10 Best Pirate-Themed Gifts for Little Kids

Yo Ho Ho Ho Ho! ‘Tis the season for gift-giving – the pirates in your crew are no exception. As a mom to three tiny buccaneers, I’m always looking for the best pirate-themed gifts for little kids and toddlers. Below is my short list of the top ten gifts for the little pirates in your crew.

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A Pirate’s Night Before Christmas

This is a family favorite gift for the little buccaneers in your life. The artwork is spectacular and the kids enjoy looking at all the pirates and animals on each page. There is incredible detail and comedy in each image. The prose of the story is also well-done and fun to read. This book comes in paperback and hardcover but I love the nostalgia factor of the hard cover so I recommend it. We only read it on Christmas Eve.

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Playmobil Advent Calendar “Pirate Treasure Island” Play Set

The PLAYMOBIL Advent Calendar is a fun way to celebrate the beginning of the Advent season. I will warn you that there are small parts and you will need one AAA battery so not for the Under 3 crowd. We love this because it contains twenty-four surprise items for each day leading up to Christmas. It teaches the children (and parents) patience.

Little Tykes 2-in-1 Pirate Ship

The Little Tykes 2-in-1 Pirate Ship is perfect for the youngest pirates in your crew. As a scooter, it’s nice enough to keep inside and offers great imaginative play. The oldest seafarers to ride this vessel should be about 3 years old (but my 4-year old has gone on it with no ill effects).

Playskool Friends Mr. Potato Head Pirate Spud

What’s not to love about a pirate-themed Mr. Potato Head? He even comes with a red parrot, a sword, and two octopus tentacles. I purchased him this year for my two-year old’s Christmas gift (Shh!).

ALEX Toys Little Hands Pirate Matching

The ALEX Toys Little Hands Pirate Matching game is great for the preschool pirate in your home. The pieces are big and easy to hold. It also comes in a princess set as well if you have any royalty in the house. My absolute favorite thing about this set is the carrying case. It has the appearance of the old lunch boxes we took to school as children.

When you lose the matching cards (and let’s face it – you will), this box is great for storing fun treasures or even photos.

Jake and The Neverland Pirates Instrument Set

Warning! Do not purchase the Jake and The Neverland Pirates Instrument Set unless you are a grandparent or crazy aunt/uncle. No sane parent would purchase noise makers for their kids. However, as loud noises go, you won’t find much better than the Disney Instrument Set for fun.

My suggestion is that if you are given this gift, have band practice outside or in the garage. The set includes a drum, two drumsticks, a small tambourine, two plastic maracas, and two castanets.

Blockbeard’s Balance Boat Balancing Game by Imagination Generation

I really love all the Blockbeard toys by Imagination Generation. I picked the Boat Balancing Game because it’s fun for adults and children. It really helps with small and fine-motor skills and the natural wood pieces are easy to hold. However, I find it most helpful to teach patience and never giving up (try try again when it topples over).

Fisher-Price Disney’s Jake and The Neverland Pirates Hook’s Jolly Roger Pirate Ship

It’s a pirate ship that shoots water cannons. What is not to love? As you see below, my children are very inclusion-conscious and welcome anyone aboard the Jolly Roger even if you have diesel fuel in your veins.

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Janod Pirate Ship Giant Floor Puzzle

Puzzles make me crazy. The pieces get everywhere and no one ever wants to pick them all up and put away the box. So why am I suggesting you purchase one? Well, I find that doing floor puzzles with giant pieces is much easier for both interacting with your little pirates and helping them put things away. When puzzles are done on the floor there is no fighting about needing to keep it on the table even though it is dinner time.

Innovative Kids Soft Shapes Illustration Tub Stickables Pirate Playset

These bath stickies are full of fun, colorful, and pirate-y shapes (yes, pirate-y is definitely a word). Two things strike me about this set. One, there is a mesh carrying case so it’s easy to keep the toy together in the bath (suction cup included). Two, it’s bath time and story time in one! Create fun stories with all the pieces each night while in the tub and you just saved yourself an extra 10 minutes at bedtime. A fun game we like to play is to put the pieces in the mesh bag and pull them out one by one (pick about five to start). Tell a story to each other using the pieces as a guide. Laugh, laugh, laugh.