Meaningful Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids

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 comprehensive list of 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 be 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. We get it. 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’s usually 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?

Instead, how about making a conscious decision this year to find gifts that nurture the values we want to instill in our children? Meaningful gifts for kids that nurture good global citizens and little travelers?

Here’s our guide to Christmas gift ideas for kids. These ideas will foster the traits we’d like our children to express. And they’re ideal for conscious parenting advocates hoping to spread some holiday cheer.

Gifts that Nurture CONNECTION, KINDNESS, and COMPASSION

If your child is anything like mine, she’s begging for a puppy or pet hamster. 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 it’s completed.

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.

Promote Sustainability with Earth to Momma

Earth to Momma offers the best products for moms, kids, and the home that are sustainably and ethically made! These products have been researched and tested, curated for ease and convenience, and are proven safer for the home and the environment. Explore subscription options or browse the online store to find individual items.

The brand is honored and humbled to be a part of some of life’s most precious moments and remains committed to making parents and children happy. This company is extremely passionate about what it does and wants to empower moms to make a difference with every purchase.

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 the opportunity to learn and remain protected from harm. They are a top-rated non-profit organization. In 2020, Save the Children’s 200,000 global sponsors financed programs that transformed the lives of 2.4 million kids in 22 nations for the better. Every year, the organization continues to expand its sponsorship, 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 non-toxic and meet or exceed all US and Canadian safety ratings, making them among the best Christmas toys 2022. Cuddle + Kind partners with the World Food Program USA and the Children’s Hunger Fund to provide one million meals a year to children in need.

Helping America’s Youth with STATE Backpacks

State backpacks are fun and stylish. The company was created to address the immediate needs of American children. For every State bag purchased, they support American children and families in need … in the ways they need it most.

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 encouraging 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. (Check out their Disney Princess Collection for fun ideas.) A synthesis of friendship and charm bracelets, they come in a wide variety of hues and designs. But 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.

A portion of each sale goes to WE, a charity started in 1995 by 12-year-old Craig Kielburger to bring schools to communities around the world. So far, they’ve adopted six villages in four countries (Kenya, Haiti, Ecuador, and China), allowing 1,300 students to attend school daily.

Gifts that Foster INDEPENDENCE

Fostering independence remains a critical skill for successful kids. Yes, you want your child to make their bed, brush their teeth, and shower on their own, right? But there are other fun gift ideas that encourage independence, too. These 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 cultivating their wings.

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 both 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 the everyday devices.

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

Gifts that Teach PERSEVERANCE

Games and puzzles engage children in the thinking process, improving their logical thinking and analytical reasoning. 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 are 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 constellations 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 adventure and discovery each month. 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?