Holiday Accessible Gift Guide
The holiday season is upon us, and The Nora Project has put together its first ever holiday gift guide! The gift ideas in this guide focus on toys, games, activities, and books that are accessible, adaptable, and appropriate for a range of ages. The goal is to purchase gifts everyone can enjoy together!
Please note that some links may be affiliate links which benefit The Nora Project financially.
Toys
These fun toys are diverse, providing representation of people with disabilities, and accessible for all abilities.
The Nora Project Discovery Toys Play Pack
The Nora Project Play Pack is a carefully curated pack that includes three toys and an insert with play ideas and connections to The Nora Project lessons and themes. The Nora Project is running a Black Friday sale on all of its merchandise this season. Use the code HOLIDAY midnight-midnight from 11/27-11/30.
Friends with Diverse Abilities Figure Set
This figure set includes adults of all races with a variety of disabilities represented. Great for pretend play and for starting conversations about disability as a natural and expected part of human diversity.
See Me Thrive Switch-Adapted Toys
This non-profit organization uses the proceeds of toy sales to create more switch-adapted toys. These toys are ideal for children with limited fine and gross motor skills.
Sensory Play:
Sensory play is good for ALL kids, providing them with opportunities to explore their world using their five senses. This type of play is very natural for kids, so when you set up sensory activities they can explore and play independently and cooperatively. There are lots of different types of sensory play and you can often create play experiences out of simple materials. Check out these gift ideas to get started.
Sensory Theraplay Subscription Box: Subscription boxes are all the rage at the moment, and the Sensory Theraplay Subscription Box is a great option for kids that love sensory play or who benefit from therapeutic toys and activities. The items in these boxes are great for supporting self-regulation and fun sensory play.
Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty: Putty can be a great tool to use to help students focus while they’re working, but can also be just a fun toy to enjoy in a variety of ways. Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty is also manufactured by folx with disabilities!
Sensory Bins: With some simple supplies, you can create endless opportunities for fun, educational sensory play for your kids. You can get lots of ideas for different types of sensory bins here. By stocking up on some simple supplies (which make great stocking stuffers, we might add!) you will have everything you need to create a sensory bin experience fit for your child’s individual needs. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but will definitely get you started.
Monkey Noodle These colorful, stretchy toys provide a great tactile experience for fun sensory play and can also serve as a fidget tool.
Accessible Craft Supplies
Whether your child experiences motor challenges or you are trying to stock up on accessible supplies for future playdates, these craft supplies make it easy to adapt activities so that kids of all motor levels can participate.
Vive Foam Tubing - Add this tubing to a variety of craft tools and instruments to provide a wider grip for greater control. You can use it for spoons, scoops, markers etc. to make it easier for kids to hold small items.
Dot markers - While it may be challenging to hold and manipulate a paint brush, dot markers are easier to grip.
Effortless Art Crayons or Palm-Grip Crayons - These types of crayons are useful for those with limited grip ability.
Stampers with large handles - Similarly, these large stampers are easy to grip, so they’re accessible for a range of fine motor levels.
Adapted Scissors - Loop scissors, table-top scissors, or dual training scissors can provide more independent cutting experiences for a child with motor challenges.
Adaptive Clothing
For kids with disabilities, it can be tough to find clothes that fit and feel just right. Consider purchasing a gift from one of these companies that offer adaptive clothing lines made specifically for kids with disabilities.
Books
Books that feature characters with disabilities or bring up concepts of accessibility and adaptation are great tools to start important conversations about diversity in your household. For even more ideas for giftable books, check out our Kindness Library!
Roxy the Raccoon: Roxy the raccoon lives in the forest with three friends who love to do everything together, which sometimes means they have to make small changes to their games. By working together, the friends are able to make the forest an inclusive place for everyone, including those with a disability. Part of the Truth & Tails series for children ages 4-8.
I Am Me from A-Z: Join Moriah and Friends on an empowering journey through the alphabet. Through a series of positive affirmations, children will learn to recognize their own amazing qualities and appreciate the things that make everyone wonderfully unique! Following Victoria Nelson's Hiya Moriah, this book provides a bonus picture glossary of medical and adaptive devices that promotes awareness, acceptance, and inclusion for children with disabilities.
Not So Different: Not So Different offers a humorous, relatable, and refreshingly honest glimpse into Shane Burcaw’s life. Shane tackles many of the mundane and quirky questions that he’s often asked about living with a disability, and shows readers that he’s just as approachable, friendly, and funny as anyone else.
El Deafo: Starting at a new school is scary, especially with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece’s class was deaf. Here, she’s different. She’s sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends.