Ultimate Non-Toy Practical Gifts Guide for Kids
When giving a kid the perfect gift, you want it to be meaningful and purposeful. When a child or teen has all the toys they could imagine, what do you get them? You don’t want to get just another toy. Here is your ultimate non-toy gift guide for meaningful gifts for all ages. These gift ideas will be great for any special occasion like Christmas or birthdays.
Practical Gift For Any Child at Any Age
These non-toy gift ideas will be relevant for kids of all ages. As my children get older, I see how I could get them things off of this list time and time again as they grow up and their interests, abilities, and sizes change. I love receiving practical gifts and love giving them even more!
Pajamas
Everyone needs pajamas! This is a great idea for your child or another child in your life if you plan to give a gift. Around Christmas time, I see so many matching pajama sets for the whole family. New pajamas during the holiday season are becoming a family tradition for some! What a fun gift to recieve on Christmas Eve and wake up Christmas morning in cozy Christmas jammies with the rest of your family!
Bedding
I remember my birthday when my parents painted and redecorated my bedroom while I was away at school. My sister and I came home, we went to our room and were greeted with a new bed, bedding, and paint color on the walls. It was so surprising and so special. New bedding or a bedroom refresh is a perfect non-toy gift that would be appreciated by any child or teen!
Clothing
Kids are always growing! You blink and they are already into the next size. Clothing is a wonderful gift for any age. As your child gets older, they will likely want more input into the clothing they wear. This would be a great opportunity for some quality time shipping for clothes. I have so many memories of going clothes shopping with my mom before the start of a school year or as a special birthday gift.
Check out our Montessori Wardrobe Transformation
Shoes
Just like clothes, shoes are a practical and essential thing children need. For older kids, consider going shoe shopping together. This is just more of a practical suggestion becuase it seems important to be able to try on the shoes and walk around a bit to know they are a good fit.
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Books
Books make a great gift. You can find books for any age, interest, or reading level. You can write a personalized message at the front of the book to make it a special gift. Gifting books is a great way to build up your family’s collection of books. And the best part about books is you always seem to be able to add at least one more to the bookshelf!
Gift Cards
As children get older and especially into the teenage years, gift cards are a very practical gift. It allows older children more choice of what they want to get. I still appreciate receiving gift cards, especially to a favorite store or restaurant, or just a pre-loaded Visa card or an Amazon gift card is great. Another idea is to get a gift card to a local bookstore for the child or teen to pick out a favorite book they have been wanting to get.
A Watch
For elementary children and older, a watch is a great gift. The Montessori teacher in me would encourage you to get an analog watch until they are proficient in telling time.
A Bike
Biking can be a practical non-toy gift for all ages. Starting with riding balance bikes as young toddlers until they are bigger and ready for a pedal bike! Pair it with a helmet and you’re all set!
Bike for young toddlers – balance bike
Bike for older toddlers – Strider bike
Preschool and older– Pedal bike
Art Supplies
Art supplies make the best gifts and get lots of use. Here are a few ideas of art supplies that would be fun for a creative kid to get.
Backpack
If your child attends school or a homeschool co-op, you could get a backpack. To make it more special, consider getting it personalized with your child’s name or initials.
Photo Book or Calendar
Put together a photo book with memories from the year! This could be a keepsake item for down the road. Many websites help you make photo albums easily such as Chatbooks or Shutterfly. We always get a family calendar with all of the birthdays and anniversaries filled throughout the year. This would be a great gift to pair with a stationary kit for your child. They could send letters and cards to their family members on special occasions.
Memberships or Ongoing Experiences
Consider gifting a membership or an ongoing expereince like music lessons or a sport.
Memberships
Here are some common memberships you may be able to get in your community, some may be a yearly membership, and others a monthly subscription.
- Zoo Membership
- Science museum
- History Museum
- Aquarium
- Aquatic Center
- Amusement park
- State Parks
- Rock Climbing Wall
- Trampoline Park
Acting or Theater Classes
Some of my nieces and nephews have been in theater productions and have had lots of fun!
