Clutter Free Gifts for Kids
No matter how minimal you want to be with your kids, toys and crafts and games and sports gear just pile up, especially around the holidays. Here at a fresh space, we can declutter and set up organized systems and contain all the stuff but the absolute best way to keep things under control is to limit how much is actually coming in. This doesn’t mean you have to tell everyone to not gift your kids anything – but it can instead mean sharing ideas of stuff-free gifts that encourage family time and an active lifestyle rather than one more thing to find a home for and keep track of all the parts!
If you did end up with a ton of toys piled up, check out our blog posts How To Organize A Playroom Using The Montessori Method and Spring Refresh: Organizing Kids Playrooms!
Gift Ideas for Kids
Best Stuff Free / Clutter Free Gifts for Kids this Holiday Season ( ...and birthdays too!)
- Children's theater tickets. One of our all time favorite gifts was when a friend gifted our daughter tickets to a show at the Nashville Children's Theatre! It was such a fun family outing and sparked a love of live theatre in our daughter.
- Zoo & aquarium memberships. Kids love animals and nothing is better than being able to go whenever you want - and a set of tickets for one outing is amazing as well!
- Paint Your Own Pottery place. This technically does bring something home but it's personal and something you do together. I still have several items we made together that I adore.
- Classes of all sorts. This could be dance, drawing, music, riding, sports, theater, etc. and be either a few classes or a season.
- Concert, sporting, movie, or show tickets. There are so many concerts & shows for kids these days like Disney on Ice, Broadway shows like Lion King, Sesame Street Live, and more plus some of the many options for sporting events going on around town. And who doesn't like the movies?!?
- Activities like mini golf, batting cages, roller skating, horseback riding, hiking, escape room, etc.
- Kits that are consumable or creative. A cooking kit to create a fun recipe or a craft kit to create something special.
- Restaurant gift cards. Kids love to go out to eat (usually!) and this way they can invite a friend or treat the family to something special. This can be really fun at an ice cream or cupcake shop as well.
- 'Adoption' of a wild or zoo or rescue animal. Many organizations have sponsorship options for this and an animal loving child may love knowing they are helping an animal, especially one that really calls to them. Sadly dinosaurs are not usually an option for this.
- Books or gift certificate for a book store. I never consider kids books to be clutter...
Kids will take anything you give them but in the long run, only play with a small amount of what they own because too many choices is overwhelming plus the clutter that is created can be too much for them (and the parents!). More is not better when it comes to toys because we have found that the more kids have, the less they play with them.
As a parent, former teacher, and professional organizer of 20 years, I know that experiences are something that make a huge difference in the life of a child as these are the things that are remembered.
When my daughter was young, a friend gifted us tickets to the Nashville Children’s Theatre and now at 22, she still remembers that event and how much fun we had going with our friends and engaging with the performers after the show. We have no idea what physical items were gifted to her as I’m sure they ended up donated the following year.
Clutter free gifts are trending these days as families are recognizing the importance of getting away from screens, getting outside and being active, as well as spending quality time together. With that in mind, these stuff-free gifts will be treasured much more than a physical item that is transitory and unmemorable.
This list is just a starting point for family members and friends to prompt thoughts of how you can spend time and give memories to the children in your life.
Check out our list below – just click the link:
