The 10 Best Holiday Gifts for Kids - Gifts That Aren’t Toys!

If you’re like many parents to young children, you’re likely overwhelmed by not only the number of toys you’ve already accumulated but by the inevitable task of purchasing more toys to gift your children during the holidays.

Toys are a great gift because they excite the child and make them feel worthy. They also provide a level of entertainment and, depending on the toy, can be useful for educational purposes.

Play also happens to be an incredible tool for learning at a young age, so don’t let this article discourage you away from toy play. Instead, simply aim to move the primary focus of gift-giving away from toys exclusively and towards more sustainable, memorable, experience-based gifts; non-toys, if you will. 

It’s all too familiar, however, when toys begin to accumulate. What happens? The child plays with the toy once or twice and moves on to the next best thing. This is a vicious cycle that many parents experience but don’t know where to turn for a solution. The end result is an unnecessary accumulation of toys that largely went to waste, not only financially for the parent but for the child who lacked meaningful experience.

The good news is that there are several meaningful gift ideas for kids who seem to have every toy they could dream of. Remember, gifts for children don’t need to be limited to toys. Instead, consider creative gifts that will enhance the child’s learning, encourage life experience, and aid in growth & development, all while still providing fun and excitement.

So, if this sounds like a situation you’ve found yourself in, don’t worry! In this article, we’ll be sharing several unique gift ideas (that aren’t toys!) for kids who have “everything”.

Below are the 10 best holiday gifts for kids who have too many toys!

Let’s jump right into it:

• Sports Equipment
• Books
• Fish Aquarium
• Child-friendly Camera (Bonus if it’s Waterproof!)
• A Musical Instrument
• Tickets to an Amusement Park or Mini Golf
• A Piggy Bank
• A Kids Bathrobe
• Clothes & Shoes
• KidzAdventure Sleeping Bags

All of these gift ideas encourage an important aspect of a child’s life, but in a fun and interactive way. Giving gifts can be fun for the whole family too, not just the child who’s receiving it. 

While it may come as a surprise, children are typically quite easy to please, usually enjoying the opening of the gift more than the gift itself. By getting more creative with your gifts, not only can you set yourself apart from the toys, but you can also encourage learning, introduce new hobbies, begin to implement habits, all while making your child happy.

Let’s dive a little deeper into each gift idea, shall we?! 

Sports Equipment

While not all children are inclined to participate in sport and activity, it’s certainly worth a try.

Sports not only encourage play and exercise but also teach responsibility and discipline, build character, encourage teamwork and sharing, and it also happens to be a great way to meet friends.

By gifting some type of sports equipment to your child, whatever it may be, you might just spark an interest in them that can blossom into something much greater.

Below are some examples of sports equipment that you can gift to a child this holiday season:

• Baseball Glove
• Hockey Stick
• Basketball & Hoop
• Rollerblades
• Tap Dancing Shoes
• Ice Skates
• Bicycle
• Soccer cleats

Books

Reading is a staple in any young child’s development. Not only does it encourage learning and reading capabilities, but it also may spark new interests for the child. Just like some children have an inclination to play sports, others may have an inclination to read; it’s a common hobby amongst children and adults alike.

It’s also a great gift for kids because it can be personalized. In other words, receiving your first book is special and is something that can be cherished for a lifetime.

So, when purchasing a book for a child’s gift, put some meaningful thought behind it. Consider engraving it with their name and date. They may not appreciate it now, but in time, and with wisdom, that book may just become a memory portal to the past.

Fish Aquarium

Depending on the age of the child, responsibility and companionship can be fun and exciting. As a precursor to greater responsibilities, gifting them a “pet” fish is a great introduction to the care of others.

They’ll learn how to love, nurture, and care for another living creature, all while being proud of having their very own fish!

If you’re a young family and you plan to introduce a pet cat or dog, for example, into the family at some point, introducing a fish is a great first step, and may also show you as a parent how the child will handle owning another pet. It’s a win-win!

Child-Friendly Camera

It’s important to introduce children to as many hobbies, interests, and activities as possible to help gauge their direction in life. While this may seem somewhat extreme, the early developmental years of a young kid are imperative to what they’ll grow into later in life.

