**This list of Gift Ideas for Kids has been Updated for 2018 – 2019**
We spent six months travelling around Europe in a campervan. We had a tiny stash of playthings and our three year old toddler Ramona thrived. She was a case study for how kids play in nature. She had a twig that would be a wand one minute, a baby the next, a spade in the morning and a guitar in the afternoon.
During that time I came to believe that too many toys can push a child’s imagination right under the bed and will eventually wreck the planet our children have got to enjoy for the rest of their lives. (Read my thoughts on that here.)
These days I think that rather than having such a negative view of toys we can just view them as one part of the big picture of childhood. As parents (or caring adults in a child’s life) we need to provide a nurturing environment that values fun, communal games, imagination play, art, creating, music, nature. Toys aren’t evil. They bring kids a whole heap of enjoyment, so let’s not be too harsh on them!
However, we all want to be that awesome adult that opens the doors a little more on a child’s imagination. We want to give a kid a gift that they will remember forever!
Pin for later: Sixty Great Gift Ideas for Kids
This list of gift ideas for kids is for you. Whether it is for Christmas or a special birthday, this list has a unique and awesome non-toy gift for every child.
This is a crowd sourced list of gift ideas for kids. Using Twitter and Facebook I asked 6000 people: What is the best non-toy present you ever received as a kid?
Here are sixty ways to show you care, and for the most part they fire a child’s imagination and cause less havoc for the environment. Many of them are free, or cheap and plenty of them can be found in charity shops or secondhand stores. There is a common theme of taking children seriously- of trusting them and their abilities, of giving them tools to create.
(When a celebration is coming up and it’s a pressie-giving kind of time, I reckon a good, frank chat is the best starting point. The child/ parents have a better idea about what the child would enjoy/ needs like a hole in the head. But the second port of call should be this list, for sure. Bookmark it and share it with your family members!)
**New video** Here I share my favourite things from this list and add a few extra ones to the list – including the present we had handmade for Ramona’s sixth birthday!
Here we go….
Gift Ideas for Kids – Tools & Equipment
I am reading “Escape from Childhood” by John Holt at the moment and the thing he is really convincing me of is how much kids NEED to be useful. Exactly like adults! They love to be taken seriously, to have serious implements and to be able to truly, genuinely help and build and be busy working. When considering gift ideas for kids we should think about great it must feel for them to open up proper tools and equipment.
1-A small fruit tree to grow and nurture.
2- Same goes with a proper hammer and nails. Throw in some wheels and planks and they’ll be set for days. or perhaps a toolbox filled with things were a massive hit; rope, screws, pulleys etc.
3- Sew them a baby sling for their dolls. Here is a tutorial for an easy sling for your toddler’s doll – it has never failed to please a tot in my experience!
4- Gardening equipment- a proper trowel, some organic slug killer and some seeds.
5- A greenhouse. A reader says “When I was 9 I got a greenhouse. To this day it is still my best Christmas present ever as I spent hours with my Grandad learning how to grow food.”
6- A pocket knife. Every kid age 4+ needs a good simple pocket knife, a lesson in using it safely (sitting down, striking away from you, with an adult in range) and a bit of wood to carve.
7 – Cress seeds were specified for very young children- imagine helping to feed your family at only age 2?! Plus they pop up all year round and don’t take as much patience. You can also make them a head to grow them in so it looks like hair! Classic!
8- My sister put together a survival kit for her six year old son- a good rope, pegs and a tarpaulin for den making, camo paint, a good torch. Flipping heck, that was a hit.
9 – A wind up torch. Sustainable and fascinating for children. They especially love head torches.
10 – A good baking bowl, a whisk, some scales. Show them you have faith in their ability to make something yummy.
11- The ingredients to make something yummy! One reader explains about the special thing she did for Christmas “I once gave my daughter’s friend a bag filled with the ingredients, Christmas cutters and the recipe to make their own Christmas gingerbread. They loved it.”
12 – Kitchen implements- one tweeter is getting her 2.5 year old son a peeler with a big handle as he genuinely loves helping in the kitchen. One reader received a sieve when she was young and it was her favourite present ever. I think I might get my three year old a good grater- they are so fulfilled when they are doing something worthwhile. A garlic press was another great suggestion. And every kid needs an apron.
13- Their own cookery book. Several times a week Ramona picks something out of her cookery book and bakes it. She is five.
14 – Something to pull apart- give them a screw driver and an old type writer and the afternoon to take it to bits and explore its inners.
