Did you know that 61% of toys are unplayed with, and, on average, 35% of toys are neglected or forgotten within a month?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a world where more is more, taking a step back and rethinking gifts can be valuable. When it comes to non-toy gifts for kids, you can get creative and think outside the box. Being more conscious about gifting allows you to dig deep and think about gifts and experiences that resonate with your kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, it’s easy to buy a new doll or Lego set. But challenging yourself to find gifts for kids that aren’t toys can have amazing results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Research shows that experience gifts for kids rather than toys increases intelligence and creates a stronger bond with your kids. Experiences evoke emotion, and it is feelings and memories that your kids will remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are some of the benefits of activity gifts for kids:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether it’s an experience or a practical item, there are various gifting options for children that aren’t toys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A mud kitchen is a great messy play option that uses real-world tools. It is an open-ended invitation to explore, imagine, and be creative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can’t wrap up a mud kitchen, but you can gift some utensils. Fill a box with sand and include a bottle of water, bowls, jugs, and cutlery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our kids love spending time with us, so gifting them a one-on-one date is one of those memorable experience gifts kids of all ages will love. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Choose the date based on your child and what they would like to do. It could be a fancy dinner or go-karting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Buy your child some clothes for your date based on your chosen activity. Wrap up the clothes along with an invitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A flower press is a thoughtful gift that encourages kids to get creative, be crafty, and notice the natural world around them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wrap your flower press in some floral paper and add natural elements like pine cones or dried flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A bug hotel isn’t only a kid-friendly activity but also serves an important purpose. It teaches kids how to care for the planet and is a simple and exciting way to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a box, you can wrap elements your child can use in their bug hotel. For some fun, include some gummy worms and other critter-inspired candy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A cooking class is great if you are looking for experience gift ideas. Learning to be comfortable in the kitchen is an important life skill that can be made fun and exciting through engaging lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Put together a kitchen package with an apron, knives, and a personalized wooden spoon. You can include the lesson voucher in the box that you wrap. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A museum membership is a gift experience that is kid friendly and unique. The museum can be a fantastic source of information and enjoyment. Many local museums have events and special exhibits throughout the year. This is a gift the whole family can enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A fun way to gift a museum membership is to take inspiration from one of the exhibits. For example, you could include a book on Ancient Egypt and a miniature pyramid sculpture and wrap the box in strips of fabric like a mummy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Does your child have a favorite animal? Or they may be passionate about wildlife. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In that case, the WWF adopt an animal is one of those experience gift ideas that also encourage your kids to be environmentally conscious. When you donate, you will receive an adoption certificate, a plush toy, a gift bag, and a gift box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have already chosen the animal, you can wrap up the certificate and toy with fun animal wrapping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want to let your child choose which animal they would like to adopt, print out the list and put it in a box with animal flashcards and animal-shaped candy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are looking for unique gift ideas, opening a bank account for your child should be top of the list. This can be an account you put money into monthly, which other family members can contribute to at Christmas and birthdays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, you can’t wrap a bank account, but you can give your child a piggy bank with some cash inside it and their new bank card. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you gift your child a Letters from Afar subscription<\/a>, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Every month they will receive a letter from a traveler exploring the world. Beautifully illustrated, they will be able to experience different cultures and countries each month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Get your child a globe and an atlas and wrap them in old map book paper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether your child is into science, nature, or arts and crafts, there is an activity box for them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Gifting a monthly activity box subscription is a great way to encourage your kids to build on their passions without cluttering your home with more toys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some top picks for activity boxes include KiwiCo<\/a>, LovEvery<\/a>, and Green Kid Crafts<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try and get the first month delivered ahead of time so that you can wrap it. Remember to include a card that explains that this will be a monthly gift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A magazine subscription is an ideal gift for older kids. Whether they’re into manga<\/a>, National Geographic<\/a>, or Ranger Rick<\/a>, you can find the best magazine option to give to your child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n See if you can find back issues of the magazine to wrap for your child. You can even include comfy slippers and a magazine holder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A travel kit is one of those gift ideas that will make your child feel more organized and secure and teach them important life skills. For example, it can include a toothbrush, soap, new pajamas, and a flashlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Put all the goodies into a backpack that you can wrap in paper and plastic wrap like they would at the airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Experience gifts are a valuable way to foster connection with your kids. Why not set aside space outside and let your children create their own garden? This is one of the best experience gifts because your child will learn to be responsible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can wrap some garden gloves, packets of seeds, and a trowel in some hessian sacking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Experience gifts for kids don’t need to be fancy. It could mean more if they are from the heart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Make your child a coupon book filled with coupons for time with you or extra benefits at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Place your coupon book inside an envelope and then place the envelope inside a box, inside another box, inside another box and do as many layers as you like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We live in a wonderful world of technology, and you can get a digital camera inexpensively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Gifting your child a camera and a photo album will allow them to document the world around them. This makes the perfect gift for your older child who is moving into a different stage at school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is a fun way to document memories and give you a glimpse into your child’s world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Add some old family photos to the gift from childhood and when your child was a baby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kids don’t always need more stuff, and as your child reaches their teens, it can be special to let them create the bedroom they want. