Toy Free – Gift Ideas

I have been working like crazy to clean out / sort through / and donate – toss – recycle everything in our home that we no longer need / want / use. I have completed two massive spaces this fall (basement and garage). It has been incredibly freeing and it feels amazing.

With that being said – I am nervous about the holidays! Both mine and Scott’s family go a bit overboard when it comes to Christmas. I do not want to fill our house up with things just so all the grandchildren have the same number of presents to open….

SO I am talking to the grandparents and Aunts / Uncles about giving the boys gifts that incorporate an experience. Something that goes beyond a toy.

before I get to the gift ideas- I know some people panic because they think it wont be any fun to open these types of gifts. I will also be sharing (some in this post – and a whole separate post) wrapping ideas to make it just as magical!

Let’s get right into these gift ideas, shall we?

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Passes – You can do day trip passes OR monthly / yearly passes. We received a family membership to the zoo this past year. It was incredible! We enjoyed so many fun days at the zoo – that we normally would have skipped out on, because of the daily rate. BONUS- Greyson (since we are members) gets to attend their monthly preschool program, which is a ton of fun.

• Zoo – Wrapping Idea: Give a stuffed animal with a bow around the neck, with their membership cards attached. You could also make some cute little zoo cards with the child’s photo on it. The parents can keep the actual membership cards, but the kids will feel extra special having a personalized card.
• Museum (science Centers)
• Amusement Park
• Aquarium

Day of Fun – I love the idea of creating fun days! You can pre-purchase the tickets, and give them with a bag of themed goodies. Some fun passes that I think would be great are:

• Local Fair tickets – You may not be able to pre-buy these but you can print off fair tickets for the kids – and just give the parents money to get the tickets when they go to the fair. Click HERE to get a printable & editable ticket!
  • You can also gift a roll of quarters so the kids can splurge on the games at the fair!
• Movie Passes! – Small bag of popcorn, favorite candy, etc.
• Bowling
• Ice Cream Vouchers
• Putt-Putt
• Tickets to a show / musical. – With little ones I love the Disney On Ice.
• Train Ride
• Chuck-e-Cheese- You can buy the tokens, and give them along with a pizza voucher, or one of their reusable cups.

Fun AND Educational 🙂 – This is my favorite category!

• Magazine subscription. Greyson LOVES getting his magazines in the mail. We are loving OR have loved:
  • Highlights
  • Highlights- High Five
  • Zootles
  • National Geographic – Kids
  • National Geographic – Little Kids
  • Disney Junior
• Monthly Box Kit! We also really love these. There are so many to choose from – but I can personally recommend, the Kiwi Crate and Surprise Ride. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them!
  • If you have an older child I know a lot of people absolutely rave about the Little Passports Kit. Once Greyson reaches the age of 7, he will definitely be enjoying it!
• abcmouse.com
• GAMES! Board games are so much fun and are really educational / beneficial for your child! I complied a huge list of our favorite games, you can check it out HERE.

Fun / Unique- Sometimes you just want to give a gift that is fun, but also useful. I like the idea of creating themed gifts. Greyson just received on from his grandparents for his 5th birthday. They gave him a telescope, National Geographic Space book, and some adorable outer-spaced jammies. It is fun – educational – and completely useful! Some other great ideas are:

• Gardening – seeds, gloves, kids tools, apron, indoor starting kit. = perfection
• Bird feeder, bird seed, bird book
• Gift card to their favorite restaurant, along with an awesome crayon roll, and a couple of coloring books!

Classes-  Another option is to give them lessons / classes on a topic they are currently interested in.

• Art
• Pottery
• Photography
• Music
• Magic
• Riding lessons
• Martial arts
• kickboxing

What are some of your favorite non-toy gifts? Let me know, and I will add it to my list!

enjoy!