15- A rock tumbler. A reader explains “I loved collecting rocks when I was about 9- it was so cool being able to polish them!”
16 – A magnifying glass and a book of native Insects.
17 – A microscope “I spent months finding things to look at and getting family members to guess what it was- the best was tiny slivers of onion skin.”
18 – Binoculars – plus a guide to bird and wildlife. We just bought a pair for our eight year old neighbour and you have pretty much never seen a kid more excited!!!!
19 – A calligraphy pen, nibs and ink. “I was given these age ten, and shown how to use it. I still have it!”
20 – A DIY science kit. Or DIY anything kit really!
Gift Ideas for Kids – Art and creating
The emphasis here is on good quality stuff. Just like adults, children deserve to work with good quality materials. It is frustrating scrawling on crap paper with crayons that barely make a mark. Seeing the vivid colours of acrylic paint on canvas is much more likely to stoke a child’s passion for creating art, no? These gift ideas for kids might just stoke your own memories of receiving creative crafty pressies.
21- A ball of bright coloured, good wool and instructions for finger knitting will open up a whole new meditative world.
22- Ingredients for DIY porcelain clay- a little box with corn flour and bicarb and instructions. They’ll love the making and the shaping.
23- Proper non toxic acrylic paint, high quality watercolours, and proper paintbrushes.
24 – A good quality sketch book. These are unbeatable in terms of art – acrylic and watercolours just feel and look magical with beautiful thick absorbent paper.
25- We always put a packet of non toxic nail polish in to my daughter’s gift pile because she JUST. LOVES. IT. I was in denial for a while. But it’s just the way she is. We get our nail polish from Iherb as it is totally harmless, water-based. And YES! I do believe it is ART 🙂 (This is the only affiliate link in this post, I have chucked it in because we buy it so regularly for Juno.)
26- A candle making kit. (I have made candles since I was 11 when I got my first kit and loved it. And the only fire I caused was when I was 22 and being VERY experimental. Just a shame the fire happened on my future in laws dining table.)
27 – More kits: A perfume making kit – what a cool way to learn about chemicals and stuff.
28 – A sewing machine. I got my first when I was 12 and after a fairly quick lesson from my Aunty have seen ever since. Or even just a hand sewing kit with fabric, needles and threads.
29 – How about these wonderful chalkboard puppets? Handmake some chalkboard blocks and give them along with some chalk and then, the best bit, PLAY TOGETHER!
30 -A box of craft materials that is all their own- ribbon, pipe cleaners, beads, buttons, fimo etc. Red Ted Art has a lot of gift ideas for kids in the form of arts and craft gift boxes.
31 – Jars of homemade playdough and a box of cutters and tools (found in secondhand shops.)
32 – A box. It was the third best gift, suggested by over thirty people! The best explanation comes from reader, Clare “The best ‘present’ I ever got was a great big cardboard box. I made it into a house and played in it for YEARS. The best thing about it was that my parents got really involved in it- my mum made curtains for it and they never complained about having a tatty old hoc in the living room and let me keep it as long as I wanted.”
Gift Ideas for Kids – Music and Culture
33- A mixtape – burn a cd with a selection of fun songs. Ramona has been given some of these and they are her favourite gift by a mile. I have gone on to make them for other children and my kids have helped select the tunes. So cool.
34 – Audiobooks- Roald Dahl stories are fantastic and tantalise imaginative minds.
35- A subscription to a magazine such as National Geographic. A reader explains how she felt about her subscription given to her by her neighbour age six, “At first, we just looked at the pictures but I read more each year as I grew. In our sleepy village,nit was a very welcome window into different cultures. And I always felt very grown up and acknowledged when I read them.”
36- Instruments! A good drum, maracas, a ukelele. A good xylophone. The brain patterns used in music are the same as those used in maths so giving kids the tools to create music is important. And fun. But make sure they are GOOD- in tune etc or children will lose interest.
37 – A song. Rope people in to help you, friends to strum chords on the guitar. Record it on YouTube and send it to them! We have done this a few times, it’s weird and fun. Write your own or just change a few lyrics to an existing one.
38 – A personalised book! We were given Lost My Name books for Juno and Ramona and they were strong, non-gender stereotyped stories.
39 – A poem. No, really, really! How special, for a kid to have their own poem. Written on beautiful paper. For them to treasure.
