Turkish Gifts for Kids: 10 Ideas by Age, With a Turkish Word to Share

Children who grow up with Turkish at home, or who are only starting to hear it, are easy to shop for once you know what to look for. A good gift is small enough to wrap, bright enough to catch a child's eye and has a few Turkish words attached. This guide groups ten gift ideas from Roots & Talks by age, from baby bodysuits to hoodies and audio picture books, and says plainly what each one is, so you can choose without guessing.

How to choose a gift for a child who is learning Turkish

Three questions help. How old is the child? Will the gift be used alone, or together with a parent or a grandparent? And does it carry a Turkish word, a character or a story that the child can say out loud? If you want a plan to go with the gift, our four-week guide to teaching Turkish to elementary school kids at home shows how ten minutes a day can fit around it.

For babies and toddlers

1. A character baby bodysuit. The Filiz Elephant baby bodysuit shows an elephant in a yellow shirt and a pink skirt with a blue bow, and the Gazi baby bodysuit shows a smiling teenager holding a football. Both come in baby sizes 12M to 24M and in three colors: white, pink and heather. They are a gentle first Turkish culture gift for a very small child. More baby bodysuits and blankets are in Turkish baby gifts.

For ages 4 to 8

2. An audio picture book. Ela and the Lost Word is a listen-and-repeat picture book for children ages 4 to 8, in which Ela looks for the right word to say to her grandmother, one word at a time. Kelime Bavulu, The Word Suitcase is a short illustrated story, also for ages 4 to 8, about a little blue suitcase filled with words in two languages. Both are digital downloads, so they need no wrapping paper. Our guide to Turkish audio stories for bilingual kids helps you compare them.

3. A 30-piece kids' puzzle. The Sana Da kids' puzzle has 30 large pieces with rounded corners and measures 14 × 11 in (35.6 × 28 cm). Sana da means "to you too" in Turkish, so the picture gives the family a phrase to say while they build it. You can read more about the phrase in our sana da guide.

4. A character sticker. The Pingucan Penguin sticker is flat and light, and it fits in a birthday card, a stocking or a school bag. Pingucan is the penguin in the red scarf, and a sticker is a small gift that still has a friendly face on it.

For school-age children

5. A character hoodie. Six kids' hoodies come in youth sizes XS to XL and in four colors: white, light pink, Carolina blue and sport grey. Each one shows a friend from the Roots & Talks gang. Ela learns a new Turkish word every day. Defne learns Turkish through songs. Giray never gives up on trying again. Gazi loves football and Turkish cheers. Filiz dances and paints with her trunk, and Dino counts trees, stars and clouds. Let the child pick the friend they like best, then ask for one Turkish word that the friend would say.

6. A word notebook pack. Eylül's Notebook, Season One is a digital pack of three audio stories, three booklets and 24 word cards, in PDF and MP3. Eylül is ten years old and keeps a notebook of Turkish words, so the pack pairs well with a plain notebook for the child's own words. Our guide to learning first Turkish words through stories shows how to start one.

7. A picture puzzle. Our nine Scene Puzzles come in 252 and 520 pieces, and every scene has a Turkish word to say while you build it. The jigsaw puzzle gift guide lists all nine, with the word and a short sentence for each.

For the whole family

8. A deck of playing cards. The Pingucan Penguin playing cards are poker-size cards with one picture on the back of every card, made for family game nights.

9. A game to go with the gift. A gift feels bigger when it comes with a small activity. Pair any of the ideas above with one of our browser games, such as a word match or a daily word puzzle, and play a round together after the gift has been opened.

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For older kids and teens

10. A phone case or a t-shirt. The Pingucan Penguin iPhone case and the Eylül Character iPhone case carry a character on the back, above the Roots & Talks logo. Choose the iPhone model on the product page before you order. The All the Characters Together t-shirt shows the nine characters with their teacher, in adult unisex sizes S to 2XL, so a teenager and a parent can wear the same design. The design also comes as a classic, long-sleeve and eco t-shirt, a premium pullover hoodie and a 20 oz insulated tumbler, and the Roots & Talks Logo iPhone case carries the logo alone.

Four Turkish lines for the card

A card with a few Turkish words turns a simple gift into a small lesson. These four lines are short and easy to say out loud:

• Doğum günün kutlu olsun! It means "happy birthday!".
• İyi ki doğdun! It means "I am glad you were born", and people say it on birthdays.
• Aferin sana! It means "well done to you!", a good line after a first puzzle or a first story.
• Seni seviyorum. It means "I love you".

Which gift for which child

• A baby or toddler: a character baby bodysuit in 12M to 24M.
• A child of 4 to 8: an audio picture book, the 30-piece puzzle or a sticker for the card.
• A reader of 8 and up: the word notebook pack, a character hoodie or a scene puzzle.
• The whole family: playing cards or a 520-piece puzzle for an evening.
• A teenager: a phone case or the group t-shirt.

For more small ideas that fit in a stocking, read our guide to small Turkish gifts for stockings and Secret Santa, and for the end of the year see Turkish New Year gift ideas. Pick one thing, add a card with a Turkish line and give it with a smile. That is usually all a child needs to start saying a new word.