50+ Creative Experience gifts for kids
50+ Creative Experience gifts for kids
Kids learn through creative play, and there are so many options out there to encourage this! But where do you start when the aisles are full of offerings that shout for your attention?
No one wants their gift to wind up in a pile that is cast aside as the novelty of a new toy wears off. Plus, far too many things offered as the next greatest toy are actually pretty lame.
Ask kids 🙂
When a toy does all the thinking for them, and tries to hide a lack of challenge behind fancy sounds and flashing lights, it is easy to get discouraged when trying to purchase a gift that actually helps kids enjoy their creative young minds!
No need to settle, there are so many options that are from smaller businesses or designed specifically to foster problem-solving and engage interest in the arts and sciences. Let’s look at what is commonly termed as “experience gifts”.
These either involve hands-on ideas OR activity-based outings that kids really will be excited to receive!
What are meaningful gifts for kids?
These are all curated ideas that are well-reviewed to help save you time! We are big on educational or learning toys for kids.
I did the online work for you 🙂 I don’t normally do gift guides, but this year I am hearing that people need help! (and many don’t want to go shopping in stores)
These are some of the gifts our own kids remembered…and played with long after the holidays were over.
Parents often appreciate a gift that is consumable, or helps with learning! All of these ideas are to help jumpstart your imagination, hope they help!
All of these were available at the time of posting, but with this year’s delays with shipping, it might be prudent to get shopping done early…
(You will see STEM referenced, which stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Consider things like:
Gifts for kids that promote creativity
- Snap Circuit boards (also a STEM educational toy)
- Fingerprint Kit – Spy Forensic Science Lab (STEM educational toy)
- Subscription to Little Passports
- Art supplies such as dinosaur kits or suncatchers (make your own kit based on the child and create a basket even!)
- Paper airplane craft kits
- Toddlers love play food sets and kits that mimic people like Vets or even home chores
- If a family has room, kids love play kitchens and workbenches for HOURS
- Classics toys like animals with barns, Lincoln logs, and trucks never go out of style
- Lego is perhaps the most popular toy of all time and there is likely a kit for any interest a child has!
- Lego even has “advent” kits in Star Wars, The Avengers, and a Christmas theme
- Craft-tastic – Inventor’s Box – Arts and Crafts (STEM Challenges)
- Klutz Lego Gear Bots Science/STEM Activity Kit
- Lego Animation book to make their own movies
- Kids Beginner Microscope STEM Kit with Metal Body Microscope
- Wreck this journal
-
Architectural Engineering | Science Experiment & Model Building Kit
Experience gifts for kids of toddler age
- For the littlest children, Uncommon Goods has a great selection of original ideas that you might not have seen
- Green Toys Ferry Boat with Mini Cars Bathtub Toy (Green Toys advertise super safe materials)
- Stacking cups or for the bath, stacking boats
- Wooden Building Blocks Set
- Easy Playhouse Fairy Tale Castle
- Little Tikes Cape Cottage Playhouse for Kids
- Kinetic Sand, Construction Site Folding Sandbox Playset with Vehicle
- Little Tikes Activity Garden Playhouse
- Art easel
- Little People (we still have all of our kids from decades ago)
- Little Tikes Cozy Coupe 30th anniversary
Family game night gifts for kids
Kids often enjoy playing games with their families, and love feeling that connection time with adults. These games are really fun and offer screen-free time! Want to read about our kid’s perspective on family night? Click here.
- Cranium
- Throw Throw Burrito
- Bananagrams
- Ticket to Ride (several versions available, my kids still play as adults!)
- Rummikub (we like this version with larger numbers, so us old folks can see 🙂 )
- Toddler Scavenger Hunt Cooperative Card Game for home or park
- Dutch Blitz
- Sequence for kids or the original version
- For older kids who like strategy, check out Dominion or Settlers of Catan
- Book a slot at an Escape Room
Give gifts for kids that allow for activity
- Season passes to local museums (some places offer reciprocal passes to go to other towns with your pass)
- Season passes to zoos or aquariums (some libraries offer free passes to check out)
- Tickets to children’s theaters
- Season passes to parks
- An afternoon playing miniature golf
- Packing a picnic for the park with a lawn game
- Season passes to science museums like OMSI
- Music class gift card
- Teach service through places like Feed My Starving Children, they love this
Memories are the best experience gifts for kids
Have a wonderful time creating memories with the kids in your life. Remember that gifts are NOT about things, this list is a simple idea guide.
What they really treasure? Is experiences of spending time with those they love. Those are the gifts that really matter.
Kids might not remember many of the toys they received, but they will always remember that they were special.
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