40 – A story. Ramona and Juno’s Grandad has written them both a story, printing it out into a book and gluing in photos. It was about cats. They LOVE their personalised stories! How about writing a story about them? Or drawing a comic featuring them? It doesn’t need to be about them.
41- A matinee at a show (we like to queue at 7am at the Lion King box office for cheap tickets.
42- Books, books and more books. This was the most popular response by miles. The child especially enjoys receiving a book with meaning- one mum explains “her eyes light up when I say “this is something I loved when I was little, and I thought you’d like me to read it to you.”
43- Last Christmas we were living on the other side of the world to my husbands family. They sent over a book that they had recorded the story into- Ramona loves hearing the voices of her Grandparents, Aunties and Uncles reading to her.
44- A photo album or scrap book. Reader Sally explains that her three year old loves these.
Gift Ideas for Kids- Experiences
Days out were probably the second top answer after “box!” Kids love hanging out doing stuff with people who love them, and memories last WAY longer than toys. If giving an experience that doesn’t already come in the form of a card or voucher, draw them up a personalised one that they can open. It feels so much more exciting! These are gift ideas for kids that keep on giving WAY after they have been cashed in.
45 – A season pass or vouchers to something- an outdoor play area, a private woods such as Westonburt or a wildlife lark or donkey sanctuary.
46- A micro love bomb- let them have a whole evening hanging out with you, doing WHATEVER they want. Like, really, anything. (Based on Oliver James’ miraculous Love Bomb idea- a whole weekend to reset connection and attachment.)
47- A micro adventure- grab a tent, pack a little gas cooker and have a night in the local woods. Even London has accessible woods you can do this in.
48 – A visit to stables to ride on a horse- Ramona adored this for her third birthday. A reader adds that when she was seven she was given a Shetland pony-owning day “7 year old heaven!”
49 – Sew them something magnificent for their fancy dress box – a mermaid outfit or a pair of wings- see a tutorial for easy toddler wings here, you could make them any size.
50 – A tent and sleeping bags to camp out in the garden.
51 – A day out in a big city- the museums, a picnic, feeding the skanky pigeons, climbing the towers.
52- A voucher for a den building afternoon. Take wood, hammers and nails and build a fort together in the local woods.
53- A course. Six weeks of a children’s photography or pottery or dance classes.
54- Adopt a whale/ dog/ monkey. This is a delightful idea, the child has a sense of investment with an animal and they can make a real difference for a charity.
55- A box of second hand clothes and costume jewellery for a fancy dress department. One Tweeter said the stash she was given included a WEDDING DRESS. Brilliant.
56- An experience for a baby- a jar of threaded beads, jewels and shells for them to shake and look at.
57- And another idea for a baby- a box of tissues entirely theirs to pull out. (This is probably my favourite of them all- even at seven months old Juno has worked out how to undo the lid of the baby wipes and delights in pulling them out.)
58 – Organise a visit with a local craftsperson or skilled person.Imagine spending an hour with a beekeeper or on a tractor or hammering nails with a builder or watching an artist blowing glass or making cheese or something more specific the child loves! You could give a box of beers to the tradesperson in exchange! One reader had a day of work experience at a farm when she was a child and she cherishes that memory.
59- Car booting/ junk store shopping. Write a voucher and include ten smackeroonies and set a date and go and find the most obscure antiques you can! We bought tap shoes at a junk store for both our kids- unbelievable amounts of entertainment!!!
60- Fruit picking. One of my most treasured childhood memories is of going strawberry picking with my Nana and Grandad when I was small. I remember my Nana stuffing her face, the red juice dribbling down her chin. She was an upright, honest citizen but I think she thought eating them as you go was part of the deal! Traditional activities like this are magical – I could almost make a list of gift ideas for kids based entirely on old skool chores. Ha!
***
What an epic, epic list of gift ideas for kids. Thanks to everyone for sharing your ideas and stories. I am inspired and have my kid’s Christmas gifts sorted: a grater for Ramona and a box for Juno.
May your Christmas and birthday celebrations be ever imaginative and may you become a gift rockstar in the eyes of the children in your life!!!
PS We are blogging from a yurt in a forest in NZ these days – follow through Facebook or Instagram and keep up with our Youtube updates:
PPS If you are looking for creative gifts for mums and dad please check out my book 30 Days of Rewilding – designed to help families find their place amongst nature.
PPPS Check out the comments below for more gift ideas for kids – this is an organic, evolving list with people adding to it constantly via the comments!
