Who needs a gift guide when you’re shopping for kids? Right? If your kid is a fan of technology (or the parents are), you might be hard-pressed to come up with something that doesn’t entirely suck. Stores that stock ‘tech toys’ tend to be overpriced and a little samey. That’s why we scoured the internet for a set of great gifts that are also gadgets (and won’t suck, either).
But if nothing here catches your eye, it’s worth picking up a copy of the latest issue of Stuff. Our gift guide has a matching section for kids with a whole new bunch of options to keep your little one happy on the big morning. You can find Stuff at retail everywhere or directly on this website. Why wait to get your copy?
2023 Gift Guide – Kid’s Edition
Zartek TX-8 Two-Way Radio Set
Think back to your childhood. What did you always want and never expect to get? That’s right, a walkie-talkie. We know that everyone has a smartphone now (even if we’ve excluded them from this gift guide) but there’s just something about the squawk and crackle of an actual radio that excites the imagination. You could cheap out and buy toy walkie-talkies but those are going to break. This set might prove a little harder to kill. They’ll also be easier to justify. When Junior is done with them (if that ever happens), they can be installed in your vehicle for long drives so you can communicate with the folks in the other car travelling with you. After that, you’ll lose them to the kids again as that spark of imagination reignites. Just… be honest. If you were the kid, you’d want a set of these.
R1,300 | outdoorwarehouse.co.za
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
If you own a Nintendo Switch and aren’t excited about someone in your household getting Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit under the tree, you haven’t been paying attention. Never fear, this gift guide is here to correct that oversight. It’s a Mario Kart game that allows you to terrorise your household pets by sending an actual cart, with a dinky little onboard camera, careening around your home. The tracks aren’t just virtual either — you’ll set up cards to build your own obstacle courses, along with toys or gear to create a properly Nintendo-worthy circuit. And, then, you can race on it. Just be aware that if you want to have four players, you’ll need four different Switch consoles and four karts (and copies of the game, naturally).
R2,500 | store.nintendo.co.za
Kindle Kids Edition 10th Gen
Yes, you can just buy a regular old Kindle. It might even be a better idea, since the Kid’s Edition isn’t fully supported in South Africa — even if the case is included in the price. The included Kindle Unlimited subscription requires a VPN and Amazon Kids+ won’t work at all but this is a Kindle stripped back of all potential distractions. Robust parental controls let you set reading goals and limit which texts are available. Internet access and social media are disabled and there are some intelligent software tools like Word Wise and the Vocabulary Builder to help your little ones advance even more rapidly. Audible integration lets them switch from reading to listening via Bluetooth devices which connect to the Kindle itself. Since it’s the 10th-gen Kindle, it’s also bath-proof.
R2,900 | geewiz.co.za
Instax Mini 11 Festive Pack
It’s hard to go wrong with an Instax camera, which is why it appears in this gift guide. The Instax Mini 11 Festive Pack contains everything your prospective photographer needs to get started snapping away, though you’ll need a replacement pack of film (or seven) almost immediately so maybe invest in those as well. The camera, the batteries for it, a protective cover, an album, pack of film, and a collection of arts and crafts materials make this a creative journey right from the beginning. At the very least, you’ll leave your youngsters with some very tangible memories the day after Christmas.
R2,300 | superbalist.com
Lego Dreamzzz sets
The folks at Lego work full-time to come up with new and exciting models and sets. There’s a limit to what you can do without throwing in licensed content (which jacks up the price without also upping the piece-count) but the brick-based boffins have hit on something new. Called Dreamzzz (there is no spelling mistake here), these sets are based on the TV show of the same name. Nightmare shark ships, a spacebus, Mrs Castillo’s Turtle Van (a certain set of teenage ninjas would like a word), and the Dream Village are just a few of the sets available. If your budget stretches up to R2,800, the Nightmare Shark set looks just like it fell out of one of the wackier fantasy wuxia films in recent years.
from R420 | greatyellowbrick.co.za
LT31 Kids Smart Watch
This is a gift that’s more for the parents than for the kids. You know, like electric trains or Lego sets? The difference is that you’ll be giving little Johnny or Janey a tracking device if you opt for one of these smart wearables. It’ll function as an on-wrist calling device (you’ll have to install a SIM), allowing two-way voice and video calls between you and your kids. Integrated GPS means that you’ll always know where they are and there’s also a microphone so you can eavesdrop on what’s going on. Throw in an SOS mode and it starts to look less sinister than a tracker that your kids carry with them all the time. So… nothing like an Android phone, then?
R1,580 | takealot.com
Volkano Kid’s Tablet
Any tablet is a kid’s tablet if you’re rich enough. For parents who have to watch what they’re spending, something with a substantial rubber bumper is probably in order. Even then, remember that this ‘budget’ 7in Android 12 tablet isn’t dishwasher safe. It is fairly kid-safe, thanks to a load of pre-installed iWawa software (they mostly make parental control systems), and should provide educational fun for kids as old as twelve years. After that, you’re contending with social media and online games and… life just doesn’t provide a bumper for that sort of thing. Take advantage of the safety while you still can.
R1,900 | toysrus.co.za
Quadrilla Advancing Coding Set
Teach your younglings to embrace the art of coding without coding. No, this isn’t some sort of Zen thing but it very nearly could be. Quadrilla’s Rube Goldberg-esque Advanced Coding Set promises to impart knowledge of coding to your little ‘uns without actually tasking them with any actual coding. See, the marble-based creations mimic the logic needed to write code, letting the kids grapple with logic gates and the like in a very tangible way. If you’d prefer to look at it in another way, the set lets kids as young as six build fantastically complicated marble mazes. They just happen to be educational but you don’t have to tell the kiddies that on Christmas morning.
R3,000 | toykingdom.co.za