Our Toddler gift guide blog post we published last Christmas, goes into detail on some educational and experience inspired gifts and ideas for toddler gifts. As my son has grown up a little bit, his closet has been filing up with toys and my minimalist mama aspirations have gone out the window. We tried so hard to keep it simple with us personally only getting him the amazing age and researched based Lovevery Play Kits. This has been one of the best choices we made.
DISCLOSURE: AS A LOVEVERY AFFILATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS, AT NO COST TO YOU. THESE ARE ALL PRODUCTS I HIGHLY RECCOMEND. I WOULD NOT PUT ANYTHING ON THIS PAGE THAT I HAVEN’T VERIFIED AND/OR PERSONALLY USED.
Books have been the one thing that we as parents do not limit ourselves on purchasing more of. It’s incredible how books have been a powerful learning tool for our son. But even books still get overwhelming to store. The idea of intentional and practical gifting, inspired this Gifting Tips for Kids blog post. This blog post focuses on experience and educational gifts, much like our toddler gift guide blog post does too. In my opinion experiences are the ultimate gift because memories made are the most special gift of all. Plus you do not have to store them in your home.
Boundaries with Receiving Gifts
There is absolutely nothing wrong with having boundaries with both receiving and gifting gifts. It can be challenging to receive a toy that does not align with your families lifestyle or the toy does not have an educational purpose. So, for a few years now I have tried to use lists for friends and family to use for holidays and birthdays of what my son wanted or what he may enjoy. But it also resulted in many things that my son did not pick up first hand or things that he did not end up enjoying to use. So I have decided instead of me creating a list of gifts my son may or may not like, I would provide a list like I am including in this blog post for future gifting. This curated list is well thought out and filled with educational inspired items to inspire your next gifting purchases for the kids in your life.
Noting your Family’s Preferences
One of my favorite gifting tips for kids is if you are having a birthday party for your child, you can put on the invitation, “Our child would love to receive books and educational toys only” or “In lieu of a toy, please consider books and clothes only”. Or whatever is important to your family. This is not rude, it is simply having a boundary. If someone gifts you something that does not align with what you need or what your family values, there is also nothing wrong with exchanging it, donating it, or saving it until it is age appropriate for your child. I know, a controversial statement, but that is why boundaries with gifts for our kids can be an important conversation with our loved ones.
I have found at least mentioning the boundaries to friends and family is helpful. Typically our firm boundary has included no toys and no candy. But we are always open to books, educational items, and experiences of any kind. People love to gift clothes because honestly kids clothing is so freaking cute! However, we usually don’t request clothes so we can buy our son clothes that he picks out or that he loves. Stay true to you and your families lifestyle and preferences.
Okay, let’s move on to the gifting tips inspiration and ideas for the kids in your life.
Experience Gift Ideas
Out of all the gifting tips for kids I have, this one is my absolute favorite. Experience gifting is thoughtful and powerful in a child’s learning journey. It can range from being free, up to a couple hundred dollars of course. But the memories created and the learning that takes place with experience gifts, are truly priceless.
- Gift Card to the local children’s museum or taking the child to a local museum (In Albuquerque we love the Natural History Museum and Explora which is a children’s museum)
- Gift Card or Tickets to the local Zoo or Aquarium or taking the child to the zoo and enjoying the animals together
- Gift Card to go get Ice cream at their favorite spot or taking them out for ice cream and enjoying each others company
- Gift Card to go get dinner or pizza at their favorite spot or taking them out for pizza/dinner and enjoying the experience and memories
- Gift Card to a local coffee shop or take them to a coffee shop. We love to get our son a little pastry and a “Coffee” aka steamed milk. This is a fun way to enjoy the company of your little one when you take them.
- Gift Card to a local book store or Barnes and Noble or taking them to pick out a book together and enjoying the bookstore together. My mother in law did this for our son for Easter and I have to say it was such a sweet experience going to pick out a special book and puzzle. We even went during the weekly children’s live reading time. It was so fun! I think book stores and libraries are magical places full of education and fun.
- Gift Card to an indoor play ground (Like Jungle Jam here in Albuquerque) or taking them to the indoor playground.
