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

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.

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!

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.

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!

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.