Over 100 Non-Toy Gift Ideas for Kids

I recently saw a reel on Instagram where a mom packed all the toys away in her home except for magnet tiles & animal figurines. And her kids didn't complain about it! It almost seemed like they didn't even notice. What happened was that played better together, cleaned up without complaint, & were more creative in how they played!

Being a family with 4 kids, we have accumulated A LOT of toys over the almost 11 years of having children. A few years ago, I ruthlessly minimized our toys, especially as we prepared to move from Maryland to New Hampshire. But now that we have a dedicated play space that is out of sight & I have not been very disciplined about the toys. I've gone through them to throw away broken pieces, but I haven't been as ruthless as I once was. My excuse has been that I want to have a variety of toys for when we have families come over who have kids. What we've ended up with is an overwhelming amount of stuff & even my kids struggle to enjoy their playroom when it's in that state. They end up playing with non-toy items like popsicle sticks & pillows & blankets!

I might have to do a post about minimizing it in a few weeks, but for now, I just need to stop the flow of stuff!

Do you have this problem? Your kids are already overwhelmed with toys, but then they have a birthday & get more. Your family members ask for ideas & you can't think of good, non-toy ideas to give them!

Here are some things that I've been looking at to use as gifts for upcoming birthdays. I've also included a few Amazon affiliate links to get you started.

Arts & Crafts

1. Craft Kits - You can find these at Michael's, but my sister sent one from Etsy. It was this one from Whisker Works, but I'm sure there are lots of other shops on Etsy.
2. Stickers
3. Paints (watercolor, washable, acrylic, paint pens)
4. Brushes
5. Watercolor Paper
6. Tie-Dye Kit
7. Clay
8. Construction Paper
9. Journal
10. Sketchbook
11. Stationery
12. Wax seal kit (adult supervision, of course)
13. Stamps & Ink Pads
14. Scissors
15. Hole punches
16. Canvas
17. Easels
18. Pencils
19. Markers
20. Crayons
21. Pens
22. Beads
23. Yarn
24. Loom
25. Thread for making bracelets
26. Lessons or Classes
27. Books with Craft Ideas
28. Books with Drawing Tutorials
29. Books about famous Artists
30. Storage cart

STEM

1. Plant growing kit
2. Terrarium
3. Bug habitat
4. Butterfly nets
5. Butterfly habitat
6. Ant farm
7. Telescope
8. Microscope
9. Pocket Microscope
10. Science kit
11. Robotics kit
12. Coding game
13. Strategy game
14. Puzzles
15. Circuit kit
16. Calculator
17. Books about science topics
18. Science magazine subscription
19. Science museum pass
20. Biographies of great scientists & mathematicians

Athletics

1. Soccer goals
2. Soccer ball
3. Basketball
4. Basketball hoop
5. Baseball & glove
6. Baseball bat
7. Football
8. Tennis racket & balls
9. Lacrosse sticks
10. Pickleball set
11. Badminton set
12. Volleyball & net
13. Bow & arrows
14. Kickball
15. Spikeball
16. Frisbee
17. Bike helmet
18. Scooter
19. Rollerblades
20. Ice skates
21. Balance beam
22. Punching bag
23. Boxing gloves
24. Swim goggles
25. Ski goggles
26. Golf clubs
27. Hat or other merchandise from their favorite team
28. Lessons or season fee for a recreational league sport
29. Books about famous athletes

Outdoors

1. Sidewalk chalk
2. Jump rope
3. Bubbles
4. Sprinkler
5. Swing
6. Hammock
7. Kite
8. Wagon
9. Gardening tools
10. Fairy garden items
11. Binoculars
12. Nature journal
13. Sketching pencils
14. Day Pack
15. Sleeping bag
16. First Aid Kit
17. Flashlight
18. Camping chair
19. Mess kit
20. Duffel bag
21. Field guide
22. State Park pass
23. National Parks guide
24. Sled

Cooking

1. Utensils
2. Cookbooks
3. Fun sprinkles
4. Cookie cutters
5. Baking pans
6. Apron
7. Candy molds
8. Cupcake liners
9. Icing bags & tips
10. Cake decorating tools

Reading

1. Encyclopedias
2. Atlases
3. Seek & find books like I Spy or Where's Waldo
4. One of your childhood favorites
5. Comic books (check the ratings on these!)
6. Magazine subscription

Other Items

1. Board games
2. Suitcase
3. Backpack
4. Patches or keychains or pins for back packs
5. Water bottle stickers
6. Fluffy blanket
7. Fun throw pillows or lamps for their room
8. Letterboard
9. T-shirt with a design that is meaningful to the child (favorite superhero or book etc.)
10. Favorite snack or drink
11. Costume jewelry
12. Hair accessories
13. Tea set
14. Nail polish
15. Fuzzy Slippers
16. Picture Frames

I promise this is not an ANTI-TOY post & if you buy my kid a toy I promise that I won't immediately throw it in the trash! I'll wait until you're gone, of course! KIDDING!

BUT when you know that a kid has a lot of toys & you'd like to find them something unique, pin this post for some helpful ideas!

And, while you're here, leave a comment of the favorite gifts that you like to give!

Cheering you on as always!

Other gift guides I've shared recently that might be helpful:

Christ-Centered Easter Gifts

Christmas Shopping for the Kids

Shops that Support Non-Profits

{This post contains affiliate links.}