32+ unforgettable experience gifts for kids
If you’re wanting to gift more memories and adventures this year, rather than adding more clutter to your home, here are a bunch of ideas for experience gifts that kids will LOVE!
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Let me start by saying…there is nothing wrong with giving kids toys for Christmas. I absolutely gift my kids toys each year. Toys are the tools of childhood, and carefully chosen toys can encourage all kinds of creativity and learning that is critical (and fun!) for kids.
However, after eleven years of Christmases and birthdays, there aren’t a lot of toys my kids need…or even want.
We have blocks and Lego sets. We have a play kitchen and magnet tiles. We have sports equipment, games, puzzles, and more. These are all good toys that we use and love! But we’ve reached a point where we don’t need much else.
So what can I gift my kids that is meaningful?
The answer, for me, is to give them opportunities to live life to the fullest, to explore new talents, and explore the world around them.
Yes, I still buy some actual toys and other physical items, but over the past several years our BIG gifts have been moving more toward adventures, classes, and other experience-based gifts. By doing a mix of physical gifts and experiences, we’ve found a sweet spot that gives them the excitement of opening a new toy, but it limits the number of things that get added to our house each year.
And you know what? My kids have LOVED it. Now, more than anything, experiences are the types of gifts they ask for most!
If you too are looking to shift your Christmas gift giving, you’ll love this curated a list of 32+ unforgettable experiences that will light up your kids’ worlds without adding an ounce of clutter to yours. From thrilling adventures to creative workshops, these gifts will lead to wonderful memories that’ll last a lifetime!
How to choose experience gifts for kids:
Tip 1: Think about the talents and hobbies your kids have. What skills would they like to learn?
My oldest son has gotten really interested in cooking over the last year, and he tried out a cooking class in the fall at our local Harmon’s grocery store. Yes, I could teach him how to cook (and I do), but going to a special class gave him so much confidence in his cooking and he loves that he is now the resident expert on making donut holes in our house! He put “more cooking classes” on his Christmas list this year!
We’ve gifted my middle son (the inventor) several classes in robotics and Lego engineering. He loves these classes, and they’re a great way for him to gain skills that are outside my wheelhouse, like how to use Lego motors.
Just make sure the experiences you gift are ones that your kids actually want, not things you want for them. For example, unless your child is really excited to learn how to play the piano, piano lessons may not be an exciting gift for them.
Tip 2: Ask friends for local ideas.
Talk to people in your area about what fun activities they’ve done as a family, or classes their kids have enjoyed. This can be especially helpful if you get recommendations from the parents of your kids’ friends. You can also use websites like Groupon or Trip Advisor to get ideas of attractions that are popular in your area.
Tip 3: Think about what experiences you might be likely to do as a family anyway.
Maybe it’s cheating, or maybe it’s brilliant, but if you plan ahead, you can turn activities that you want to do anyway into a gift that kids will be excited about. Buy a magazine subscription your kids have been wanting or a museum membership you’ve been wanting to try out. Or plan, a trip! Last year, we planned a Disney vacation and kept it a surprise until Christmas morning. The trip wasn’t until February, but the kids were so excited!
Keep the above tips in mind as you read through the list below. Hopefully you’ll come away with several ideas that your kids will be excited to receive!
Fabulous Experience Gifts for Kids
Classes
1. Cooking classes: Enroll them in a kids’ cooking class or organize a fun cooking session at home.
2. Art classes or workshops: Gift art classes or workshops to unleash their creativity. Need an online art class? My kids have done a bunch of these fabulous lessons from Sarah Jane Studios. They are the perfect mix of fun, creativity, and real art instruction.
3. Musical instrument lessons: Enroll them in music lessons for an instrument they’re interested in. Just make sure it’s something your child has expressed interest in, not just something you want for them.
4. Sports camp or clinics: Sign them up for a sports camp or specialized clinics for their favorite sport. Last year, my son took a few private pitching lessons for baseball, and he loved it!
5. Theater workshops: Gift acting classes or theater workshops for young performers. Have a singer? Try voice lessons.
6. Dance classes: Enroll them in dance classes to learn new moves and routines.
7. Pottery or ceramics workshop: Gift a pottery or ceramics workshop for hands-on fun. There are lots of studios that will let you pay for a one-time experience to come in, choose a piece, paint it, and have it glazed.
8. Karate or martial arts lessons: My middle son has been doing karate for the past year, and it’s been so good for him! He’s getting good exercise, and he’s developing more discipline, focus, and confidence.
9. Other lesson ideas: photography, horseback riding, gymnastics, swimming, skiing, tennis, etc. There are so many options!
Memberships or Tickets
10. Amusement park passes: If you live in a warmer climate and have an amusement park nearby, buy tickets for a day of fun!
11. Zoo or aquarium membership: Whether you buy tickets for a one-time outing, or buy an annual pass for the family, visits to see cool animals are bound to be a hit with kids.
12. Museum membership: We have rotated between memberships to various museums in our area pver the years, especially when my kids were young and home with me all day. It was so nice to be able to go to a place for just a couple of hours and not feel like we had to stay all day to get our money’s worth on a single admission ticket. By the end of the year, they’re usually ready to try something new…just in time to gift a new one!
13. Theater or concert tickets: We’ve taken our boys to see several musicals at various theaters in our area, and they have loved it! Some theaters even have specific performances that are geared toward kids. The Utah Symphony where I live does a “family series” each year with shorter performances that are fun and kid-friendly. It’s a great way to introduce kids to performing arts!