Lessons or Team Sports
Here are just a few ideas of musical instruments you could get individual lessons on or a team sport to take up. These ongoing experiences can be so personalized to a child’s interests.
- Piano
- Guitar
- Voice Lessons
- Violin
- Dance Class
- Gymnastics
- Karate
- Football
- Tennis
- Soccer
- Golf
- Basketball
- Baseball
Special Outings
I love creating memories through special outings. It seems like people have so much stuff these days that we just need more quality time with the people we love. I still remember my childhood birthday when I received tickets to go see Les Misérables on Broadway with my best friend. I remember that production and the day still so vividly in my mind. If you have a child, grandchild, niece, nephew, or Godchild that you need to give a gift to, I highly recommend taking them on a special outing. It will mean so much to them! Here are a few ideas of outings you could take them on.
Special Date
One-on-one time is a priceless gift. Make a special day or just even a short outing with a child in your life. Take them to get ice cream and a trip to the park or local museum. A special date is one of the best non-toy gifts you could give!
Attend a Sporting Event
Going to a sporting event can be a special gift for a child who has a favorite sport or sports team they love to watch. Attending a sporting event also comes with a lot of great real-life experiences.
See a Play
Get tickets to a local production.
Take them to the Movies
If there is a movie coming to theaters that you think your child or a child in your life would like, consider planning a special outing to the movies! I have so many memories of going to the movies with my grandpa as a child!
Camping Trip with a gifted sleeping bag
Wrap up a new sleeping bag and have a camping trip planned as a gift idea for your outdoorsy child! This is one of those unique gifts that little kids love! Someone will never forget the birthday or Christmas when they got a sleeping bag and a special camping trip where they could bring a friend or cousin with them! How special!
A Child Chosen Outing with Friends
Let your child choose a friend and a place they want to go for an afternoon!
Subscriptions
If you are looking for easy, developmentally targetted toys and activities check out some of these subscription-based options which make great ongoing gifts throughout the year.
KiwiCo
KiwiCo has creative hands-on projects for kids of all ages. Their Kiwi Crate is for ages 5 to 8 years old. However, they have crates for infants and toddlers as well; up to kids and adults of all ages with their Eureka crate! These subscription boxes come with everything someone needs to engage in creative and purposeful work!
LoveEvery
LoveEvery can help to simplify the overwhelming decision of choosing toys. Instead, you can get good toys that are targeted at your child’s developmental needs. We just got the Realist Playkit for 19, 20, and 21 month olds. LoveEvery has play kits available from birth to age 5!
Kids Art Box
If you are looking for different ways to introduce art to your child without having to go to the store to get all the supplies, consider Kids Art Box where you get art projects sent right to your door!
Magazine Subscriptions
If your child is a reader, consider the National Geographic Kids Magazine.
For the Home
I have a few simple non-toy gifts to share that would be great additions to your home but don’t add to the toys already in the playroom.
Non-Toy Montessori Gifts
Many non-toy Montessori items would make great gifts. They are practical, purposeful, and meaningful ways to get your child more involved in the things going on in your home. Check out my whole list of non-toy Montessori gifts here! If you are looking to get your child more involved in purposeful work at home, this list is for you!
A Forward-Facing Bookshelf
Books are such an important part of childhood, and a traditional bookshelf can hide those beautiful book covers! Not with a forward-facing Montessori bookshelf. We have this Montessori bookshelf from Dannico Woodworks. It has hidden compartments, is easy to assemble, is constructed with quality materials, and makes toy rotations a breeze! Which makes it my top choice! However, you can check out this whole blog post with all my recommendations of Montessori bookshelves that make a perfect addition to your home as well as a non-toy gift.
A Plant to Care For
Children enjoy taking care of things. Getting them a plant to take care of can help foster independence and responsibility as well as add beauty to your home. Pair it with a small watering can.
An indoor swing or chair
An indoor swing or cozy chair would be a great addition to a bedroom or playroom and offer a place to sit and read.
Pod Swing Seat
The perfect indoor reading swing for your child. Great for a playroom or bedroom.
