Experience Gifts for Kids
Sometimes the most memorable holiday gift doesn’t come in a box with shiny wrapping. In fact, the greenest gift you can give a child may not be a thing at all.
Experience gifts for kids focus on connection, curiosity, and creating memories. They help reduce toy clutter, nurture a child’s interests, and often support your local economy. They can also be more fun than another plastic toy that ends up at the bottom of the toy box.
If your goal is a more meaningful holiday season or birthday celebration, experience gifts offer an easy, imaginative, and clutter-free option.
Why Experience Gifts Make Sense for Kids
When you look around your child’s room, does it look like they need more stuff?
Even if they’re naturally tidy, the constant influx of things – especially around birthdays or the holiday – can be overwhelming for both kids and parents. Gift clutter creates a cycle: more to store, more to clean, and more to let go of when it’s no longer played with.
That’s where experience gifts for kids come in.
They encourage imagination, promote learning, and foster deeper family connections. They’re also great for grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other loved ones looking to give something truly special (and helpful for parents who are trying to raise more mindful consumers).
Experience gifts can be physical (like a class or tickets), homemade (like a “Yes Day” coupon), or even completely free (like a nature scavenger hunt planned by a loved one). The value is in the memory – not the object.
50+ Experience Gift Ideas for Kids of All Ages
Here are some of our favorite experience gift ideas. They’re perfect for holiday giving, birthdays, or even as rewards for a big milestone.
Nature & Adventure Gifts
Science shows that time spent in nature during our formative years leads to lifelong happiness and better mental health. These nature experience gift ideas are wonderful for a child’s overall wellbeing.
- National or State Park passes
- Camping trip (roughing it or glamping)
- Farm visit or farm stay
- Pick-your-own fruit outing
- Cave exploring or waterfall hike
- Geocaching membership
- Train ride on a historic railway
- Treasure hunt or nature scavenger hunt
- Fishing expedition or learn-to-fish class
- Overnight stay at a local eco-lodge
Creative & Educational Gifts
If you know a child with a creative passion, encourage it with one of these experiences. In this case, the gift might come with some materials, and that’s totally fine! The goal isn’t zero stuff. It’s immersion and fun!
- Pottery, sculpture, or woodworking class
- Makerspace membership or day pass
- Lego engineering or robotics workshop
- STEM, coding, or science lab class
- Sewing or embroidery lessons
- Photography class or “photo walk” outing
- Jewelry making or art class
- Theater, improv, or voice workshop
- Subscription to a kid-friendly learning app
- Language lessons or language app subscription
Arts, Culture, Sports & Entertainment
My family loves baseball, books, and movies. And two of us love theater. On our first family trip to New York City, we scheduled a Broadway show and a Yankees game in advance. And of course, we visited as many museums as we had time. Everyone was happy.
- Museum, aquarium, or planetarium passes
- Annual membership to a children’s or art museum
- Movie theater gift card or annual movie pass
- Tickets to a musical, concert, or play
- Community theater participation or acting class
- Local storytelling festival or kids’ poetry reading
Movement & Play
Experience gifts that get your child active are always a win. Whatever your child’s favorite activity, there’s a way to gift it.
- Horseback riding lessons or farm tour
- Sporting event tickets
- Ice skating or roller skating passes
- Indoor rock climbing session
- Mini golf or Top Golf passes
- Batting cage or sports center tokens
- Archery, fencing, or martial arts intro class
- Dance, gymnastics, sports, or circus arts class or lessons
Musical & Mindful Gifts
These creative and immersive experiences could be paired with any of these mindfulness gifts for kids for extra impact.
- Music lessons (piano, ukulele, voice, etc.)
- Tickets to a kids’ concert or puppet show
- Subscription to a kids’ music or audiobook app
- Meditation or mindfulness course for kids
- Yoga class or parent-child yoga pass
- Guided meditation scripts (print our free meditation collection on colored paper)
At-Home or DIY Experiences
This section might seem underwhelming for bigger kids, but small children love a Yes Day or getting to be in charge of choosing dinner for the night. These could be gifted as little certificates in their stocking or as an add-on gift.
- “Yes Day” coupons with creative prompts
- DIY spa day with a parent or caregiver
- Family game night basket with a new board game
- Pizza night + baking class at home
- Backyard camping or stargazing night
- Coupon book with ideas like:
- Stay up 30 minutes late
- Choose the dinner menu
- Pick the movie
- Solo adventure with Mom or Dad
The Gift That Lasts Longer Than a Toy
What do kids really want? Your time. Your presence. A chance to do something special they’ll remember for years.
A thoughtfully chosen experience gift invites a child to try something new, grow a skill, or simply enjoy uninterrupted time with the people they love most.
It’s the kind of gift they’ll never outgrow and one that never ends up in a donation bin.
More Conscious Gift Giving Ideas
Still want something to wrap or pair with an experience? Here are some physical gift ideas that align with the same values:
Eco Friendly Gifts for Kids
Eco Friendly Gifts for Toddlers
Experience Gifts for Adults and Families
Mindfulness Gifts for Kids
Meditation Toys for Kids
Battery Free Toys
Gifts for Kids Who Do Yoga
Edible Gift Ideas