- Memberships to the zoo, aquarium, botanical gardens, Children’s museum, History Museum. This is a gift that lasts all year long but definitely is on the pricier side between $100 and over $200 dollars depending on where your live.
- Going on a nature walk together. This one is free. Go outside and enjoy the weather. Enjoy the surroundings. Look for ladybugs, butterflies, and birds. Talk and enjoy each others company. Children have a lot to say. They are so curious and in awe of the world. I love this special experience gift because the gift of time with loved ones is so special.
I love all of these kids gift ideas because they include a gift that is the most important one of all, time together! Memories together over ice cream is so sweet, because time goes by so quickly. Every day we are grateful for another day to spend together. And experiencing things together with family and friends is truly priceless. A simple 10 dollar coffee experience means the world to the child in your life and the memories made will surely last a lifetime.
Educational Inspired Gifts that Promote Learning & Family Fun
My second favorite gifting tips for kids is, when in doubt make it educational. When parents and family or friends insist on a physical ‘gift’ for a present, I try to recommend items or companies like the ones below that will enhance the child’s learning experiences. Learning subscriptions and boxes are incredible now a days. There are so many options and so many ways that companies have made teaching our children simple and accessible.
Books and Book Subscription Boxes
The power of reading and books is indescribable. We are always open to more books and love it best when the gift giver writes a message in the book making it even more special. One way we do this when we gift to kiddos in our life, is by using a book instead of a card and writing the message on the back or on the inner cover (just like a card). Honestly, some books cost just as much as the fancy cards now a days. So in my opinion it’s a gift that lasts much longer than a card that will just be thrown away. Books are magical portals into other worlds and experiences. They help all of us learn new things, build imagination, and enjoy the love of reading. Books are the best gift!
Also, consider gifting a month or two of a book subscription box like Literati as an educational gift option for the kid(s) in your life. This is an age based subscription box that sends books each month. We have not tried yet but it is on our future list of gifting to our son.
Magazine Subscriptions
Highlights was something I used to read as a kid. They have a wide range of ages for their magazine subscriptions and often times you can find they have sales that have 6 months for under 20 dollars or something similar. This has been a fun activity to do with our child. It is fun that he gets it in the mail. There are stories, and activities, and recipes, that make learning so much fun. There is also a National Geographic kids subscription for those who love animals. We have not tried this one yet but now that my son is turning three, we plan to start this subscription as well. We used to get these in the schools that I taught in. They were amazing and full of educational information about animals and the planet. This gift is incredible because it comes in the mail and it is so fun to enjoy something new and educational with your child every time it comes int he mail.
Puzzles
We have an entire blog post about how much we love puzzles. Our son did his first puzzle in his Lovevery subscription box and since then has enjoyed the natural progression of puzzles within Lovevery’s Subscription boxes. He has learned how to do 50 piece+ puzzles under age 3. Puzzles are fun for the entire family. They involve fine motor skills and critical thinking. There are amazing puzzles out there for kids and so many options. Puzzles are a great educational gift choice for kids. Check the age range on the puzzle before purchasing as a helpful tip for buying for kids of varying ages.
Board Games
We recently started some beginner board games with our son like the classic ‘Chutes and Ladders’. He has enjoyed this game and we have enjoyed playing it together as a family. There are incredible board games for kids under age 4 out there that we are so excited to start buying and trying out. But as kids get older the board game possibilities are endless. We love board games because they are screen free family time that promote learning and build memories. Board games are an amazing gift and often times they can be a vary affordable gift choice.
Educational Subscription Boxes that promote learning
Lovevery – If you have followed along on the blog, you know that we are HUGE fans of Lovevery educational stage based play kits. We are an affiliate for them on our blog, but we have been using the play kits since our son was under one month, long before our blog was born. They have been incredible in our son’s learning journey. There are e gift cards to contribute to play kits that range from 50 dollars up. Their curated play kits go from birth through the end of age 4. They have a shop too with all kinds of items to enhance children learning. It’s amazing. This is a great gift for any family. The Gift of Education made by experts for the exact stages your child is at. This brand also makes things easy for the parents with parent guides for all of their kids and play toys. So you know exactly how to utilize the toy as the parent. That is why we personally very rarely buy toys for our son and instead choose to invest in these play kits.
