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Shiny new toys and the latest video games attract kids like moths to a flame. (And don’t even get me started on the chokehold name-brand merch like Stanley tumblers and Drunk Elephant skincare has on them!) It’s especially noticeable during the holiday season, when everyone from toddlers to teens are obsessed with making lists for Santa. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, after all!
There’s obviously nothing wrong with shopping the top toys for your children — we do it, too! Still, all parents have experienced that deflating disappointment when the coveted gift gets thrown to the side 2.5 minutes after opening it. Or worse, gets lost in the shuffle completely because they got so many things from well-meaning loved ones. If you’re looking for a different experience, or just want something totally unique to give the kids in your life this year, consider getting them an experience gift instead.
From passes to see the world to kits that tap into their creativity, experience-based presents for kids are the gift that keep on giving. Why buy them new lip gloss when they could learn how to make it themselves? It’s the new teach-your-kids-how-to-fish analogy! There are experience gifts for babies, kids, and teenagers that will delight and inspire them — and possibly even teach them something new. It may not get the oohs and ahhs like a big-ticket item would, but an experience gift could potentially make for long-lasting memories. At the very least, it will definitely be unforgettable!
Shop a few of our favorite experience gifts for kids below, which include everything from kids’ museums to items that encourage them to explore (and tickets to help them get there!). There are even Taylor Swift Music Camps on this list (!!), which are perfect for pop-stars-in-the-making.
Tickets to a water park in the winter sounds a little weird, but not if you get a gift card for Great Wolf Lodge. The largest collection of indoor water park resorts in North America, Great Wolf Lodge has a fun-filled, 84-degree water park inside. Not to mention, guests can also enjoy many other activities kids (and their parents!) will love, like rock climbing walls, a ropes course, mini golf, gem panning, laser tag, arcade games, and more, depending on location. At the end of the day, rest in a cozy, themed suite.
Babies learn and grow so fast, it can be hard to keep up with them. That’s what makes Lovevery kits so great. For just $80 every two months, you get a kit designed for your baby’s age to entertain and delight. You can even get special kits for kids ages 1-4.
Got a budding comedian on your hands? Sign them up for a lesson on making their own comic book with Annie Monaghan! It comes with a 1-hour virtual session plus a comic book kit that will be professionally printed and bound when they’re done.
Give the gift of nature with the America the Beautiful Pass, which covers admission to a year’s worth of national parks and federal recreation sites. Budding adventurers will love helping plan trips and making memories with this!
Millions of people visit the National Children’s Museum each year in Washington, D.C., where kids 12 and under can learn through playful STEAM-based activities, exhibits, programs, and virtual offerings. Little ones will love the new Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood exhibit, where they can play pretend at the post office, music shop, and imagination stage. Tickets are $18.95 per person, or if you live close, buy a family membership for $225 for free admission for a year.
KiwiCo has the coolest crates to inspire innovation and creativity. Choose from many different options based on age and interest, like the learning and playing Panda Crate for ages 0-3, the science-based KiwiCo Labs for ages 6-16+, and the art and design-themed KiwiCo Studio for ages 9-18+.
Celebrities like Selena Gomez, Kylie Jenner, and Hailey Bieber aren’t the only ones creating their own makeup. Kids can learn how to do it too with this easy lip gloss making kit! It comes with castor oil, safflower oil, and other colors and flavors to create six of their own mini lip glosses!
Little Swifties can help Taylor Swift decide what color combinations to wear during her Eras Tour performance with this adorable sticker book. It comes with over 500 sparkly, reusable stickers of her outfits, accessories, and more.
Imagine you’re a New York Fire Department firefighter or a bakery shop owner at Play Street Museum, a cool indoor kids’ play museum with interactive exhibits for kids up to 8 years old. Admission is $35 for the Upper West Side location, but you can save by gifting a five-day Play Pass. Price varies based on location.
Fashionistas can pick out their own outfits suggested by stylists with a Stitch Fix gift card. This personalized gift box is a surprise when your kid opens it, plus it’s fun to mix and match and decide what to keep. Gift cards are available from $20-$1,000, with $150 covering the brand’s “most popular kept items in a Fix.”
