My husband and my three eldest children have birthdays within a four week span. For this reason, it is extremely important for us to be very particular about buying toys or we get buried in them. Let’s be honest, new toys only have about a 4 hour lifespan (even that might be stretching it.) Then, they end up in our basement, untouched, until we decide we need to dig ourselves out.
As the kids have gotten older, and the need for toys has gotten smaller, we have to be intentional on not wasting money on meaningless gifts. You may be wondering what in the heck to buy kids then. Or, what could possibly be more exciting than toys? Well, you’re in luck! I’ve compiled a small list of our go-to’s when it comes to buying gifts for our kids.
Monthly Subscription Boxes
The best thing about monthly subscription boxes is that there are so many to choose from. There is an option for every age, hobby, and price range. A couple of our favorites include Raddish and KiwiCo.
Raddish is a cooking club subsciption where you get three recipes, a new cooking tool, and an iron on patch in each box. You also get a free apron with your first box that you put your patches on when you complete your recipes. The recipes are fun and easy for all ages to participate. To get 50% off your first box, go to Raddish and enter the code, SUMMERDEAL, at checkout.
KiwiCo has many different subscription box options to target specific age ranges. They will also allow you to change boxes if you are finding it isn’t the right fit for your child. To get 50% off of your first month subscription, go to KiwiCo and enter code, HOT50, at checkout.
Your kids will love the anticipation of getting their own mail. It is the gift that keeps on giving!
Lessons or Classes
The most affordable place to look for classes or lessons is through your local rec center. Our rec center offers cooking lessons, art classes, swim lessons, youth sports, nature classes, etc. This is a great option for school aged children and I can sign up more than one kid to take the same class at the same time.
Aside from rec center classes, my son’s favorite class was Ninja Nation. It is an obstacle course arena where kids of all ages can play, train, or compete. Perfect for burning off some energy! His favorite part was climbing the wall to hit the buzzer, just like he has seen on TV. But, it was also really cool getting to meet a couple of the America Ninja Warriors from the show.
Experiences
This could include memberships to the zoo, museums, aquariums, trampoline/adventure parks, amusement parks or camps. I know locally, there are quite a few places that offer fall, winter, spring, and summer camps for kids on break. Again, check with your rec centers, or ask around your community. I have found great resources in mom groups on social media. I love this idea because the memberships allow you to enjoy the experience more than once.
Kits
My girls love craft kits! I also love buying craft kits for them so they stay out of my craft supplies. But, some other really popular suggestions are grow your own insect kits, science kits, or rock/gem kits.
In the past, we have done butterfly and lady bug kits where they ship you live caterpillars and lady bug larvae. Over the next week or two, they transform into butterflies and lady bugs. It is really cool to watch the process!
Lately, my son has been collecting cool rocks and loved the kit where he could dig out his own out of a block of clay. But he also enjoys experimenting with science kits too.
There are so many options to choose from which means you are almost guaranteed to find something your child will love!
Stay Cation
There are a lot of cool places to explore in our home state that are only a couple of hours away. Since the three eldest kids celebrate their birthdays in the month of August, it makes it easy for us to know a time frame to plan our trips. Our favorite stay cations so far have been at the Great Wolf Lodge in Colorado Springs or renting a cabin at Jellystone Park in Estes Park. This year, we are going to surprise our kids with a night at the Gaylord Rockies Resort. My kids are always thrilled to stay in a hotel!
Create Lasting Memories
When considering what to get my kids for their birthdays, I try to think of the most memorable gifts I received when I was a kid. Aside from a few big gifts, I couldn’t remember much. So I am committing to buying gifts that create lasting memories. Join me in this challenge!
What are some of your best birthday gift suggestions? Please let me know in the comments!
