The Kid Should See This  • November 25, 2025

🍇 WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK:

From a quiet grape harvest to old-fashioned jam-making in Azerbaijan ➜

Here's the secret about kids and gifts: Children don't just experience what we provide—they come to expect it.

I've seen it with my own kids: in our home, holidays meant stacks of books 📚 mixed among toys. Nature documentaries and videos on TKSST became the default for screen time 💻. Whatever rhythms we set early, those were the ones that stuck. And during the pandemic, we saw the opposite happen—what started as survival-mode screen habits quickly became the new normal. Expectations form fast.

When I started The TKSST Gift Guide 11 years ago, my goal wasn't to compile a shopping list. It was to highlight high-quality, imagination-sparking, illustration-rich, and mostly screen-free items that could help families set meaningful patterns... play that encourages focus, curiosity, exploration, and shared learning. These toys, games, puzzles, and books shaped my own family's days—the kind of engagement digital culture often drains away.

That’s why I’m intentional about what makes it onto the guide. I've lost count of how many artists, scientists, and makers I've featured on TKSST who trace their work back to a childhood spark: a microscope, a tidepool visit, taking something apart or putting it back together, a book that wouldn't let them go.

I'm imagining the experiences that can become part of a family’s daily rhythms—the building sets, science kits, books, and analog games that might nudge kids toward tinkering, outdoor exploration, problem solving, and the kind of independent play that sticks.

✨ Early patterns have staying power. Gifts aren't just things—they're habits and perspectives in the making. That's where I'm coming from when I curate.

Browse the full guide at TKSST.com/giftguide

And as always, I’ll continue adding to the gift guide until Dec 22nd.

What childhood experience sparked your interests? I'd love to hear in the comments. And if this resonates, please share it with a parent or educator who might find it helpful. Thank you! - Rion

✨🌈🍃 FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNER

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