5 Clutter-Free Gift Ideas for Kids They’ll Actually Love
Kids love getting gifts, but with cheap toys readily available, many kids are inundated with stuff on every holiday and birthday. The clutter can quickly pile up! So how do you give gifts without contributing to the clutter? Choose gifts that create lasting memories or impart skills that will last a lifetime. Here are some great ideas for giving experiences as gifts!
1) Take in a Show!
Event tickets make a great gift because they offer an exciting experience to look forward to. Whether it’s a movie, concert, sporting event, circus, or theatre show, tickets to a live event can be a great gift for kids. If it’s something you can take them to and attend together, even better!
Why it’s great: Even though one-time live events offer lots of fun and excitement, they also are great for making memories. No clutter here!
How to give it: Tickets in an envelope can be less than exciting to open, so try pairing tickets with something they’ll wear to attend - like a team jersey or hat, a downloadable album or soundtrack, or snacks like popcorn or candy.
2) Get Curious!
Treat them to a trip to the zoo, aquarium, or museum! Take in your local museum or travel to someplace further away, take time to explore whatever sparks their curiosity! Look for venues that offer special experiences or exhibits just for kids, and check to see what traveling attractions may be coming through. Some places even offer annual memberships.
Why it’s great: You can tailor this gift to a child’s individual interests! Got an aspiring artist on your hands? Visit an art museum! Do they love dinosaurs? Check out a natural history exhibit. Are they obsessed with marine biology? Hit up the aquarium!
How to give it: Try a video guessing game! Going to the zoo? Share animal videos! You can even help them record their own video to document their experience.
3) Get active!
Give the gift of health AND fun with a membership to a gym, pool, jump park, skating rink, or climbing gym.
Why it’s great: No screens here! Kids need opportunities to be active more than ever, and getting to go back again and again helps build habits for an active lifestyle
How to give it: Give this gift with whatever gear they’ll need to participate: jump socks, skates, or goggles.
4) Learn something!
Sign a child up for lessons in something they love - music, dance, gymnastics, cooking, woodworking - anything at all. Better yet, choose a skill you can impart and share that with them! Bake an amazing pie? Schedule a pie-baking day together. Love gardening? Spend a day helping them plan their own garden. Champion chess player? Teach them to play! It doesn’t even have to be something you’re an expert in, just something you really enjoy.
Why it’s great: Stuff comes and goes, but skills last a lifetime. And even if it’s just for fun or not something a child pursues for the rest of their lives, there’s no better confidence-booster than learning something new. Bonus if you’re teaching them yourself: spending time together making memories!
How to give it: Wrap up an item they’ll need to participate, like sheet music or tap shoes, or take them shopping to gather supplies for that recipe or woodworking project.
5) Get Creative!
Pablo Picasso famously said “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain one once we grow up.” Kids are innately creative, and getting to exercise that creative impulse helps them grow as creative thinkers and problem-solvers - also it’s just fun to make cool art! As consumables that get used up instead of simply stored, art supplies have long been a great option for clutter-free gift-giving.Why it’s great: Art supplies offer kids an opportunity to have a fun experience and learn art skills at the same time.
How to give it: Art kits will have all the supplies kids’ need to make a project, without lots of extras they don’t need. Junior Artist Studio Kits from Painting to Gogh pair high-quality kid-tested supplies with step-by-step tutorials led by real art educators, so they can make something awesome to keep. As a bonus, the brushes can be used again and again with Painting to Gogh Junior Artist Refill Kits!
How to Share
Want to guide your child’s family and friends toward experience-based gift options? Try adding experiences to a universal wishlist like Pinwheel, or add any of these experiences to your Amazon wishlist by using the Universal Wishlist button.
And of course, you can always share a link to the Painting to Gogh Junior Artist collection!
