Right before my daughter’s 7th birthday, she broke her leg skiing. This Light-Up Tracing Pad by Crayola was a lifesaver during her recovery time. It kept her occupied for hours without having to rely on electronics all the time.
Product: Light-Up Tracing Pad
Company: Crayola
Website: shop.crayola.com
Recommended Age Range: 5 to 8 years
Price Range: ~$25
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Comments: After my daughter broke her leg, the poor kid was in a full leg cast for 3 months. My active girl was confined to the couch for what seemed like weeks on end. On the way home from the hospital after getting her first cast, we stopped at Target to pick up some supplies.
I got her books, art supplies, and a bracelet making kit. However, the item I purchased that day that has ended up getting the most use over the past year was a Light-Up Tracing Pad. She used that tracing pad to make hundreds of pictures which she then gave to her family and friends.
Her 5 year old brother loved it as well, which caused a number of arguments during that time in our lives. Even though it has been a year now since her accident, this tracing pad STILL gets pulled out on a weekly basis by one of my kids. (I know because I am constantly nagging them to remember to turn off the light so batteries don’t die.)
All in all, I think this was a great find. It was relatively inexpensive and helps kids practice their fine motor skills in a fun way. I think it would make a great gift for any aspiring artist.
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- Best Gifts for 5 Year Olds
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Michelle has a PhD in Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor's Degree from the California Institute of Technology. 
We haven’t had ours that long, but it is a big hit with our 5 and 7 yos! They love printing coloring pages of anything and combining them together. We’d love to be able to get more sets of the templates, though, without buying more light pads. :)
Extra templates would be a great idea. My kids love using printed coloring pages too, but it can be a lot of work! I usually do a google image search, save the picture to my desktop, and then print them full page. It helps to add “coloring page” to the search query to make sure the images that come up are in a black and white. It’s not TOO hard, but when a bunch of kids are asking me at once, it can feel overwhelming!