14. Escape Room Adventure: My husband and I have done several escape rooms, and our kids have been asking when they get a turn. If you have a more limited budget, we’ve also done several at home escape rooms that have been fun. I’ve done the Finders Seekers boxes with my husband twice (they have a “junior” version as well). We’ve gifted our kids this Exit the Game mystery and this Escape the Room game. The kids loved both (I thought Escape the Room was slightly better), and it was a fun way to spend a couple of hours over the school break…and much cheaper than an actual escape room.
15. Trampoline park or ninja playground: In our area, there are several gyms where kids can go jump, climb, run, and get ALL their energy out. Last year, I bought a 10 punch pass to a trampoline park nearby, and I took them once a month during the winter. It was fabulous! They loved getting to go, and I having somewhere to take the kids to get some exercise when it was crazy cold outside.
16. Ski passes: Skiing can be expensive, but it’s also a great way to get outside and get moving in the winter. In Utah, kids in 4th-6th grade can get seriously discounted passes that make skiing much more affordable.
17. Driving range/Top Golf passes: You don’t have to be a golf officionado to enjoy whacking some golf balls now and again. Top Golf is a splurge, for sure, but if you have older kids who would appreciate a special outing, it’s a great option! My 11-year-old has been begging us to take him! (Tip: Tuesdays are half off at Top Golf, so that’s a great way to save a bit of cash!)
18. Indoor skydiving: I haven’t done this one, but we have cousins who did while they were visiting us earlier this year, and they said it was a blast!
19. Get Out Pass: If you want a cost effective way to try a bunch of different activities, see if your state has a Get Out Pass! Ours has more than paid for itself this year, and it’s been fun to try out some places we otherwise might not have thought to explore. Note: Be sure to use code LITTLEJOYS at checkout—it will always give you a better deal than the price listed on the website.
Subscriptions
20. Magazine subscription: For the past several years, my boys have had a subscription to National Geographic Kids. They get so excited each month when the magazine arrives, and they’ve learned so many interesting (and a few really random) facts from it.
21. Subscription boxes: Consider monthly subscription boxes tailored to their interests—science, art, nature, etc. I have gifted Kiwi Crates to my own kids several times, and they’re always a hit. My kids are also dying to try out the Crunch Labs boxes designed by Mark Rober.
“Date with a Parent” Outings
As much fun as it can be to do activities with the whole family, it’s important to also schedule one-on-one time with kids. These “mommy dates” have yielded some of my favorite moments with my kids. It’s an opportunity to pour love into them, learn about their lives, and pursue a specific interest they have. Here are some ideas for experience gifts that work well one-on-one.
22. Movie tickets: Pick a movie that an older child is interested in but that may be a little too much for little ones, and go on a date to see it. If you really want to splurge, spring for popcorn or let them pick a treat from the concession counter!
23. Mani-Pedi: As a boy mom, this one isn’t high on our list, but I have several friends who have gone for mommy-daughter pedicures. So fun to pamper yourselves!
24. Sports event tickets: Take your child to a basketball game (or other sport) this winter and cheer for your favorite team!
25. Afternoon tea: See if there is a fancy hotel or tea room near you, det dressed up, and enjoy a special date together! To gift the experience, you could give your daughter a cute new hairbow or necklace to wear to tea. (Tip: If Grandma lives nearby, she might love to come, too!)
26. Ice skating or roller skating: Grab some skates and go for a whirl!
27. Rock climbing: Our local climbing gym offers day passes where parents can take a short belaying class and then help their kids climb. They also offer kids climbing camps and once-a-week classes.
28. Mini golf or bowling: Simple outings like these make great gifts, especially if you’re spending one-on-one time together.
29. Book store adventure: Go explore your favorite bookstore together and let your child pick out one (or more) books to bring home!
30. Nickelcade or arcade: Take your child to an arcade and challenge them to skee ball, air hockey, and more! Let them pick out rinky-dink prizes with their tickets, and just have fun together.
Big Adventures
31. Family vacation: Plan a trip to a kid-friendly destination, and surprise your kids with the good news on Christmas morning. Anything Disney is sure to be a hit, but another one of my kids’ favorite places is Great Wolf Lodge. If you have kids under 12 (and maybe older, too), it’s amazing!
32. Hot air balloon ride: I haven’t done this yet, but I would love to take the whole family on a hot air balloon ride. It’s on my bucket list!
33. Animal encounters: Swim with dolphins, or schedule an “upgrade” experience with an animal at a zoo or aquarium. A few years ago, we bought our family an “elephant encounter” at our zoo, and it was incredible! We got a behind-the-scenes tour of the elephant and rhino enclosures, learned how they care for the animals, made a fun “toy” for the rhino, and then got to hand feed the elephants. It was pricey, but our whole family got to participate, and it’s something I’ll never forget.
34. Hotel sleepover: You don’t have to drive for hours to have a “vacation.” Book a room at an inexpensive hotel in your own town and have a family sleepover! Pick one that has free breakfast and a heated indoor pool, and your whole adventure will be planned. Check in, go swimming, order pizza for dinner, watch a movie, sleep, eat breakfast, swim again, and then check out and go home!
What have been your favorite experience gifts for kids? Tell me in the comments below!
Want more gift ideas for kids? Try these!
Note: These are tangible gifts, rather than experiences, but they are carefully chosen to encourage creativity and learning to your home! They are the BEST of what we’ve collected over the years.
This is such an inspiring list! I love how it focuses on meaningful experiences rather than just more toys—kids get to explore new skills, adventures, and quality time with loved ones. The mix of classes, memberships, one-on-one outings, and big adventures really shows how gifts can create lasting memories without adding clutter. Definitely giving me ideas for this year!