Christmas Gift Ideas For Kids

Looking for some Christmas gift ideas for kids? Here you’ll find ideas for many ages – books, toys, games and even non-material gifts too.

Children make the Christmas season so much more special. Christmas shopping for the kids in your life is so fun but can be challenging too. I love gift guides because it’s so helpful to find ideas from others and get some input as to what to gift your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, etc.

I have 2 boys, 7 and almost 9, so that’s who my husband and I are shopping for this year, but we also have more than 20 nieces and nephews and between all of them, there is such a variety or ages and personalities. As you can imagine, I have lots of experience shopping for birthday and holiday gifts for children throughout the year.

All these gifts are things I’ve bought, they are played with and enjoyed for a long time, tested by many children and I picked the best ones to share. I have a collection of games, books, toys, arts and crafts, practical items as well as many non-material gift ideas too.

This is not a sponsored post, I bought all these items with my own money, but the links are affiliate links. You can see all of the items in one place on my Amazon shop or click on any individual link below.

Games

We love games in our family! They are so fun to play together as a family or to have the boys play on their own or with their cousins and friends.

Christmas Gift Ideas For Kids – Games (Amazon Shop With links to all the games listed below )

1. Ocean Bingo
   • These Bingo games are phenomenal. They are really high quality and are a beautiful gift option. There are many options for this game. This Ocean Bingo is my personal favorite, but they have many others, the Bird Bingo one that I have linked below, Dinosaur Bingo, Dog Bingo, Bug Bingo and more. They are so simple to play, that you can have many ages enjoying them. This game is educational and very engaging.
2. Bird Bingo
3. Guess in 10 – Animal Planet
   • This is another education game. It’s smaller, so it doesn’t take up a lot of space and my kids love it. We got this for one of their birthdays and they can sit and play it for an hour and learn so many things too. They have several options of this game available too. For Christmas, I ordered the Guess in 10 Countries of the World. We’ve been doing a lot of geography in school lately, so that should be perfect.
4. Battleship
   • What a classic! We used to play this game on paper in my childhood and this gameboard version is so awesome. Definitely a top favorite for my boys.
5. I Saw It First! Jungle
   • Another beautiful, high quality game that’s great as a gift and gets everyone in on the fun. You have to be quick and observant, trying to find the picture on the game board. This is another good one to play together with all ages, from really tiny kiddos to adults.
   • We have the Jungle and the Ocean versions of this game.
6. I Saw It First! Ocean
7. Mix and Match Bears
   • One of the first games I got for my boys when they were really little and they loved it. I think I have gifted it to all my siblings’ families at one point of another:). It’s perfect for younger kiddos and great for their brain development, memory and a game older siblings can play with their younger siblings.
8. Guess Who?
   • Who else played this game as a kid? I sure did and my boys really love this one too.

Books

Christmas gifts always include books in our family and I’m excited to share some of our favorites with you – both picture books and chapter books.

Christmas Gift Ideas For Kids – Books (Link to my Amazon shop with links to all the books lited below, plus some extras)

1. The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
2. James Herriot’s Treasury For Children
3. Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall
4. Thunder Cake by Patricia Polocco
5. Apple Tree Christmas by Trinka Hakes Noble 
6. Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooper
7. The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White
8. Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John
9. A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus
10. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
11. The World According to Humphrey
12. Henry and Ribsy by Beverly Cleary (this is part of a set and we read all of them with the boys. All of them were great.) Henry set

I have a lot more book ideas in my Amazon shop. In addition to paper books, audiobooks are such a good idea too. For example, my boys really enjoy listening to the Henry collection on Audible too.

Anne of Green Gables (this specific version) is amazing. So well done.

I’ll add some audio book ideas too.

Toys, Crafts and Art Supplies

Here are some of our favorite toys, practical items, art and craft supplies and more.

