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52 Gift Ideas for Kids

September 9, 2017 by Laura 15 Comments

Last Updated on March 3, 2022

My kids have hit the age where they are regularly getting invited to birthday parties.  And birthday parties mean gifts.  But these days, it feels as if kids have way too much stuff in general.  I don’t feel right about adding to the pile of stuff that another parent has to deal with.  So I got to brainstorming and I came up with 52 gift ideas for kids that aren’t just toys.  These are gifts of experiences or education or creativity.  And I’m totally gonna use some of these ideas for my own kids too.  No more rushing to the store to purchase whatever toy I can find.  It’s time for thoughtful gifts with imagination and purpose.

52 Non-toy gift ideas for kids to foster creativity, education and adventure all while making wonderful memories! For their next birthday don't just grab them a toy, plan ahead a little and get them something they'll adore and remember for years to come!

 

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I’ve included loads of links for inspiration and even DIY instructions!  Most of these ideas are for kids 10 and under.  Not every idea will be appropriate for every age, but I think there are several viable options for everyone!

 

Gift Ideas for Kids

Avoid scrambling at the last minute for gift by running to the nearest toy store and just grabbing whatever. With a little bit of planning you can give a really thoughtful gift that won’t just end up on the heap of toys that never get played with. Creating memories is a much more lasting way of showing your love. ๐Ÿ™‚

Here’s a printable version of this list to keep on hand year after year!

Gifts of Experiences

The ultimate zero-clutter-added gift.  I’m a big fan of my kids having more memories than stuff. Get creative with the wrapping so it’s still fun for the kiddo to discover what their gift is.

1. Concert Tickets – I took my son to see Raffi last year and it was so much fun for both of us!
2. Museum Passes – A perfect winter activity.  We like going to the Natural History Museum.
3. Movie Tickets – Plus popcorn and M&M’s, obviously.
4. Pool Pass – We were gifted some tickets for ‘parent & tot’ time at the pool.  Great idea!
5. Family Bowling – Lovely footwear & fried food.  Win.
6. Cooking Class – Look into the availability of children’s cooking classes in your area.
7. Amusement Park Tickets – They’ll love you forever.
8. Painting/Art Class
9. Clay Cafe Outing – Spend an afternoon creating something together.
10. Tea Party – Dress up and invite some friends!
11. Dinner Date – Precious one-on-one time will always be remembered.
12. Fort Building Day – Have some fun trashing the house!

Gifts of Creativity

Some of these ideas will require a little effort to assemble, but will be well worth it! Plus it’ll be a fun activity to do with them after the party is over and the sugar rush has worn off.

13. Cookie Mix in a Jar – Makes it super easy to enjoy baking together!
14. Mug Decorating Kit with hot chocolate mix – Try this idea using nail polish!
15. Birdseed Ornament Kit – Then you can sit together to watch the birds feast!
16. Costume Pieces – Enjoy watching the kid’s imaginations flourish!  It doesn’t have to be fancy either, an assortment of hats and scarves or coats from the thrift store would do the trick! Then you can put on a play together!
17. Assemble a Flower Pot Decorating Kit – include seeds & dirt
18. Assemble a Simple Sewing Project – Perhaps a pillow or pyjamas or stuffie
19. DIY a Case for Art Supplies – Keep all art supplies in one handy location for the traveling artist.
20. Craft Kits – Decorate a race car or a train
21. Build a Birdhouse – They’ll be so excited to see little birdies come to the house they built themselves!

Gift ideas for kids that inspire creativity!

Useful Gifts

22. Socks – Kids always need socks so find some fun ones!  (If you happen to need fun socks for grown ups try here, I guarantee you’ll love the choices!)
23. Personalized Bath or Beach Towel
24. Calendar – Perfect for January birthdays (I’m a January birthday..I still love getting calendars!)
25. Sew up a Monster Laundry Bag
26. Toy Storage – Like colourful bins/baskets or chests
27. Alarm Clock for the Star Wars or Lego fan
28. Room Decor – Perhaps a custom embroidered hoop or silhouette hoop by yours truly?!  ๐Ÿ˜‰  (Browse the galleries for ideas!)
29. Travel Games – Like Scavenger Hunt, Travel Bingo, or Guess Who.  These are a ‘useful’ gift option mainly because they will help maintain your sanity during car trips.

Gift ideas for kids that are fun and serve a purpose!

Subscription Gifts

30. Pipsticks – Everybody loves stickers! Collectible and specialty stickers included.
31. Superpower Academy – A STEM mission and social-emotional health box.
32. Kiwico – Educational and fun. There are different box options based on the child’s age and interests. If you use my link, you’ll get $10usd off your first order!
Bonus: Think Outside – Full of high quality outdoor gear and family activities that promote the outdoors.
Bonus #2: Raddish Kids – Recipes, cooking goals and culinary tips and tools.We just ordered a subscription for my oldest’s birthday! I can’t wait for him to try it out.
Bonus #3: We Craft Boxes – Fun crafting projects for kiddos aged 3-8 ish.

Subscription boxes are the gift that keeps on giving!

