· · ·

10 Frugal Gifts for Kids That Aren’t Toys They’ll Love

Sharing is caring!

Are you looking for some frugal gift ideas that won’t clutter up your toy box? Here are 10 frugal gifts for kids that aren’t toys that they will still enjoy!

gifts for kids that aren't toys

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my blog by clicking on any you like.

It’s birthday season around here. A couple of weeks after Christmas, my daughter has a birthday, then my younger son, next is me, and finally is my eldest. My youngest kicks off the season a couple of weeks before Christmas. Needless to say, we have a lot of gifts to buy.

We also have grandparents, aunts, and uncles who love buying gifts. Toys can easily take over our home if we’re not careful. This is why, my husband and I prefer to give gifts for kids that aren’t toys. These are things they still will enjoy, but will be useful or, eventually, be tossed in due time. Budgeting is also a major factor, so that is where our frugal living comes in.

Related: The Best Open-Ended Toys on a Budget

What do you consider reasonable gifts to give children?

Children really are simple creatures. Even my son whose love language is gift giving, really only cares about the thought put into it. Consider their likes, dislikes, things they enjoy, interests, their friends, preferred shows or movies, favorite colors, or desired snacks. Basically anything they will enjoy. Get creative. Sometimes, just heading to a toy store and grabbing the coolest thing, takes less thought than sitting and really thinking about something else they may enjoy.

1. Bird Feeder

This gift has been such a winner. My son picked it out for my three-year-old daughter. She absolutely loves seeing all the birds come right up to the window. It has actually been a blessing to our whole family. We have had fun seeing all the birds and trying to identify them. The feeder attaches right to the window and the bag of bird seed was inexpensive and lasted a long time.

2. Tool Set

My eight-year-old loves helping my husband work on projects around the house. We got him his own set of tools for Christmas. They are all real tools, but for little hands. He loves them and is so proud to have his own tools when he helps Dad!

3. Sports Equipment

Getting kids active and outside is one of the best gifts you can give them. My son asked for roller skates for Christmas. I was a little surprised, but when I tell you he has worn them every day since he got them, I’m not kidding. He even set a timer once for an hour to see if he could skate without stopping and he did. Now, he creates obstacles to go over. It doesn’t have to be roller skates, but any sports equipment they would enjoy.

4. Dress Up

Even my almost 12-year-old enjoys dressing up. He even wears a Mario hat EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. At this point, people don’t recognize him without it!

5. Art Supplies

As homeschoolers, we are always in need of more art supplies. My kids are creating, coloring, painting, cutting, and crafting on a daily basis around here. I actually encourage people to grab coloring books from the Dollar Tree or just basic art supplies. “For a gift, really?” YES. Really. They will use them up in a week and be grateful to get them, I promise!

6. Board Games

Our family absolutely loves board games. They are such a fun and easy way to spend quality time together, while also problem solving, decision making, deferring gratification, and dealing with mistakes. So helpful and important for child development.

7. Puzzles

Our children also gain a lot of value from puzzles. They can be enjoyed together or independently. There are so many benefits of puzzles including reinforcing connections between brain cells, improving mental speed, and is an effective way to improve short-term memory. These can be completed by babies all the way up to teens. Can’t go wrong with puzzles!

8. Room Decor

One of my boys favorite gifts they ever received was wall stickers for their room. You may have to coordinate with the parents to see what would be a good fit. It doesn’t have to be wall stickers, it could be a picture with their name or fun fairy lights.

9. Snacks

One of my favorite gifts to give is snacks! It’s also my favorite to receive myself. Who doesn’t love snacks? They’re inexpensive, consumable, and so easy to personalize based on the child’s preferences or diet restrictions, if those exist.

10. Experiences

This is always included on most non-toy lists and for good reason! The biggest gripe I see is that buying experiences is expensive. While it can be, it certainly doesn’t have to be! There are several experiences that don’t cost much, such as taking the child for ice cream, the splash pad, or to the park. You could also get a gift card for the movie theater, skating rink, or arcade. Zoos, museums, and aquariums usually have free days or kids under a certain age get in free. The best gift you can give a child is your time and attention.

There you have it. 10 Frugal Gifts for Kids That Aren’t Toys. Which are your favorites? Did you find this helpful? Let me know down in the comments!

Similar Posts

16 Comments

  1. Bird watching has been a surprising hobby we have acquired recently! We hung a bird feeder outside our kitchen window and its tonnes of entertainment and educational!

  2. Love all these ideas! I have started requesting experiences for Christmas gifts. One year we all got passes to a trampoline park and it was the gift that kept on giving all year round!

  3. Great ideas! We live in an RV full-time, and your ideas even work for a big family in a tiny living space. It has actually caused us to be more thoughtful when we give gifts.

  4. I wish I’d known about all these ideas and how toy overload is bad for children’s sense of peace and calmness when I had little kids in my house. We are empty nesters now, but we did purchase an ice skating session for my hubby’s grandchildren for Christmas! It was so fun and I hear they tell everyone about it! We took the older girls and hung out with them while the parents hung out with the toddler. Otherwise, it would have been too expensive and too hard for them to go. So, it was a win win!

Comments are closed.