Kiwi Co – This brand is another incredible company that focuses on educational play. These go from birth up to age 100, according to their site. They have science kits, geography, art, science, cooking, and beyond. I am super interested in this company for science learning and more. We are currently on a pre-k homeschool journey with our son and I feel like the science and STEM boxes this brand has would be a perfect fit into our learning journey as he gets older. This is a great choice for a gift for the kids in your life because it promotes learning and something enjoyable that comes right to there door.
Little Passports – We have not tried this one yet but in my research of educational subscriptions this one kept popping up. It looks so fun to explore other cultures, geography, STEM, animals, space, science and more. These kits start at age 3 through age 10. This is another great option to send to the little ones in your life.
These brands all have gift card options, so you do not have to pay for the entire subscription monthly forever. The best gifting tips for kids is to be open minded and consider educational gifts that last beyond one or two plays with a traditional toy choice, which is true for subscription gifts.
More Gifting Tips for Kids
Ten Dollar and Under Gift Inspiration
Bringing joy into a child’s life doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive for that matter. The dollar tree is amazing. They have a lot of puzzles, coloring books, crayons, and other activity things with characters that our son loves, like Spidey and Friends or Ninja turtles. I always think when I go that you could put a super cute gift together for a child there under 10 dollars.
For example, say your child likes Minnie Mouse. You could grab a Minnie mouse puzzle, a Minnie mouse coloring book, a Minnie mouse activity pack (I love to keep these in the diaper bag for when we go out to eat and need a little entertainment that is screen free), Minnie mouse crayons, Minnie mouse stickers, and maybe even a little Minnie mouse figurine. There you go a thoughtful themed gift under 10 dollars that the child in your life who loves Minnie, will surely enjoy.
Maybe the kiddo in your life loves painting and art. The dollar tree has an incredible arts and crafts supply section. You could make an art themed gift with water colors, oil pastels, paint brushes, a mini canvas, etc. The possibilities are endless. The more thought and love you put into a gift, no matter the price, the better. The love will definitely be felt by the child in your life when you gift with love and intention.
Puzzles, coloring books, and any sort of art supplies of any kind are an entertaining and amazing gift, and another one of my favorite gifting tips for kiddos. Keep it simple. Keep it cost effective for you too. The simplest gifts can have a great impact on a child’s life!
Investing in the Future
The last of the gifting tips for kids is to consider the child’s future. Yes a plastic toy is fun for right now, but could you consider investing the 15-25 dollars you would have spent on a toy into an investment account the child has or in a educational 529 account? Or maybe the parents have an savings account for their child. This is a cool way for the child to learn about money in a real life setting. If your budget for a gift is 25 dollars, maybe consider 15 dollars for the child to put in their education fund, or savings account, and then 10 dollars left over can be used on an amazing book. The possibilities are endless here. It is just something simple, practical, and for the future.
The Simple Gifting Rules I follow
In my Easter traditions blog post I talk about how I try to stick to the basics when choosing to gift my son and other peoples children. I take note of practicality and always add an educational twist to things. In general, I stick the below for most holidays and birthdays.
- Something to wear
- Something to play with or an interactive and educational toy/activity
- Something to Read
- Something to do (this ties into the list of experience gift ideas we listed earlier in this blog post)
This helps me stay grounded and in budget as a gift giver. I try to think what would I want my child to be gifted and this mini list helps along with the more detailed descriptions in this blog post.
Final Thoughts on Gifting Tips for Kids
There you have it, a thoughtful list of educational and experience gifting tips for the kiddos in your life. Also some practical and cost effective inspiration to consider. When in doubt, ask the parents what their preferences and boundaries are. If they do not have a preference then you truly have free reign to decide what you want to get. If they have a boundary of books and educational inspired gifts/toys, then do your best to stick to that. Gifting intentionally and with love is what matters most. Happy gift giving!
