5 Creative Types Of Non-Toy Gifts For Kids

There are a few main reasons why someone might be looking for non-toy gifts for kids. Maybe you’re the child’s aunt/uncle, grandparent, etc and you want to leave the toy buying to the parents. Or maybe you are the parent and you’ve simply decided that you want to switch things up in the gift giving department.

I fell into the second category several times throughout my daughters’ childhoods. Sometimes I had already picked out a few toys, but I wanted to throw in another type of gift as well. And sometimes, they just didn’t need or want any new toys because they had plenty already! So I got creative, and found some non-toy gifts that my kids loved!

Which is what I’m about to share with you…

1. Experiences

The first type of non-toy gifts for kids that I have for you is actually not a tangible thing, it’s an experience! Obviously, this is a pretty broad spectrum of things but that leaves you with plenty of options.

A few examples could be…

• A vacation of some kind; to a new place, to an amusement park, etc
• Some lessons that they’ve been wanting to take; piano, horse-riding, etc
• Or a special sleepover/party with their friends

Now, what type of experience you ultimately choose to gift your child should depend on their personality and interests. For instance, if your child loves trains then maybe they’d enjoy a trip to a train-related museum. Or, if they enjoy mini-golf, then you could plan a mini-golf outing for the whole family.

2. Books

The second idea I wanted to mention on this list is actually one of my favorite non-toy gift options, and it is books! I’ve gifted my kids so many books over the span of their lifetimes, and since they’re bookworms, I’ll probably be gifting many more in the future.

And once again, this is a gift that’s really easy to customize for your child. You can easily find a book that’s appropriate for each age range, and you can find a book for virtually any interest as well! Plus, if your child doesn’t really like reading, you could even purchase an audiobook instead. Or encourage them to read a physical book by starting a little family book club.

I used to buy my kids lots of book series in particular, as these kept them entertained for hours on end! But if I was ever unsure about whether they’d like a series, I would buy them one book from it and assess their reaction to decide if I should buy the rest.

3. Clothes

Another thing that you could consider is buying your children some clothes as a gift! I know this might sound a bit odd at first, since clothes are a necessity. But what I mean by this is that you could buy your child some special clothes they may not otherwise get.

Perhaps they’ve been wanting a specific denim jacket, but it’s quite expensive. A birthday could be the perfect occasion to treat them! Or, if they’ve been wanting to expand their collection of fluffy socks, these could fill their Christmas stockings.

One thing that I’ve done in the past (once my girls were starting to find their own personal style) was take them to a clothing store and allow them to pick out whatever they wanted. They each had their own little budget, and they had a blast picking out clothes. Then we went out for burgers afterwards, so all in all, this counted as an “experience” gift as well.

4. Crafts

In terms of non-toy gifts for kids, crafts and crafting supplies definitely get overlooked quite often. But it’s a great category of gifts to look into, especially if you’re raising a crafty kiddo. Plus, with littles kids, crafts can even play a big role in their education. So it really is a win-win.

You can obviously choose from an array of different options here… Such as coloring books, friendship bracelet supplies, or even a small painting set. But my top tip is do some testing, and figure out what sort of crafts your child likes the most. For instance, my oldest daughter loves drawing and cross stitching; but my youngest prefers crocheting and bullet journaling!

And, as a side note, crafts can be a great way to get your kids involved with making gifts for others. Years ago, I bought a crafting set where you tie together different patches of fabric to make a blanket. And not only did my girls have a blast putting that together for their grandmother, but it was one of her all-time favorite gifts as well.

5. Subscriptions

Lastly, we have a gift category that has been growing in popularity in the past few years… subscriptions. Subscriptions can easily range from budget friendly to quite pricey (depending on what you choose). But the great part about this gift is that it gives your child something to look forward to each month, which draws out the joy of receiving it!

And of course, there are plenty of options to choose from with this gift category as well. You could subscribe to a magazine that you think your child would enjoy, you could invest in a streaming service that carries shows your kids have been wanting to watch, or you could even look into some subscription boxes!

If you have an avid reader in the family, then there are some great subscription boxes that send new books every month. There are also boxes for crafts, new toys, and even snacks! The possibilities with this one are almost endless.

Final Thoughts

I hope this article gave you some ideas for what sort of non-toy gifts for kids you want to buy your little one! And I hope that, if you enjoyed this article, you’ll consider checking out more of my content; which talks all about being a parent and running a household.

For example, if you’re reading this article in preparation for your child’s birthday then maybe you’d find this guide to entertainment at kids birthday parties helpful.