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Working on the project together can be one of the best experience gifts your kids could ask for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Give your child a gift card; that way, you can set the budget for the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the goal of a non-toy gift is to help declutter your house, an e-reader is perfect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once your children can read, an e-reader and an audiobook subscription mean they can read their stories on the go. Kindle<\/a> and Audible <\/a>are two great subscription options that the whole family can enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of using wrapping paper, wrap the e-reader in pages from old books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When it comes to gift ideas, you want to come up with something thoughtful. That is why a keepsake box is such a special gift. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It is a box in which your child can store mementos that bring back special memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Include one or two things in the box from when your child was a baby, such as socks or a lock of hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Experience gifts can help teach your children practical life skills, which is why lessons are popular. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Learning to crochet is simple for young and older children because the stitches are repeated, and it only uses one hook. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Learning how to make something from a ball of yarn is magical and a fun and practical skill for children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can buy a set of crochet hooks and yarn for your child to open. Glow-in-the-dark yarn is always a hit with kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are looking for experience gifts, try a first aid course. A first aid box is a practical gift and a great way to help your child grow in confidence and feel more independent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can include things like: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Wrap the first aid box app in bright red paper, and instead of using tape, use band-aids. Remember to include the course details inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make an adventure kit for your kid. Children love feeling independent, and giving them the tools to explore confidently is a great idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can include things like: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Put your Adventure Kit items into a personalized bag your children can take in their backpacks. Wrap it in some camo-print paper, but instead of using tape, secure the paper with knotted rope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Music lessons are a creative and educational way to give a gift and let your child explore their interests. It could be lessons for a traditional instrument like piano or guitar, or they could attempt to learn the marimbas or didgeridoo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Include some music made with the specific instrument and wrap it in old sheet music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Family experiences will leave an impression on your kids and make for a special gifting option. If you are a camping family, heading to your child’s favorite campground for s’mores, hiking, and fishing will make a great gift. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you aren’t a camping family, you can have a backyard camping trip with all the elements of camping paired with the comforts of home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Put together a camping pack with s’mores ingredients, a flashlight, a bug repellant, and a new book to read around the campfire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As parents, we want to give our children the world, which sometimes means not giving them anything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When it comes to gift-giving, offering non-toy gifts or experiences can deepen the connection with your kids and teach them that the best things in life are often moments rather than things. <\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Believe it or not, your kids don’t need more stuff. In fact, experience gifts for kids can actually make them smarter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2474,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsprouts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2473"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsprouts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsprouts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsprouts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsprouts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2473"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsprouts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2630,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsprouts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2473\/revisions\/2630"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsprouts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsprouts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsprouts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsprouts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Wrap It Up<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
10. Monthly Activity Box<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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11. Magazine Subscription<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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12. Travel Kit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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13. Create a Garden<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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14. Homemade Coupon Book<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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15. Camera and Photo Album<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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16. Bedroom Makeover<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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17. e-Reader and Audiobook Subscription<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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18. Keepsake Box<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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19. Crochet Lessons<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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20. First Aid Box and Course<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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21. Adventure Kit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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22. Music Lessons<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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23. Camping Trip<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wrap It Up<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Non-Toy and Experience Gifts for the Win<\/h2>\n\n\n\n