Kids Holiday Gift Guide 2025

December has entered the chat, and the energy in every room has shifted. Festive shopping is in full swing, and it has a special charm whether you celebrate Christmas or not.

There’s a joy in wandering through aisles trimmed with tinsel, discovering gadgets you didn’t know you needed, or spotting that perfect gift that instantly makes you imagine someone’s smile. In South Africa particularly, it feels as if everyone is collectively wrapped in the same bright, humming energy with a box of choice assorted on the side. If you know, you know.

And joyful doesn’t have to mean chaotic.

Smart festive shopping is all about intention, following the five-gift rule I outlined a year ago, and planning ahead. Start with a short list of people you genuinely want to gift, then set a reasonable budget before ‘ke dezema’ sweeps you into its whirlwind.

Look for small, meaningful items rather than big-ticket pressure buys, often the most memorable gifts are thoughtful. Here are a few of my top toddler / kid gifting finds this year, under R1000, available locally in-store and online.

1. Retro Gaming Device – Toys R Us R349.90

2. Lasershoot 2player game – Toy Kingdom R599

3. Karaoke Party Speaker (fan favourite) – Cotton On R349.99

4. Kids Digital Camera (Frozen) – Toy Kingdom R649.90

5. JBL Junior 320BT headphones – iStore R499

Can generosity, shared joy and a smart plan happily coexist? Absolutely!
But school holidays may not coexist as happily with the internet…

Cyber Safety

The holidays are a welcome break for children and for many parents too. But as routines loosen, screen time inevitably climbs. The digital world becomes a busier and riskier place for our precious little (young) users. Across gaming, social media and apps like Youtube and TikTok, our kids spend more hours online in December than at almost any other time of the year. That makes this festive season a perfect moment for a digital safety refresher.

If only one thing from this column should stick with you, let it be this – our children don’t experience the internet the way adults do. For them, it’s social, exciting, chaotic and full of possibilities. They jump between episodes, apps, games and chats fluidly, often without realising that each digital doorway carries its own risks in the form of strangers in multiplayer games, oversharing on social platforms, scams disguised as festive giveaways, and the ever-present problem of inappropriate content popping up.

One of the simplest ways to protect children is to keep devices in shared spaces whenever possible. Living rooms and dining areas naturally encourage transparency. Kids are less likely to veer into risky corners of the internet when they know a parent or grown-up could glance over at any time. It isn’t about spying, it’s about shaping digital habits through visibility and awareness.

Holiday downtime is also a great opportunity to revisit parental controls. Almost every device and app now has built-in safety settings, but they only work if we set them up.

Check age-appropriate content filters on YouTube, enable family settings on gaming consoles, and use app-level restrictions on phones and tablets. Many parents I speak to are surprised at how easy these tools are once they’re actually explored.

Conversation and connection remains the most powerful tool of all. Instead of yelling or lecturing, have open, ongoing chats about what your child is seeing, doing and enjoying online.

Make sure your child knows that they can come to you immediately if something online makes them uncomfortable without fear of losing their device as punishment. Fear shuts down communication; reassurance keeps it open.

Another holiday trend is increased social posting. Kids want to share their excitement: places they’re at, new gifts, trips, and social events/parties.

But oversharing can expose them to identity risks, location tracking, or unwanted contact. Teach them this golden rule: only share what you’d be comfortable showing to a stranger on the street. And remind them never to post photos that reveal school uniforms, home addresses or travel plans in real time!

Then there’s gaming. As children spend more hours online with strangers through multiplayer modes, it becomes vital to talk about safe interactions. Teach your kid to mute or block anyone who is rude, pressuring, or asking personal questions.
Reinforce that gamer tags should never contain their real name or age.

Finally, model the behaviour you want to see. If we’re scrolling through dinner or overshare online, the message kids receive is clear. Use the holidays to reset as a family.

Wishing you a spirited season both offline and online, and a recharged return in 2026.

More from Sanobar Khan in her Tech with a Toddler series.