Pin for Later:
I love these. Our kids do have loads of toys – more than they need, but I think we’ve done quite well with showering them with creativity and time. We’re helped by the fact that our eldest (now 6) just doesn’t really play with toys, and never has. We (and others) have given him a fair few things from this list but I’m so glad for a whole load of fresh ideas. Thank you!
What a fab list, and not just for the tinies! My plan for 14-yr old stepson (obsessed with the The Walking Dead) is a Zombie Apocalypse Survival Kit – ie a box-full of many of the above : a proper knife, camping bits and bobs, a tin of spam…
I know the rest of the family’s going to give him lots of technology and cash. Yikes, fingers crossed… it does take courage to go alternative on the presents doesn’t it..?!
That’s fabulous. Throw in the books WWZ and How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse 🙂
I am printing this off and aim to tick off every single one of these with my 3 bunnies! Eventually………………..
Brilliant! Thanks so much for these ideas. defo planning on thinning out the toy stash and providing some proper tool kits. A pre- chrimbo trip to london and a visit to natural history museum is causing much excitment here too 🙂
Brilliant! That’s the next fifteen Christmases SORTED!
Well done, Lucy!
What an amazing list! I reckon I’ll be referring back to this for years to come. Might send it out to the relatives too…
Thanks for including a couple of baby ideas too. I think older babies and younger toddlers are often overlooked and just given the bijilionth rattle or soft toy or horrendous noisy thing (okay they do like those), but they need more stimulating, ‘grown-up’ playthings than that.
The tissue box is a fantastic present – I made my little boy a really pretty one out of a shoebox and squares of old fabric. You could even appliqué things like letters or animals onto the ’tissues’, and make into a real keeper.
I’ve made a few more things for him and plan to run a feature on my blog about it soon.
Thanks again for the hard work you put into compiling this, it’s so useful
A wipes dispenser filled with scarves is a great way to make this same type of thing.
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A world map or globe is a wonderful gift.
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Fab ideas!
Thanks for this post. 🙂 I have been wanting to tone down the Christmas gift giving to my kids this year. These ideas have got my creativity going as to what to give them. Sponsoring wildlife I haven’t thought about. And I was thinking about paddleboard lessons (which can be expensive) and now I’m thinking of a friend’s teenager who has a paddleboard and may appreciate a bit of money (with me there and safety measures taken of course) 🙂 . Cheers Luv!
Great to rediscover this epic list. Thanks, Lucy! So helpful and will make such an impact.
Okay – so next list: 60 great alternatives to iTunes vouchers for teenage boys.
Pretty please?!?!?!?!
Ha! Great idea. Also a list for dads!
WHAT A GOOD IDEA! I may *just* do it!! Thank you!
LOVE this. What brilliant ideas – thanks so much for sharing x
Absolutely love this, have bookmarked! I’m all about making memories through wonderful experiences with the kids and I’ve been much more focused on ‘experience’ gifts as we continue to declutter their toy boxes. At Christmas, I let Santa bring their dream toy (last year it was toy wrestlers) but Mum and Dad give stuff that’s useful or lasts e.g. an apron you can scribble on, a Mr Men cuddly that transforms into a travel pillow, tickets to a show or a trip, a piece of art for the kids’ bedroom. There are so many ways to light up your kids’ faces without cramming your home with too much junk. I’ll be doing a gift guide along these lines for Christmas, and will definitely give you a shout out when I do 🙂
[…] present ideas for kids that are thrifty, eco-friendly and foster great things in kids, Lucy at Lulastic and the Hippy Shake has a wonderful post with Sixty Great Gift Alternatives to […]
[…] extensive guide for non-toy alternatives, from blogger Lulastic and the hippy shake crowdsourced by her readers – these are the most […]
A friend of yours posted a link to this post in the Facebook comments beneath Dr Laura Markham of Aha! Parenting about my own great alternative to toys (Experience Vouchers they can redeem for doing fun stuff with mom and dad: http://bit.ly/1yaxP4t) I love your list and will share it on my FB page this week 🙂
Awesome, thank you! Yours is great!
For my daughter’s first holiday my husband bought her her very own box of nice crinkly wax paper-chlorine free! She was 6 months old
I stumbled on your blog, and I can’t tell you how much I love this list! I spent many childhood summers traveling the U.S. with my family in a VW camper van. We didn’t have yours with us, but instead had books, drawing supplies, tape players, and whatever else we could turn into fun (toilet paper is great to turn your little brother into a mummy). My children, in turn, didn’t have a lot of toys. Instead, they turned what they had into myriad imaginative things.
