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It sounds like you all are as excited about minimalist gifts as I am! The guide to Minimalist Stocking Stuffers for Kids was so popular, that we are following up now with a guide to Minimalist Gifts for Kids.
These gift ideas are all simple, meaningful, and will not end up cluttering your home.
Simple & Clutter-Free Minimalist Gifts for Kids
Experiences
Studies have proven that for kids as well as adults, experiences bring much higher levels of happiness than material things. If that isn’t enough of a reason to give an experience over a thing, I don’t know what is.
The experience you gift could be something as small as movie tickets or as large as a vacation. Of course I think travel is the ultimate gift, so I like to focus on travel related experiences for our kids. But this could also include tickets to a play, concert or sports event. Or tickets to the ice skating rink, batting cages, or miniature golf. Or even ski lift tickets. Not only do they get the experience itself, but they get the excitement of anticipation and the wonderful memories once it is over. And don’t forget the quality time you will be spending together!
Memberships
An annual membership to the zoo, aquarium, museum, science center, amusement park or pool is a gift that kids (and their parents) can enjoy all year. It is truly the gift that keeps on giving. I especially love this gift for young families who want to get out of the house more with their kids.
Classes
Extra curricular activities get really expensive really fast. Gifting a child a few months (or even the whole year) of a class is an amazing gift! It could be their favorite activity, a class they have been wanting to take for a long time, or something new entirely. Sports, music, dance, gymnastics, art, swimming, horseback riding, martial arts… there are so many choices! For young children, a mommy-and-me class is a great option.
Magazine Subscriptions
Kids love receiving mail. Magazine subscriptions allow them to get something fun in the mail each month, and encourage them to spend more time reading! Win! You can find a magazine to suit just about any interest your child may have, and when they are done with the magazine, into the recycling bin they go.
Our favorite magazine subscriptions are:
Subscription Boxes
Another fun gift your kids can get in the mail each month is a subscription box. Just like with magazines, there are subscription boxes to suit every age and interest out there. If you are looking to avoid clutter, however, avoid the subscriptions that include toys or other objects and look for the activity-based boxes.
Our favorite subscription boxes are:
Books or Audiobooks
Books are the perfect gift for any age. And they are the one thing that I actually like to have around the house. But we are very intentional about the books we keep. This is partly out of necessity – books are heavy and we move a lot. And partly because even books can turn into clutter if you aren’t careful. We are huge fans of the public library, so the majority of our books are checked out from there. We keep only books that are beautiful and high quality, and those that get read on a daily basis.
Some books that have a permanent home on our bookshelves:
- The Miroslav Sasek’s This Is Series
- Press Here, Mix it Up and Let’s Play
- The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home
- Maps
- Atlas of Adventure
- Home
- Where the Wild Things Are
Audiobooks are another great option. Both of my girls absolutely love to listen to stories. They are perfect for road trips, and also before bed. A great gift idea is a subscription to Around The World Stories, a collection of original audio stories to help children discover the world.
Music
My kids love to have music on in the background. But we often fall into the rut of listening to the same music over and over. So new music is a welcome gift in our house! I prefer MP3s over CDs to cut down on clutter.
Art Supplies
Getting fresh, new art supplies is such a treat. I like to replenish our supply at Christmas, and my kids love getting them as gifts. To keep things simple and streamlined, I like to stick with just one brand of each (markers, crayons, pencils, etc) and make sure that everything is washable. And we follow the rule that when we get something new, we throw out something old. If you don’t purge regularly, art supplies can get out of control quickly.
Some of our favorite art supplies:
School Supplies
Just like with art supplies, it is so nice to get new school supplies. I’m not just talking new pencils and erasers (although those are fun, too). A new backpack, lunchbox, water bottle or pencil case is a great (and useful!) gift.
Pajamas
Growing up, my brother and I always got a new pair of PJs for Christmas. I started doing the same with my girls, and they love it. They usually get a pair of matching (or coordinating) PJs, and I let them open this gift on Christmas Eve. Bonus is how cute they look in their new PJs on Christmas morning.
Coupons
Coupons are a great gift to give when your budget for gifts isn’t very high. They can be good for a special outing, getting out of chores, extra screen time, their choice of dinner, etc. You can find cute printable coupons or make your own. This is also a great gift for siblings to give each other, since they don’t cost anything.
College Savings
This is the number one best thing you can give a child. While it might not be very exciting now, they will be so thankful later when they aren’t drowning in student loans. That lego set or doll might be fun for a few months, but education will last their entire lives.
What are your favorite minimalist gifts for kids? Please add on to this list in the comments below!
