101 Best Non-Toy Gift Ideas For Kids

I just broke the news to my kids…they won’t be getting any toys for Christmas/Birthdays this year. I’m just flat-out tired of tripping over them. Plus, I’m sick of my kids constantly whining about being ‘bored’. If you are interested in a clutter-free holiday, here are my 101 best non-toy gift ideas for kids.

My kids could really use some more toys…

Said NO ONE EVER!

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THE BEST NON-TOY GIFT IDEAS FOR KIDS

BTW…let me assure you, my kids won’t suffer a bit. They have plenty of toys. Too many toys, in fact. That’s why, this year, the only gifts my kids will be getting will be of a non-toy variety. Here are some ideas I’ve come up with.

TIME WITH MOM & DAD

This is without a doubt, my favorite of all the non-toy gift ideas. I mean, really, what kid wouldn’t like more time with mom or dad? If you have multiple children, schedule some personal one-on-one time with each of them.

Make the gift even more special by letting your child choose how he/she wants to spend their “date” with you. Get dressed up and go out to a fancy restaurant or get cozy and have a marathon movie night. Or just go out to get an ice cream. Remind your child how truly special they are to you!

CLASSES

Another great non-toy gift idea is to sign your child up for classes in order to help them further their passions. Here are a few suggestions:

• Horseback riding lessons
• Art lessons
• Pottery classes
• Photography class
• Cooking classes
• Engineering {for kids} course
• Tech classes
• Sewing/Home Econ. course
• Dance classes
• Gymnastic classes
• Swimming lessons
• Sports Camp
• Drama Lessons

MUSIC LESSONS

This is what my kids are getting as Christmas gift this year. Shhhh…don’t tell them! My youngest will be getting piano lessons and our middle son will be receiving drum lessons. Yep, it’s about to get real noisy up in my house!

AUDIO-BOOKS

In order to keep clutter at a minimum, I recommend gifting digital audiobooks over “real” books. After all, you can get as many books as you want from the library whenever your child desires a good story. And the best part is, you can return them when you’re finished. Let the library hold onto your clutter! Here are some of our family’s favorite audiobooks:

• Charlotte’s Web
• The Chronicles of Narnia
• Little House Series
• Magic Tree House Series
• Hank the Cowdog Series
• The Boxcar Children
• Harry Potter Series

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“GROWN UP” VERSIONS OF THINGS

My kids have always preferred the “real” version of things over a toy substitute. They have always played with honest-to-goodness kitchen supplies, cameras, tools and building materials. With supervision, of course.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

It’s a lot of fun to make and create your own sounds, rhythms and melodies. You can start out with a toy piano, or shaker eggs but also a small keyboard or guitar would work. And if your child really likes it, you might have created a new hobby!

FAMILY BOARD/VIDEO GAMES

One of our family’s favorite pastimes is to play board/card games together. The grown-ups have even been known to play a mean game of Mario Kart. We try to purchase games as gifts whenever possible. Here are some of our absolute favorite:

• Catan
• Exploding Kittens
• Qwirkle
• Apples to Apples
• Ticket to Ride

A KINDLE FIRE

Over the years, Kindle Fires have become super affordable. Which, of course, makes them the perfect non-toy gift for kids. You can also get sneaky and install a bunch of educational apps ahead of time!

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A WATCH

Wearing a watch will help a child develop a sense of time and how fast a certain span of time passes. Besides that, it will also offer them a sense of independence and freedom. Realizing when an event is about to happen or realizing that they have 10 minutes to complete
a certain task and it’s their duty to finish in time can be very motivating.

ITEMS WHICH SUPPORT THEIR HOBBIES (OR HELP CREATE ONE)

Do you have a budding artist, musician, or photographer on your hands? Christmastime and Birthdays are the perfect times to stock them up on everything they need in order to create to their heart’s content. Not sure which hobby is a good fit for your child? Well, there are plenty to choose from!

• Crochet
• Painting
• Origami
• Woodworking
• Archery
• Quilting
• Sketching
• Jewelry Making
• Model Making
• Soap Making
• Bird Watching
• Photography
• Digital-website building, Youtube, programming, game-building, etc.

MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION BOXES

Who doesn’t love to get stuff in the mail? Well, unless it’s a bill or junk mail… Here are some terrific monthly subscription boxes you can give as gifts:

• Kiwi Crate
• MEL Science
• Little Passports
• Genius Box

SCIENCE KITS

I won’t deny that I love gifts that double as education! With three boys, science kits are a no-brainer when it comes to non-toy gift ideas! Check out these super-fun science kits for kids:

• Scientific Explorer: My First Mind-Blowing Science Kit
• Crystal Growing Kit
• Disgusting Science Kit
• Lego Chain Reactions Craft Kit
• Magic Science Kit
• Kitchen Science Kit
• National Geographic Break-Open Geodes
• Grow & Glow Terrarium

SPORTING EQUIPMENT 

As I said, I have three boys. Needless to say, sports equipment ain’t cheap! So, I like to ‘cheat’ a little and give them things like football gear, swimming goggles, and cleats as gifts. Or, better yet, I ask my in-laws to purchase them!

ART/CRAFT SUPPLIES

Ever since I can remember, I’ve always kept a craft box in my home. This is just a simple tote with a lid filled with stickers, paint, glue, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, pom poms, etc. that my kids can access anytime they feel artistic. Let me tell you, this box has resulted in some pretty strange creations throughout the years!

A PHOTO ALBUM

If you give a photo album, it will help (re)create the story of a childs’ life. I remember that my kids, especially as they got older, would browse through their own photo albums from time to time to help recreate the memory of a certain event like a holiday or birthday.

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS (OR DAY PASSES)

Whenever family members or friends ask what they can get my kids for Christmas/Birthdays, my first response is always a pass to somewhere fun. Such as:

• Zoo
• Aquarium
• Museum
• Passes to a theme park/water park
• State park passes

EDUCATIONAL GAMES

Are you starting to sense a theme yet? As a homeschooling mom, I adore giving educational ANYTHING as gifts. Especially games! The following games have been hits in our home:

• The Scrambled States of America
• Professor Noggin’s Human Body
• Rory’s Story Cubes
• Quiddler
• Practically any Trivial Pursuit game
• Bananagrams
• Pizza Fraction Fun

A SPA KIT

I don’t know very many girls {or moms for that matter} who would turn down a gift basket of spa essentials. Do you? Here are some items you could include:

• Body wash
• Body scrub
• Pumice stone/foot scrub
• Lotion
• Bath bombs
• Eye mask
• Bath Pouf
• Bath Pillow

ADD TO A COLLECTION

Personally, I’ve never been much of a collector. My kids, however, totally are!

Each of our three sons collects his own {unique} thing. My oldest son collects board games. It’s always fun to play board games with the whole family. My middle son collects socks (for real)! Our youngest son likes to collect wrestling action figures. So, whenever a holiday rolls around, I usually don’t even need to ask them what they would like, I can just add to their collections. Perhaps your kid has a collection you can add to!

HOMEMADE COUPON BOOK

Last year, my broke {college-aged} son made me a coupon book for Christmas. It quickly became one of the best gifts he’s ever given me. He put thought into what would benefit me the most and included his ideas in the coupon book. He included things like:

• One chore completed at your request
• Cook one special meal of your choosing
• Free foot-rub
• Your choice

You can customize your own coupon gift book for kids by including coupons for:

• (1) Free app
• Chore-free day
• (30) minutes stay up late
• Have one friend over for a sleep-over
• Dessert for breakfast

Here’s a free printable kid’s coupon book from What Moms Love.

DRESS UP CLOTHES/COSTUMES

Stock up on super-cheap costumes and dress-up items when they go on clearance after Halloween. Or, check out area thrift stores for unique old-school clothing and accessories. Box them up and present them to your child for a gift that will keep their imagination busy for months to come. {Or until they outgrow them}.

GIFT CARD TO A FAVORITE RESTAURANT

Going out to eat as a family can get expensive, fast. As a result, our family eats at home as often as possible. Which makes trips to restaurants extra-special.

Why not give your older son/daughter a gift card or two to their favorite restaurant? This way, when you do go out to eat, you won’t have to pay as much because one person is already covered!