You mentioned a box; my husband built our older son a wooden box with a lock on it, so he could keep his little brother from getting into his stuff. My son adored that gift!
Thanks for all the comments and extra ideas, everyone 😀 Sorry I haven’t replied to each comment- my excuse is not having the internet in our yurt! I love to read your comments and will add in the extra ideas soon too! THANKS! xxx
[…] for everyone, but (time and everything else allowing) could you make, or cook, something instead? 60 great alternatives to toys has some useful discussion points about presents for […]
I gave my 7 year old a survival kit last year – it was a massive hit.
My 4 year old recently spent her pocket money on a dish washing brush and sponge! She loves helping with the dishes.
[…] are just a few ideas. Here is a list of 60 alternative toy ideas for more inspiration. I hope you have a very Merry […]
Thanks for this list. It’s really different!
Our girls are nearly all grown up now, but some of their favourites included
Joke books
A spy kit
Ballet shoes
I made a toy for one of my 4 children once….it was an empty box of tissues filled with hankies/material squares. They absolutely adored it…..
All my kids have penknife, sleeping bags, rock collections, coin collections etc etc….
They can all climb trees, build dens, catch crayfish and make fire.
We might not be very academic but we will certainly survive.
The best present I ever got was a ‘sport’ not a toy, I got a Ping-Pong Table. With new paddles, net and ping-pong balls. These 3 items were store bought, the table was not, it was hand made…by 13 year old ME! Around Thanksgiving my dad pulled me aside & said he was giving my younger brothers (7 & 6 yrs old) a slot car set for Xmas. He wanted me to assemble the base for the track. I received 1 – 4′ x 8′ x 3/4″ sheet of very good plywood and enough 1″x 2″ boards to attach around the edge of the whole sheet of plywood for support. And I was to mix up a ‘green’ paint for the entire thing for a ‘field of grass’ look. Me & dad worked on it and when my brothers weren’t around I worked on it alone. Xmas morning we are waiting out of view of the ‘Tree’, while dad started warming up the light bar from HELL for our 8mm movies. My brothers RAN, my sister and I were 12 & 13 so we were to old to RUN but we got right in there, but my brothers were squealing with joy about this and that but I didn’t see the ‘slot car set with my homemade base. Off in the corner I saw a BIG “MERRY XMAS BILL – FROM SANTA” sign & it was on a Ping-Pong table all set up & ready to play. Dad put thin white tape down for the lines, attached a new net, added paddles & balls and had given my ‘hand made gift’ to the person that made it, me. We ALL played on that table for many years and whenever it was put up in the garage to play it always was out for at least a week, usually MANY weeks and the cars parked outside! Good father/son working on a project together time, and some more grown up laughs by all of us over age 7…
‘
How wonderful! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I love this one so much! What an awesome idea from your dad.
What a brilliant article! I am inspired and way better than plastic tack that clutters the place up. Thank you 🙂
Fantastic list, love it. Thank you.
[…] These were my picks from the blogs suggestions. To read the blog yourself click here. […]
[…] These were my picks from the blogs suggestions. Read the blog yourself. […]
[…] Sixty Great Gift Alternatives to Toys […]
[…] Sixty Great Gift Alternatives to Toys – Lulastic and the … – Reply Kelly from Oz 25 October, 2014 at 11:21 am. Thanks for this post. I have been wanting to tone down the Christmas gift giving to my kids this year. […]
Possibly one of the best posts I have seen in a long time. My 4 yo made a sling shot yesterday with some wood we had removed from our new place. She sat sanding it down for hours, and the look on her face was priceless when daddy added the elastic.
PS: Baby-wearing dolls FTW!!!
This is right up my alley! Every time I enter a toy store for a birthday gift I look for a DIY KIT! My son has plenty of hand lens, torches, binoculars and what not to play with!
[…] src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F60VzP2ozv8" frameborder="0" on front page >Want a toy that really engages your child? Look to toys that really challenge the senses. There […]
I’m a beginner but even I can crochet a granny square in no time at all. With an endless variety of patterns and colour combinations, my daughter now has a great selection of mini carpets, blankets, tablecloths, comforters etc for a house built from Duplo, for dolls, for toy cars (apparently they make great car parks too!)… I’m amazed at the pleasure she gets from them and I’m sure it’s because she knows I worked to make them especially for her.