Educational Gifts

33. Educational App – Something to keep them distracted when you need them to be. My kids love playing Moose Math.
34. Reading Pillow – Pick some fun fabric and add a pouch to stash their book and snack.
35. Piggy Bank with a few coins – Start teaching them the value of saving.
36. Apron with cooking utensils – Like a mini rolling pin or whisk.
37. Tool Belt – And you could add tools like a tape measure and small screwdriver.  Then you can give them ‘projects’ to fix around the house!
38. Rock Tumbler – I’ll be honest, I put this in the list because I know my son would loooove it and I don’t want to forget about it for his birthday next year!
39. Chess or Checkers – I’ve never really gotten the hang of chess, but I hear it’s good for the brain!
40. Ugears – For an older child.  Super cool models to build.
41. Letter Magnets in a Metal Tin – Helps little ones to learn sight words

Educational Gift Ideas for Kids

Just For Fun Gifts

42. Temporary Tattoos – With lots of glitter!
43. A Movie or iTunes Gift Card
44. Put Me In The Story – I received a personalized book like this as a child, I still have it and it’s still precious to me!
45. Homemade play dough using essential oils– Include some cookie cutters and buttons to ramp up the creativity!

(If your kids like getting messy with DIY ‘goop’, check out my 3 ingredient lemon pie silly putty recipe!)
46. Card Games – Like crazy eights and go fish.  Card games are an easy way to play with your kids without having to sit on the floor!

Kid gifts that are just fun!

Gifts to Encourage Outdoor Play

These days kids need all the encouragement they can get to play outside and be little explorers!

47. Binoculars – My kids use their binoculars mainly for looking up my nose, but the intention is good!
48. Skipping Rope – A timeless outdoor activity
49. Hanging Ladders & Ropes – Just don’t watch them climb to spare yourself a heart attack.
50. Magnifying Glass – For spying on bugs and other creepy crawly things that kids love.
51. Tent – Plan a night out camping in the back yard!
52. Fishing Poles – Nothing says ‘outdoorsey’ like learning how to fish.

Gifts for kids to encourage outdoor play

Even as I was writing this list other ideas kept popping in my head!  But I’d love to hear from you, what are some non-toy gift ideas for kids you’ve tried?

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Filed Under: Birthdays, Christmas, Fun Stuff for Kids, Holidays, Mom Life, Parenting Tagged With: birthday gifts for kids, gift ideas for kids, mom life, non-toy gift ideas

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brenda says

    September 16, 2017 at 1:29 am

    I love so many things on this list!! I need to come back to this at Christmas time, because my kids don’t really play with their toys anyway!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      September 16, 2017 at 12:01 pm

      So true, my kids mainly play with the pots and pans! lol!

      Reply
  2. Brittany says

    September 15, 2017 at 7:00 pm

    I have always been a huge supporter of giving gifts that a person can experience, both kids and adults! My dad used to let me pick a place I wanted to go and he’d pay for my plane ticket and hotel for my birthday (: and on my second Valentine’s Day with my boyfriend he got me jewelry and I took him skydiving!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      September 16, 2017 at 12:02 pm

      Wow that’s an amazing birthday gift! I think we remember the experiences way more than material gifts!

      Reply
  3. Laura says

    September 12, 2017 at 6:41 pm

    Great ideas! I’m always looking for gifts that I’m not going to constantly be picking up. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      September 13, 2017 at 12:03 am

      Oh me too! I cringe whenever my kids receive gifts with lots of small parts. Cause I know I’m gonna be stepping on them in no time!

      Reply
  4. Jena says

    September 12, 2017 at 4:25 pm

    I love this list! We are making an effort around here to be better gift givers. I know I prefer anything other than toys! Thanks for this!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      September 13, 2017 at 12:02 am

      Aw thanks! It’s so easy to just grab something quickly from the toy store, but I think other parents will seriously appreciate the thoughtfulness of a non-toy gift!

      Reply
  5. Desi says

    September 12, 2017 at 2:53 pm

    What a great list! I hadn’t thought of the reading pillow yet. My oldest son loves books so I’ll have to keep that in mind. And as a mother of boys I think your idea of a tool bag with tools is just spot on ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Laura says

      September 13, 2017 at 12:00 am

      I’m a boy mom as well and my little guys love helping their dad with fix-it projects! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  6. Becca says

    September 11, 2017 at 5:48 pm

    Love the list!! Pinned so I don’t forget the magnifying glass, my oldest would be over the moon. And the personalized towel is such a good idea too.

    Reply
  7. Vanessa says

    September 11, 2017 at 12:25 pm

    How awesome! This will be super helpful for the holiday season!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      September 11, 2017 at 1:45 pm

      Thanks! Glad you liked it!

      Reply
  8. Strength and Sunshine says

    September 11, 2017 at 12:24 pm

    These are fantastic! Just the kind of gifts I love to give!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      September 11, 2017 at 1:45 pm

      I’m glad it resonated with you! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply

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I’m Laura, a busy work at home mama to two amazing boys. I help moms live their best crafty life, whether that’s with fun DIY projects or running an online shop. My passion is crafting with wool felt, but you’ll find a little bit of everything on the blog since I’m an unstoppable crafter and I love to share! Read More…

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