Peck, Architect Iggy loves building so much he will build anything, anywhere out of any material. This best-selling picture book is ideal to inspire creative feats engineering in your preschooler! Give your little builder a set of the Citiblocs. The blocks are precision-cut to be identical which allows children a greater range of building possibilities than traditional blocks.


Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin is an award-winning book that introduces kids to the instrumental members of an orchestra. Preschoolers love making noise, er, I mean music! And don’t know know that a foundation in music is great for later math skills! Kids can make music of their own with  Melissa & Doug Band in a Box.


Sky Color is a lovely book is about a girl who learns that painting the sky goes beyond the color blue. It teaches kids to think outside the box and use their imagination to help them soar! This Silk Rainbow Streamer is perfect for painting the sky during pretend play.


Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site is is one of my (then) 3 year old’s all time favorite books (and he got it as a gift!), and for good reason. The clever rhymes and appealing illustrations of all kinds of trucks will have your child asking for it again and again. Pair it with any construction toy. I like the Melissa & Doug Trailer & Excavator. You could also pair it with the Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site Matching Game and Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site Lacing Cards.


If you find most alphabet books annoying try out the zany Z Is for Moose, named one of the best kid books of its year by Kirkus Reviews. After reading, kids will want to put what they’ve learned into action and exercise their pre-literacy skills with a classic magnetic wooden alphabet set, which comes with both upper and lower case letters.


A Bargain for Frances is book I remember from my own childhood and I always wanted my very own china tea set. It’s a classic story about a little raccoon who visits her friend for a tea party. This Green Toys Tea Set may not be china with a blue pattern like the one Frances covets, but it’s made out of 100% recycled plastic, does not contain BPA, phthalates, or lead paint and meets FDA standards for food safety.


Some kids, like my youngest, have a birthday that falls during the winter holiday. Celebrate with the hilarious A Birthday for Cow!, perfect for toddlers and preschoolers (the Amazon recommended age is 4+, but this is obviously a huge mistake because 3 year olds LOVE this book) and a Wooden Birthday Party Cake. My kids had one of these cakes and it was one of their most used toys during their pretend play sessions. They served me many a slice of wooden cake, and each one was delicious.


Cars Galore is another one of my boys’ favorite books. It truly is one of the most imaginative car-themed books you will ever read and I love that it is oversized so kids can really dig in. Its colorful illustrations and playful, rhyming text will win over every kid. Pair it with any set of toy cars, like this 3-Piece Car Set from Automoblox.


The Scrambled States of America, filled with lots of state facts, is a hilarious way to introduce your kids to the uniqueness of each state. Plus, it’s an excellent example of plain old fashioned excellent story telling. After they fill their brains, they can put together this USA Map Floor Puzzle, which has pieces shaped like the states. My boys adored this puzzle and I credit it with helping them learn geography!


How to Catch a Star from the marvelous author-illustrator Oliver Jeffers is about a boy who dreams up ways to catch hold of his very own star. Kids can catch their own stars and place their very own glow-in the dark constellations on their ceiling. What preschooler doesn’t want to fall asleep under the stars every night. Magical!


Dog Loves Drawing. Dog gets a blank book and starts drawing away, to surprising results. Inspired children can start drawing with Colored EcoPencils made from reforested wood and triangular in shape so they do not roll off the desk. Be sure to include a sketchbook. I love all the sweet Eeboo sketchbooks.

So what are you waiting for? The best gift for preschoolers is definitely a book and toy combination. It’s literacy and pretend play to spark their imaginations.

More gift guides:

STEM book and toy combinations

Best picture books to give as gifts that children don’t already have!

top book toy gifts kidsGifts for 3-5 year olds
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by: Erica posted in: Books, Gift Guides 17 Comments

« 50 Science Picture Books for Kids that Teach about Our Amazing World
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Comments

  1. mamasmilesblog says

    November 29, 2012 at 2:05 pm

    Love these pairings.

    And thanks for explaining what makes Citiblocs so special – I had been wondering (but not enough to figure it out!)

    Reply
  2. Amy says

    November 29, 2012 at 4:59 pm

    This is an awesome list! I love the idea of pairing a book with something else so that the two together really initiate some creative free play! I always have thought it would be fun to pair “Chalk” by Bill Thomson with a box of chalk.

    Reply
    • Mom and Kiddo says

      November 30, 2012 at 5:38 am

      That’s a great idea, too. I like any idea that gets kids creative after reading books.

      Reply
  3. PragmaticMom says

    November 30, 2012 at 4:33 pm

    I love the books. I love the toys. I especially love the pairings. I love everything about this post! So wonderful!

    Reply
    • Mom and Kiddo says

      November 30, 2012 at 6:01 pm

      Thanks!

      Reply
  4. The Picture Book Review says

    November 30, 2012 at 7:10 pm

    What a great idea and I love your suggestions! Iggy Peck is a favorite of mine. While reading your post I thought of the picture book Extra Yarn and some yarn and knitting needles would be a nice gift. I’ll have to see what else I can think of – but your post and ideas are fantastic!

    Reply
    • Mom and Kiddo says

      December 1, 2012 at 5:07 am

      I love the idea of combining yarn/needles with Extra Yarn. Extra Yarn was my favorite book of 2012.

      Reply
  5. Pamela says

    December 1, 2012 at 11:55 am

    I love this list! I always co-ordinate my books to my grands when their gifts. I’m printing a copy of this for birthday ideas. Citiblocs are new to me and the Dog loves drawing set makes me smile. 🙂

    Reply
    • Mom and Kiddo says

      December 1, 2012 at 12:57 pm

      Thanks Pamela, it’s nice to know so many other people like to give books as part of a gift to kids.

      Reply
  6. Bethany @ No Twiddle Twaddle says

    December 1, 2012 at 3:27 pm

    I’ve been wanting to read your list ever since I saw the title! What a great list of choices. : ) I remember reading A Bargain for Francis as a kid.

    Reply
  7. Natalie says

    December 2, 2012 at 5:41 pm

    This is an awesome link up! I have to browse through the posts, secure in my knowledge that our Christmas-Hanukkah shopping is “hopefully” complete. I will try to add my own board games guide later next week.

    Reply
  8. Julie says

    December 3, 2012 at 3:43 pm

    I love the way you paired up toys and books. What a creative idea for Christmas gifts. How about the Old Lady Who Swallowed the Fly and an Old Lady Doll complete with animals?

    http://highhillhomeschool.blogspot.com/2012/08/there-was-old-lady-who-swallowed-fly.html

    Reply
    • Mom and Kiddo says

      December 4, 2012 at 5:21 am

      Great idea, Julie!

      Reply
  9. Lynna says

    November 16, 2013 at 10:34 pm

    I’ve looked at your blog for about 20 minutes and I am addicted. I started with your chapter book list for young readers for my kindergarten class, then found the book/toy gift posts. How brilliant! I often give books to young family members, but never with a toy! I’m going to be the coolest aunt ever this holiday season!

    Reply
    • Erica MomandKiddo says

      November 18, 2013 at 9:19 am

      Thank you so much for your kind words, Lynna!

      Reply
  10. The Russian Store says

    March 25, 2016 at 4:45 pm

    Great list! It is so nice to give a kid a little bit of both a learning tool and a toy. We just want to add one more, hope you don’t mind!

    It’s The Littlest Matryoshka book with a set of matching nesting dolls!

    Reply
  11. Ryan | Dad Suggests says

    October 27, 2018 at 9:27 pm

    This is a cool idea, and Frances is one of the best characters of all time. Good call. Every list should somehow find a way to get Frances on it. 😁

    Reply

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