As you’ve already learned throughout this article, allowing the child to have a broad scope and understanding of several disciplines will only benefit them down the road.

One artistic hobby you can introduce them to is photography. Gifting them a waterproof, child-friendly camera is a great entry-level gift to something that could blossom into something greater.

Not only that, but it’ll give the child something to play with during family vacations, outings, and other day-to-day events.

Musical Instrument

Music and the arts are of great value to a child. Not only is it fun, cool, and exciting, but it also helps the brain to develop. Moreover, music is an incredible talent to have. By introducing them to it at a young age, you may uncover a talent you wouldn’t otherwise have discovered.

Being musical also opens many avenues later in life, from joining choirs and broadway groups, to meeting others with similar interests and building relationships from there.

As we all know, it may also blossom into a career.

Whatever the case, a musical instrument is a great gift for a kid who may have all the toys they could ask for. It’s cool, it’s fun, it’s engaging, and it’s valuable, both to the child and the parent alike.

Tickets to an Experience

What kid doesn’t enjoy an eventful outing with their family. Whether it’s pair of tickets to a local amusement park, or a trip to the mini-golf course that the whole family can enjoy, gifting an experience is one of the best gifts one can give, not only for a child but an adult as well.

Materialism has become prevalent in today’s day and age, however, we need to get back to the philosophy that experiences are the greatest gift of life. Toys have their place, as do other material gifts. However, experiences to are meaningful, and the memories last a lifetime.

A Piggy Bank

Children, depending on their age, tend to have a fascination with money. If you remember being a child, even being gifted two dollars would have been super exciting!

A piggy bank (maybe even with a little surprise inside) is a great gift for kids because it introduces them to the concept of money and the value of saving. Additionally, it also adds a level of excitement for the child, as mentioned earlier, money is fascinating to them.

Lastly, a piggy bank is also a great centrepiece to a bedroom and acts as great storage for loose change. This may help you as a parent keep the household that much more cleanly!

A Kids Bathrobe

Talk about benefiting both parties…Depending on the age of the child, you may have trouble getting them to bathe or shower, brush their teeth, and do all of the hygienic habits on a daily basis.

For whatever reason, kids need to be incentivized early on in order to partake in such activities. One way to incentivize them is through gifts and encouragement. Gifting the child a bathrobe will get them excited to get the bath, for example, because once they’re finished, they get to throw on their brand-new batman-themed (as an example) robe!

Clothes & Shoes

Remember when we mentioned that gifts can also be the beneficiary of the gift giver (i.e. the parent)? We all know that clothes are a necessity. Not only will your child be excited to get a brand-new t-shirt with his favourite animal on it (just an example), but you as a parent will appreciate that your child has clothes to put on their backs.

While sometimes it’s important to get gifts that focus on the ‘want’ rather than the ‘need’, it also helps when gifts check the box for both. Clothes and shoes are a necessity, so why not gift them during the holidays?!

KidzAdventure Sleeping Bag!

Allow your kid(s) to immerse themselves in the outdoors and adventure through their imagination with the ultimate holiday gift, the KidzAdventure Camping Kit.

Perfect for the family’s next camping adventure, this adventure-themed youth camping kit includes a four-themed, lightweight sleeping bag, offering unique graphic designs and is suitable for all seasons! The best part? It rolls up into a backpack so that the kid can carry his/her very own sleeping bag during the adventure.

The KidzAdventure youth sleeping bags boast several features that set them apart from other children’s sleeping bags. Roll out in adventure, camp right, sleep tight, and enjoy amazing memories under the stars.

Below are the features of the KidzAdventure Sleeping Bag:

• Minimal and Lightweight
• Comes with Built-in Pillow Sleeve
• Extra Comfort
• Comes in Several Sizes
• Durable, Double-Layered
• Rolls Into a Backpack
• 4 Graphic Design Themes to Choose From

 

To learn more about KidzAdventure or to purchase a camping kit or sleeping bag directly, visit: https://www.kidz-adventure.com/collections/kids-camping-beaching Your child will love it or your money back!