Bookroo boxes start at $19.95 a month and include books designed for readers ages 0-12. Choose a plan that fits your kid’s age group, and you’ll get 2-3 new books a month that is pretty much guaranteed to help kids fall in love with reading.
With a Baketivity subscription, your little baker-in-training can enjoy a surprise selection of ingredients, recipes, and a cute apron and chef hat to make sweet treats every month.
Animal lovers will have a blast at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, one of the largest aquariums with over 11 million gallons of water and more than 500 species of animals. Kids will be amazed at the colorful jellyfish, sea otters, beluga whales, sharks, and other deep-sea creatures. There’s even an impressive 100-foot underwater tunnel that provides a unique view of aquatic creatures. You’ll have to sea it to believe it!An individual membership is $95 and includes unlimited visits for a year. Family memberships are also available.
Give the gift of the sky with the best-selling Gskyer Telescope on Amazon. Designed for kids, this has two replaceable eyepieces and one 3x Barlow lens for optimal viewing experience. You can even hook up an iPhone to it for even clearer visibility.
Put your kids critical thinking skills to the test by signing them up for a virtual escape room from Outschool! Several different teachers offer classes from Escaping the Titanic to solving clues in the Home Alone house, starting at $10 per class. Fans of Minecraft, Among Us, Harry Potter, and more will find a home here.
Kids can explore the world from home with Little Passports boxes, which come in many different options for kids of all ages. Animal lovers will like the Animals Wild box for ages 4-6 and outer space aficionados will enjoy Space Quest for ages 6-8. There are also boxes centered around science experiments and crafts.
The Adventure Challenge Kids is the ultimate scavenger hunt. It has 30 adventure ideas for kids to scratch off and discovery, with tips on making it extra fun. All the adventure require little set up or supplies, are repeatable, and are designed for kids ages 6-12 to do with minimal parental involvement. Don’t be surprised if you catch your kids having their own glow party or setting up a balloon hide-and-seek. There are even spots for your kids to draw or print out photos of them completing the activity to turn this into a keepsake.
Buy one-day passes to Disneyland or tickets to many other unique experiences around the world with a Tinggly gift card. It’s a great way to contribute to a bigger-ticket vacation that will create memories of a lifetime.
Visit some of the prettiest beaches in the Golden State with the California Explorer Vehicle Day Use Annual Pass. This unique gift allows a vehicle to enter 134 California state parks, including Southern California beaches along the Orange, Los Angeles, and San Diego Coasts, for a whole year. This plus some new sand toys or a beach towel would make the perfect gift for beach-bound families!
I Spy books are an oldie but a goodie when it comes to keeping kids entertained for hours. And if you grew up searching for hidden items in these detailed pages, then you’re in for a treat: this version comes with new bonus riddles, a new search-and-find look, and a new trim size.
At Legoland Discovery Centers across the country, kids can do so much more than play with Lego bricks. There are tons of rides and interactive areas, meet and greats with Lego characters, and yes, a whole building and testing zone (want to see how fast a Lego car can go down a ramp? Who wouldn’t?!). Buy tickets for your kid starting at $21.99.
A subscription to a Cratejoy STEM Discovery Box will introduce kids ages 7-12 to the wonders of science. Each box comes with three projects/experiments, with all the supplies included to turn your dining room table into your child’s very own lab. It’s so cool, you’ll have to be careful you don’t try to do it yourself!
Kids ages 8 and up can do this amazing star walk in Arizona, where you can hike about three miles and see the constellations up close and personal. Gift this through REI or check out the other hiking and camping gifts at various locations.
Budding musicians will love lessons from School of Rock, which has various locations around the world and even offers virtual lessons. Check your local spot for fun camps and events for kids, like a Taylor Swift Music Camp, where you can learn to rock like the “Karma” singer!
Combine your child’s love of witchiness and curiosity for the natural world with The Science Spell Book: 30 Enchanting Experiments for Kids. They will love making colorful potions other magical things, while learning the real science behind it.
