Meaningful Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids

November has flown by! And we’re in the thick of the holiday season, which can make honoring the tenets of conscious parenting especially challenging and complicated. After all, stockings need filling, traditions need honoring, and gifts need giving. Of course, that’s just the beginning!

The swirl of activities can leave you wondering how to avoid consumer craziness while still enjoying a kid-friendly holiday season. Our solution? A more conscious approach to gift giving this year. To help you do this, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite meaningful Christmas gift ideas for kids.

Lasting Memories

Although things get hectic during the Yuletide, it’s important to remember there’s no better gift you can give your children than quality time together. Remaining grounded in this realization will help you ease the pressure of the season and its many expectations. 

When it’s all said and done, nothing beats a fun activity, a unique experience, or a family vacation filled with precious, lasting memories. That’s why travel tops our list of the best holiday gifts for this season. (Sign up here to stay in the know about the best trips, tours, and activities for families.)

But we also understand there’s something magical about watching your child unwrap a special gift. The question we should ask ourselves is: Are the gifts we give our children aligned with the critical lessons we want to teach them as conscious parenting advocates?

Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids

In this post, we saw how there can be a significant disconnect between what we say we want our children to learn and what our children perceive we want based on our words and actions. I believe the same applies when it comes to the gifts we choose. How often do we buy into marketing campaigns and the latest trends?

This year, I’m making a conscious decision to find gifts that nurture the values I want to instill in my children. And I hope you’ll consider doing the same. Where to start? With this list of meaningful Christmas gift suggestions that nurture good global citizens and little travelers.

Gifts that Nurture CONNECTION, KINDNESS, and COMPASSION

Are your kids begging for a puppy or pet hamster? If so, you’re not alone. Pets are a fantastic way to teach these lessons, but they’re certainly not for everyone.

What to do if you’re not ready for the commitment of a pet? You can still embrace gift ideas that nurture kindness and compassion. There are many incredible ways to connect with the world while enriching your child’s experience of it.

Encouraging a Good Global Citizen with Deliberate Travel

Deliberate Travel’s “Just the Ticket: The First Adventure Program” is a 12-month journey around the world through a combination of postcards and online workbooks. After signing up, your child will receive a “Travel Pack” filled with everything needed for their journey (plus fun extras).

Then, each month, your child will look forward to receiving a postcard from the country they’re traveling to, providing them access to a workbook about that destination. As they complete these workbooks throughout the year, they can add stickers to their “Just the Ticket” passports until they’re complete.

The “Travel Pack” is an excellent gift for Christmas, giving kids something to unwrap on the big day while ensuring the learning continues throughout the year. The workbooks will keep their curiosity stoked for 12 months while encouraging them to explore the world and other cultures. And if you’re after a little less commitment, “Just the Ticket” is available in three- and six-month journeys, too.

Sponsoring a Child through Save the Children

Save the Children is an incredible organization. Dedicated to ensuring every child has a healthy start, they provide kids with educational opportunities, needed basics, and protection from harm. For these reasons and many more, they are a top-rated non-profit organization.

In 2022, Save the Children’s global sponsors financed programs that transformed the lives of 118 million kids in 116 nations for the better. The organization continues to expand its sponsorship every year, positively impacting communities worldwide.

Giving the Gift of Cuddle + Kind Dolls

You and your kids will fall in love with Cuddle + Kind’s adorable line of dolls. From mermaids to reindeers, penguins to bunnies, they’re hand-knit in Peru by female artisans. Made of premium cotton, they feel cuddly and ultra-soft.

They’re also certified as non-toxic and meet or exceed all US and Canadian safety ratings, making them among the best Christmas toys 2023. Cuddle + Kind partners with the World Food Program USA and the Children’s Hunger Fund to provide one million meals annually to children.

Helping America’s Youth with STATE Bags

State Bags are fun and stylish. The company was created to address the immediate needs of American children. For every State Bag purchase, they support American children and families in need … in the ways they need help most.

Besides backpacks, they’ve launched a colorful line of luggage that’ll inspire you and the kids to get out there and start adventuring! If you’re thinking of some excuses to get new luggage, learn more about the travel services we offer and some of our upcoming family trips.

Promoting Sustainability with TEGU Magnetic Wooden Blocks

These sustainably sourced magnetic wooden blocks come in a vibrant assortment of colors and rank among our favorite Christmas presents for kids. The blocks are non-toxic and lacquered with a water-based finish that showcases the grain of the wood. These heirloom-quality toys go the distance, providing opportunities for creativity, engineering, and enjoyment for years to come.

Tegu remains committed to fostering positive social impact through business. The company partners with Honduran cooperatives to encourage the natural regeneration process of local forests through re-planting efforts.

Supporting Education with YOOBI’s Art and School Supplies

Yoobi’s art and school supplies come in the vibrant colors of the rainbow. From pencils to paints, glitter to stickers, they’ve got everything your kids need for hours of inspiration and creation.