Brilliant ideas!I love it!
You may also visit: http://toytraincenter.com/
[…] If you are looking for more ideas for this year, then here is a fantastic list from Lulastic in the UK- 60 great gifts for kids that aren’t toys. […]
My fave christmas pressie was a puppet theatre! Reckon I must have been 5? Had it for years and loved putting on shows!!
Great ideas! As a guy I struggle getting gifts to kids lol. I saw a decent post on Christmas gifts for guys here that are my kinda gifts (tech / classy stuff)… https://charlesngo.com/the-ngo-christmas-gift-guide-2017/
For all the dads out there!
[…] Creative gift ideas for the kids and young people […]
Love it! I would much rather my son received this than another toy to fill up the over flowing toy box. In fact, can I have an adult one too please?!
[…] Creative gift ideas for the kids and young people […]
Really nice gift ideas for kids! but many times we have that children play with the more unusual or homemade gifts just as much as, if not even more than, the extravagant store bought ones.
Superb Article! Thanks for this list.
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Love the first one “A small fruit tree to grow and nurture” great to teach kids to take care an respect plants and nature.
Thanks for sharing, all the best!!
[…] See her full list here. […]
Love this list! It’s so hard sometimes with all the advertising to know what will actually be useful, interesting or exciting to kids. I actually did a similar post on my blog about gifts that have logevity to them (will be interesting to the child for a while and can be passed down or used by multiple kids), and included some experience ideas that my kids have just loved! If you’re able to check it out I’d love that! https://theorganisingmum.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/gift-ideas-with-longevity.html
[…] makes you really think about what the other person would enjoy in terms of quality time. For kids, here are some great gift ideas that aren’t […]
I love the first gift idea. It’s just great to teach kids to take care and respect environment. Thanks for sharing.
When I was a ‘tweenager’ I really appreciated gifts that made me feel grown up. Particularly memorable was a manicure set (I still use it 30 years later and think of Grandma!) and some eau de toilette. I remember my mum giving me a nightie she had made for me – it was a simple design but I appreciated the effort she’d put in. My 10 year old loves her chocolate lolly making set and my 15 year old niece loves her waffle maker. I’m considering a cheese fondue set as we love our chocolate fondue set (Great for a family who host lots of playdates). My children love using their ‘safe cutter knife’ for helping to prepare mushrooms, peppers etc and I recently got them extra small rubber gloves for helping wash up! I don’t know if this counts as toys but things with wheels teach great skills and have longevity and practical use: bikes, scooters, rollerblades, skateboards… Our word lover really enjoys the dictionary she got aged 7. Our animal lover daughter aged 8 loved getting Aqua Dragons and learning how to care for them. She did so well that guinea pigs followed a year later. I’m inspired to get a National Geographic subscription next, thank you!
Love it. My gaughter has asked for a hot glue guns this Christmas. She is 9. I’m stoked that she wants something so creative
The idea of engaging kids in gardening is just awesome. The kids are excited to grow their own vegetables or flowers and watch them grow. I feel like it’s a double gift because apart from the actual plant, we get to create memories and spend time together.
As my children growing older I am trying to avoid buying plastic toys and find gifts that gives them rather an experience, so they will have nice memories as they grow older and if they learnt something new with it it’s a bonus for all! Thank you for all the ideas above! It just came to my mind that I really should share something to you, it might be a very new thing for others. This was my children’s favourite by far last year! So, besides MP3 players, instruments and books we surprised them with a very unusual tale by Mysterious Mail! Over a few weeks they received documents and artefacts through the post and they had to investigate and solve a mystery. They looked so happy to get a real case and be real detectives for ones!
When my son was two, my grandfather got him a broom for Xmas. He originally looked in toy stores but kids sized brooms were actually super expensive so he went to a $2 Shop, bought an adults one, and chopped the handle so it was easier for my son to use. Absolutely brilliant! My grandfather has passed away now but son remembers his broom very fondly and feels so special, that it was ‘made’ for him 🙂
Thanks for sharing so great ideas!
Not easy to get the right present, I´m sure that many people will find this article very useful.
I like the emphasis on design and creating things – my dad got me a clay making set when I was a kid and we ended up making heaps of stuff it was so much fun.
Never thought of making porcelain at home but it’s a great idea, might have to try it with the kids.
We’ve been checking out which songs will get our retriever to start singing along the past few days it’s been pretty fun. Bicycle race by queen is probably the song he likes best.