Christmas Gift Ideas For Kids – Toys, Crafts, Art Supplies, Practical Items

1. Lego sets – 3 in 1 parrot
   • My kids have been into legos since they were 4. We buy legos for every birthday and Christmas and they are always a favorite. There are so many great options for kids of all ages.
2. Lego set – UP house
3. Glider Planes
   • Such a simple toy, inexpensive, but so fun. These planes were such a hit with my kids and their cousins.
4. Magnatiles
   • My parents gifted each of our families a set of magnatiles and has been a favorite for years. They’ve been playing with them since they were toddlers and still take them out and get creative with them now. It’s such a wonderful open ended game, perfect for kids’ imaginations.
5. Small toy animals
   • There are so many options for toy animals. These are really high, so durable and the animals look really realistic. So great for many ages.
6. Watch
   • This watch looks great, but is also really helpful when younger kids are learning to tell time.
7. Water Bottle
   • A practical gift, but so useful. I got one for all of us last Christmas and we all use them every day. I’ve tried many types of water bottles and these are my favorite. Lots of color options, durable, don’t leak and wash easily.
8. Knives for Young Children
   • These were the knives I got for my boys when they were toddlers and it’s a great way to have kids start their cooking skills without worrying about them cutting themselves:).
   • I think another great gift option would be go give kids other kitchen tools, like a cutting board, whisk, measuring cups and spoons, spatula, etc.
   • Along the same lines, cookbooks for kids are also great. These are some of my favorites that we own and I’ve given them to my nieces and nephews too.
9. Clock
   • We have this clock that we use for homeschooling but it would be great for a kid’s nightstand or desk too. It’s perfect to learn to tell time the old fashioned way and it looks cute.
10. Color By Number Coloring Books (Animals)
    • My kids and most of my nieces and nephews love to color, so a new coloring book is always appreciated. For whatever reason, they love the color by number ones. The first two are great for younger kids and the second two are for older kids.
11. Sea Life Color By Number (there’s many options of this one)
12. Creative Haven Coloring Book (Cats and Dogs) (this brand has many beautiful options. We have several of them.)
13. Querkles Animals color by number
    • This one is intense and definitely for older kids but it’s amazing! When you’re done coloring a picture, it looks like a masterpiece.
14. Art Supplies
    • Art supplies are one of the best gifts for kids. Even if they don’t need them right now, they eventually will, so if you’re not sure what kids like or already know, art supplies are super. Crayons, colored pencils, construction paper, etc you can get for anyone. Paint and markers I would be a bit more cautious to gift, but if you know the family pretty well, you can give those too. Fresh, brand new crayons or colored pencils are awesome.
    • This colored pencil set is great for older kids.
15. Twistable Colored pencil set (I love that this comes in a case.)

Non-Material Gift Ideas

One thing about Christmas time is that sometimes all those fun Christmas packages turn into clutter. If your kids already have a bunch of toys, you might want to get them something else instead. Here are some of our favorite non-material gift ideas that we’ve given to our kids and have suggested to grandparents.

It’s really great to gift something so memorable and special like all the things I have suggested below. As a bonus, the grandparents (or aunt’s/uncles can do the activity WITH your kids and make this gift even better.)

1. Kiwi Crate
   • We’ve tried many subscription boxes over the years and there are so many options these days, which is awesome. This company, Kiwi–Co is our favorite so far. My kids look forward to them every month. They are educational, crafty, engaging and well made. They have several different subscription options. Right now, Josh has the Kiwi Crate subscription. (When he was younger we got the Koala box for him.)
   • These boxes have hands on STEAM activities, each nox usually has a different theme.
2. Atlas Crate
   • Nathaniel gets the Atlas Crate and it also has hands on STEAM activities and this one is geared more about the world, geography, countries and cultures.
   • My kids are old enough to be able to do most of the activities themselves, sometimes we do this together, but they can independently do most of the activities.
3. Adventures in Odyssey Club
   • If your kids listen to these amazing radio drama, the Adventures in Odyssey Club would be perfect for them. They get access to all the episodes (hundreds of them!) anytime. You can listen on the website or get the app for your phone.
4. Magazine subscription
   • There is something so special and cool about getting your own magazine subscription in the mail. My boys know what time of the month the magazine is supposed to arrive and for days run to the mailbox to check for it. Adventures in Odyssey club comes with a monthly Clubhouse magazine, so that is amazing. You can also order the Clubhouse junior.
   • Look for other magazine subscriptions for your kids depending on their interests.
5. Admission to an amusement park
   • We have Legoland a few hours away and it’s always such a treat to go as a family.
   • Tickets are on the pricier side for sure, so you can go in with several people to get the tickets too.
6. Tickets or membership to a children’s museum
   • Another fun and educational experience.
7. Tickets to a Trampoline Park
   • If the kids in your life enjoy indoor trampoline parks or other indoor play gyms, this would make a great gift.
8. Music lessons
   • I know some grandparents who can take part by paying for piano lessons or art lessons. This would make a really thoughtful gift.
9. Art Lessons

I hope this is helpful for you! I’d love your input as well. What have been some of the best gifts that you’ve given or are giving this year to kids for Christmas?