Alternative Gift Ideas Instead of Toys

There are many good alternative gift ideas parents can look at for their children other than toys. Here are listed some great choices for alternatives you may explore.

The first is the idea that they can receive a gift certificate to someplace fun, like camping or ice-skating lessons paid for by a favorite aunt or uncle.

The Gift of Time:

Sometimes the best gift of all is the gift of time. Make a thoughtful collection of items that represent activities that you and your child can do together during the next year and wrap these items up and tell your child that this year they are going to receive a gift of time doing some interesting activities. Make sure you follow-up and actually do these activities with your child.

Make a book of coupons that contains fun-filled family activities. Each coupon would be one activity. One might be for ice-sckating, another may be a night of camping out in the family living room on sleeping bags where you all tell ghost stories and play games, eat snacks and tell jokes. Another coupon could be for baking a chocolate cake together or visiting a nursing home in the area and singing Christmas carols. Think of activities that the kids would like, for example hiking on a local wildlife trail, going to the zoo, making and flying a kite, or visiting a chocolate factory. You can create and print the coupons on your computer.

Consider making a craft together. You can buy all of the materials and print or copy the instructions for the project and put everything into a box, wrapped in their favorite colored paper. Tell them that this is something the two of you can do together. Girls especially love learning how to sew, embroider, knit or crochet and how fun that they can do this with you. Think of something that you are good at (model airplanes, mosaic tiles, pottery, etc.) and make it a gift of time spent together creating something fun together.

Buy or make one of those cookies in a jar items and wrap the jar up as a present. Make sure that the treat is the child’s favorite. Toss in some envelopes of hot cocoa and a bag of marshmallows and you have a terrific gift.

More Alternative Gift Ideas:

1) Books centered on the child’s favorite subject

2) Accessories for your child’s favorite sport

3) A Santa dress for dress up/playtime for the little kids

4) A large box filled with craft odds and ends including: assorted ribbons, bows, pipe cleaners, buttons, pom poms, stickers, fabric swatches, shiny paper, construction paper, tissue paper, etc.

5) Give the gift of music in the form of an instrument, tickets to a concert, CDs, or a book about Jazz or the Blues etc.

6) Science experiment kits or a book about science experiments

These alternative gift ideas are great to give for any gift giving occasion – birthday, thank you, and holiday or whenever you want to brighten a child’s day. Have fun thinking “outside the box” when it comes to gift giving.