With every purchase of Yoobi products, you give back to underprivileged schools! Yoobi works with the Kids in Need Foundation to provide essential supplies to classrooms across the US. To date, they’ve positively impacted millions of students in high-need areas around the nation.

Contributing to Charities with Pura Vida Bracelets

Handcrafted by artisans around the world, Pura Vida’s line of colorful handmade bracelets will delight your school-aged kids and teens. A synthesis of friendship and charm bracelets, they come in a wide variety of hues and designs. And no two bracelets are alike.

The proceeds from their Charity Collection bracelet sales fund non-profits around the world. Over the years, Pura Vida has donated more than $4 million to over 200 charities, including organizations that support women, veterans, the environment, and various humanitarian causes.

Minimizing Waste with B. Toys

Toys is a manufacturer on a mission. They strive to create better toys — ones that inspire individuality and creativity. They work hard to decrease their environmental footprint by using recycled materials. They also focus on waste minimization by shipping toys in 100% recyclable packaging.

Moreover, their toys are manufactured to last, which means they can be recycled when your little ones outgrow them! Check out this link for opportunities in your area to pass along toys to a family that could use them. 

Gifts that Foster INDEPENDENCE

Fostering independence remains a critical skill for successful kids. You want your child to make their bed, brush their teeth, and shower on their own, right? But other fun gift ideas encourage independence, too. They include:

A play kitchen

A tool set

A sewing kit

Gifts that Stimulate CURIOSITY

Kids have an amazing sense of wonder. But it’s up to us to keep that curiosity alive by encouraging discovery and exploration.

Books are always a great bet. We’re avid fans of the National Geographic Readers collection. This fun series taps into children’s natural curiosity, covering planets, volcanoes, animals, and more. And the images are, of course, magnificent.

Here are a couple of other gift ideas for curious children:

A real biological microscope

A science kit with plenty of experiments and cool facts

Gifts that Promote RESOURCEFULNESS and INGENUITY

It is never too early to start learning coding skills or basic electronics. There are fantastic games out there, designed to entertain and educate kids of all ages.

The Snap Circuits Electronics Discovery Kit offers kids 8 and up a hands-on introduction to how electrical circuits work to run everyday devices.

The Robot Turtles Game teaches programming fundamentals to kids ages 4 and up

Gifts that Teach PERSEVERANCE

Games and puzzles engage children’s brains, improving their logical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical reasoning skills. They are also an excellent tool for teaching kids to persevere and develop a growth mindset.

Here are a few examples that are challenging for kids and adults alike:

Rubik’s Cube

Set of Wooden Puzzle Games

Or, give the gift of confidence and perseverance with the Big Life Journal, a resource created to help kids develop a resilient, growth mindset.

Gifts that Promote CREATIVITY

Craft sets, kinetic sand, or a funky ukulele? There is no shortage of ideas in this category. These gift ideas include anything and everything that will spark your child’s imagination and let their creative juices flow.  

Here are a few of our favorites:

Magna tiles last a lifetime and provide hours of creative play.

The Q-BA-Maze 2.0 stunt set helps children embrace their creativity while designing

engineering wonders.

3Doodler allows kids to “draw in the air” and bring ideas to life in 3D!

Gifts that Inspire MINDFULNESS and CONNECTION

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew Newman, author of Conscious Stories. His books have been a hit at our household. They inspire valuable lessons and include plenty of love and wisdom. They remain the perfect way to connect with your child at the end of the day.

A fun and bright kids yoga mat is also a great addition to any child’s room.

Gifts that Enhance GLOBAL AWARENESS:

Ready for fun new ways to expose your kids to the world and different cultures? Many great gift ideas exist. A few of our favorites include:

Maps and globes that encourage global learning and a sense of wonder. This globe transforms into a constellation map at night for double the magic.

A Little Passports subscription is a perfect gift for little explorers. Imagine your child’s delight each month when they receive a new box filled with fun and educational activities, toys, and souvenirs from different parts of the globe.

Little Passports’ award-winning subscriptions will get your kids excited about travel. How can we be sure? They’ve partnered with educators and parents to deliver monthly adventure and discovery. Kits appeal to kids between the ages of five and ten years old. Subscriptions come in one-month, three-month, six-month, and 12-month commitments.

Don’t forget National Geographic books like this Little Kids First Big Book of the World…

And subscriptions to their captivating children’s magazine National Geographic Kids.

Filled with vibrant photos and fun stories, National Geographic Kids will entertain and captivate your little ones while teaching them about wildlife around the world. National Geographic remains dedicated to expanding awareness about wildlife and the environment and supports exploration, critical research, and education programs worldwide.

Meaningful Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids

Do you have any meaningful Christmas gift ideas for kids you’d like to add? We’d love to hear about them. What is the best gift your child has ever received? What other ways do you practice conscious parenting during the holidays?