I started my gift guide series for the sole purpose of helping parents and gift-givers to find gifts that would actually get played with and don’t add to the toy clutter. But, sometimes gifts really depend on the child and it’s hard to tell until you try something. So, another option if you feel like the child already has too many toys would be to give non-toy gifts. At a party the other night, a friend was asking me if I thought an experience would be a good gift and it gave me the idea for this post!
Here are 20 non-toy gift ideas that would be great for kids:
- Trampoline Park Passes-We love going to the trampoline park, so these would be a great idea if your child does too. One of my siblings is actually doing this for my son this year and I love the idea!
- Toothbrush-A cool character toothbrush would be a nice small gift! Anything to help make brushing teeth easier is a win for parents lol.
- Character Robe and Slippers-My Mom got my son a little spider man robe and he loves walking around in it. Slippers would be great too!
- Movie Tickets-We haven’t taken my 3.5 year old to a movie yet, but I know he would love it! If the child you are shopping for has the capacity to sit through a movie, this would be a fun idea!
- Cash and Coins-I don’t know where he got this from, but my son has started walking around telling everyone he wants “cash and coins” for Christmas HAHA.
- Workbooks-My son has started to really love his preschool workbooks. If you have a parent who stays home, this may be a good gift idea for those long winter days. (These are the ones we love for that 2-4 age range: Play Smart Brain Booster, Scholastic Wipe Clean Early Learners)
- Nature Book-This isn’t your average book. A lot of people use it in homeschooling. It’s jam packed with awesome information about nature and the outdoors and it’s so fun to read! I have learned just as much as my 3.5 year old and he loves it! If your kid is outdoorsy, it would be great for kids of all ages and can really grow with the child.
- Usborne Matching Game-This game is so cute! I got it for my son when he was around 2/2.5 and it has grown well with him. He loved looking at all the bugs but now he also enjoys matching them all as well.
- Sleeping Bag-We have been gifted a few different kinds of sleeping bags and my son thinks it’s so cool when he gets to sleep in them.
- Character Pillowcase or Blanket-A character blanket or pillowcase with the child’s favorite character is a fun idea!
- Crafts-Last year my in-laws got my son a bunch of craft items and we’ve used them all year. Things like construction paper, crayons, markers, stickers, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, pom poms, etc. are all great!
- Piggy Bank-My son was gifted a piggy bank this year and he thought it was the coolest! He loves putting his coins in it and then dumping them out and doing it again lol.
- Snow Gear/Boots-My son was gifted snow boots last year and I thought it was a great idea! This year I actually picked out some bibs and a cute new winter coat for my family to gift to our son.
- Sled-A high-quality sled is a great winter gift idea!
- Room Decor-If you know the child loves a certain character or theme, this would be a fun idea.
- Gift card to Favorite Place/Restaraunt-The wow factor may not be there when they open a gift card, but they will be happy when they have the experience and know it was from you.
- Glow in the Dark Stars-I had these when I was a kid and got them for my son over the summer and they are a huge hit! It’s so fun falling asleep to glowing stars on your ceiling!
- Tubing gift certificate-I’m stealing this idea from a friend. She said she was giving a relative money towards a tubing/sledding experience. This is a great idea for winter for sure!
- Highlights or Ranger Rick subscription-We were gifted these and my son loves getting new ones in the mail to look at! This is especially great for those 2-5 year olds who aren’t in school yet.
- Suitcase/Travel Gear-My son usually just uses one of our suitcases when we travel, but I added it because a cute suitcase would be a great idea for overnights with grandparents!
I hope this helps you if you are shopping for a kid who has way too many toys already! One of these gifts would be great!
-Nicole