EXPERIENCES

Many kids {including my own} would much prefer to receive tickets to a concert, sporting event, or to the movies instead of yet another plastic, noisy doodad.

By giving gifts of experiences you prevent clutter from taking over your home. Which, in my opinion, is the best reason of all to give your kids experiences over stuff!

ELECTRONICS

I’m not saying you should go out and drop $300+ on a new video game system for your kid. {Unless you want to}. In fact, my sons have purchased most of their systems on their own.

I like the gifts I give my kids to be educational and encourage them to be creative, rather than just passive entertainment. Which is why I try to give them electronics that support these values. Here is a small gift guide of things I like:

• A quality desktop microphone {for creating Youtube videos and slideshows}
• Computer or laptop {for completing schoolwork, editing videos, and playing Minecraft-hey…Minecraft is educational}
• Tablet {for audiobooks, educational apps, Minecraft, videos}
• A good set of headphones {so I don’t have to listen to their music}
• Camcorder with accessories {for filming “movies” and creating videos for their Youtube channels}

KID’S CHOICE DAY/WEEKEND TRIP

Another one of my favorite non-toy gifts is to surprise your child with a day/weekend trip of their choosing. As long as it’s within your budget, of course. You can even give your teenager a budget to work with and have him/her plan the trip themselves. Doing this will not only teach them important life skills for the future, it will also give them a crash course in budgeting.

A BEDROOM MAKEOVER

I don’t know about you, but I love watching shows that surprise people with home/room makeovers! Wouldn’t it be neat to completely redo your son or daughter’s room as an extra-special gift? I bet that he or she would think that’s a great gift!

A surprise bedroom makeover doesn’t have to break the bank. A simple coat of paint and new bedding can make a world of difference in a kid’s room.

JOURNAL & SUPPLIES

If you have a budding writer/artist on your hands encourage their creativity by giving them a new journal/diary/sketchbook and some good quality markers or pens that won’t bleed through the paper.

A CALENDAR

A calendar with pictures of puppies on it or a handmade calendar of family images, a calendar helps children connect to the things that are going on in your family. Especially for children in the ages of 5 to 9 who are beginning to develop a sense of time. And the good news is that you will no longer hear questions like: when do we go see [insert favorite family member or friend]? or: when does the holiday start?

A PET

Ok, so this non-toy gift idea is not for the faint of heart. Naturally, you should always do your research before adding a pet to the family. Assuming you’ve done this and your child is old enough to take on the responsibility, a pet is a wonderful non-toy gift idea.

PASS TO GYM/REC CENTER

If your child is into sports or physical fitness you can give them an annual gym membership or pass to your local recreation center. Just make sure they will actually use it by signing up for a free/short-term trial period before committing long-term.

TIME WITH THEIR FRIENDS

Why wait until your son/daughter’s next birthday to host a sleep-over with their friends?

A TRIP TO AN ESCAPE ROOM

My kids and I recently had the opportunity to try out an escape room. We’re now officially hooked!

In case you’ve never heard of an escape room, it’s basically a themed setting (room) where a group of people is given clues to complete an objective in a set amount of time.

The escape room I {almost} escaped with my kids had an art heist theme where we had to figure out which piece of artwork was stolen and who perpetrated the crime all within a 20-minute time frame.

When all else fails…The Best Non-Toy Gift Ideas for Kids

A CARDBOARD BOX (SERIOUSLY)

Some of the best non-toy gifts for kids won’t cost you a cent. How many times have you gotten your child an awe-inspiring gift only to have him favor the box it came in? Yep, we’ve all been there!

Why not make the box the actual gift? You can collect a bunch of appliance boxes and use them to create a fort/castle for your little one to play in. Hours of fun for zero cash!

Speaking of cash…

CASH

When all else fails and you are out of time/ideas, you can always give the much-appreciated gift of cash. My kids are always saving up for something and love it when they are fortunate enough to receive some money to add to their piggy bank!

MORE (NON-TOY) GIFT IDEAS

• The Ultimate Gift Guide For Messy People
• Best Stocking Stuffer Ideas For Teens
• 70 Stocking Stuffers For Men (They’ll Actually Use)

 

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