50+ Awesome Experience Gifts for Kids

If you’re like me, your kids probably have WAY too many toys. So, what if you could gift them an experience instead?

Experience gifts are becoming more and more popular among parents. And for good reason! As kids get older and accumulate more stuff, you realize how few of their toys and gadgets they actually play with. Let alone create any lasting memories from.

Enter, the experience gift. This whole new class of gifts doesn’t have to be boring. And it also doesn’t mean your kids won’t have anything tangible to open on their special day either!

Read on for over 50 ideas for experience gifts for kids, plus tips on how to wrap an experience to make it extra special!

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The Best Experience Gifts for Kids

When it comes to gifting an experience, you can go really big or really small. That’s the beauty of experience gifts: there is literally something for every kid and every budget!

Here are over 50 ways to gift an experience to kids:

Travel Experience Gifts for Kids

Plane Tickets

Want to take the family somewhere fun instead of buying lots of toys? You can make that fun to open too! Etsy has a ton of options for cute custom vouchers and tickets, like these scratcher tickets from the North Pole, these printable boarding passes (or Christmas version here) or these adorable gold foil tickets.

Theme Park Tickets

What kid wouldn’t want a trip to a theme park? Gift a trip with these adorable printable Disneyland tickets, or this customizable version for any theme park of your choosing. You could also pair your gift with something to wear at the park, like Mickey ears for Disney, or customized shirts for Legoland.

Luggage

If you have an upcoming trip planned, a new suitcase or backpack is a fun way to get kids excited for the trip ahead. Fill the backpack with fun things to do on the plane, or add some new pajamas or a swimsuit for the trip to come.

Travel Activity

Maybe you already have your trip booked, but want to splurge on a special activity like a hot air balloon ride or ATV tour? Viator is a one stop shop for finding all of the best activities to do while on vacation: just search by your destination!

Little Passports Subscription

Can’t travel just yet? Gift a subscription box to Little Passports, which teaches children about a new country every month with hands-on activities, books, and souvenirs in each box!

Travel Keepsake Box

Have a keepsake box custom made for your special trip. Then collect tickets, maps and momentos to fill it with upon your return!

Other Ways to Gift a Trip

Wrap customized luggage tags or a passport holder, this adorable mini suitcase with scratch reveal card, or a carry-on-essentials-filled flight survival kit.

Outdoor Experience Gifts for Kids

Camping Reservation

Whether near or far, camping is a fun family memory your kids won’t easily forget. Wrap some small camping essentials or kids hiking boots to get them excited!

Zoo Pass

A trip to the zoo is always a memorable day. This ‘Search the Zoo’ book makes a great pairing to zoo tickets, or better yet, an annual zoo pass.

Aquarium Admission

Another favorite spot for our kids, pair a trip to your local aquarium with this ‘Life Under the Sea’ coloring book.

Water Park Tickets

Who doesn’t love a water park? Wrap a new swimsuit or hooded beach towel to get the kids excited.

State or National Park Pass

If you’re a family that loves to adventure, consider an annual pass to your state’s park system, or better yet, a National Park Pass!

Nature Hunt

Get outside with a nature trail book or nature journal, explorer toolkit, or these nature scavenger hunt cards.

Gardening Kit

Get them started young with this everything-you-need gardening set.

Horseback Riding Lessons

Search your local area for a place that offers horseback riding lessons or even a casual trail ride.

Surf School

If you live near the coast (or plan to visit one), give your kids a totally unique experience with surf school lessons.

Hot Air Balloon Ride

Perfect for older kids, or those not afraid of heights, a hot air balloon ride is once in a lifetime experience!

Ziplining / Adventure Park

Whether ziplining, a ropes course, or an outdoor adventure park, let your kids go wild with this day out.

Jeep / ATV Tour

If you live an area full of outdoor activities, you’ll no doubt be able to find an adventurous Jeep or ATV tour that’s sure to excite the kids!

Stand Up Paddleboard / Kayaking Adventure

Depending on your budget, you could either gift a stand up paddleboard or kayak to use again and again, or simply gift a voucher for an afternoon experience.

Ice Skating / Rollerblading

Make it a one time thing, or gift a pair of ice skates or rollerblades to use for years to come.

Artsy Experience Gifts for Kids

Theater Show

This could be tickets to a show at your local children’s theater, or a big name ticket like ‘Disney on Ice’ or ‘Insert-Favorite-Cartoon-Here Live‘.

Cooking Class

What kid doesn’t love to help out in the kitchen? Book a local class, or even an online one, and gift them a chef’s apron and hat, or perhaps some kid-safe cooking tools.

Dance Classes

Wrap a leotard or new dance shoes so they have everything they need to start.

Photography Class

For the budding photographer, consider splurging on a DSLR camera and online photography classes.

Art Class

Whether painting, drawing or crafting, enroll your kids in a local art class (or browse Outschool’s online art classes for an at-home option). Wrap an art smock or painting supplies for opening.

Music Class

Do you have a child that loves music? Enroll them in beginner piano, guitar, or other instrument lessons.

Jewelry Making Kit

Want to keep your child busy for hours? Consider a massive jewelery making kit like this one.

Read More: 25 Gift Ideas for Kids Who Travel

Staycation Experience Gifts for Kids

Gifting a trip doesn’t mean you have to go far. Here’s a few staycation ideas for activities you can do just about anywhere.

Movie Night

Fill a popcorn bucket with popcorn and movie theater candies, and pair it with this printable movie ticket.

Children’s Museum Tickets

Perfert for younger kids that already have enough toys – visit your local Children’s Museum, or road trip to one nearby.

Go Kart Racing

Book an indoor or outdoor experience for the thrill seeker child in your life.

Local Hotel Stay

Fact: kids love staying at a hotel, even if it’s in your own city. Bonus points if it has a pool or indoor waterpark! For gifting, this adorable voucher is customizable to your stay.

Kid-Friendly Restaurant Gift Card

Give your child a gift card to their favorite restaurant, paired with this restaurant voucher and dessert for afterward.

Ice Cream or Sweet Shop Gift Card

Gifting an experience doesn’t have to be expensive! My daughter would go gaga for a trip to the ice cream shop or candy store.

Boat Cruise

Whether a sightseeing cruise, whale watching excursion, paddle boats adventure, or scenic gondola ride – as long as you have a body of water near you, you’re likely to have some sort of on-the-water adventure as well.

Escape Room

For the older kids who love a challenge, gift a trip to an escape room for them and a few of their friends.

Sports Experience Gifts for Kids

Sporting Event Tickets

For the sport fanatic in your life, you can’t go wrong with tickets to a game! These customized tickets are the perfect substitute when you don’t receive physical tickets to wrap. Add a new jersey or hat from their favorite sports team to make it extra memorable.

Bike

Up your family time game with new bikes for the whole family!

Mini Golf

Have a little golfer in the family? Wrap some silly golf balls with a gift card to the mini golf course.

Bowling

It doesn’t matter what age your kids are, a trip to the bowling alley is always the great equalizer. Make it a family fun night with pizza and arcade games too.

Kids Gym / Rock Climbing / Trampoline Park Pass

You’ll be hard pressed to find a kid that wouldn’t love an open gym pass!

Ski / Snowbarding Pass or Lessons

Live in a cold weather area? No problem! Give your child lessons or a pass to a local ski area. And if skiing or snowboarding isn’t your thing, plenty of places offer snow tubing and tobogganing options too!

Read More: Travel Stocking Stuffers for Everyone in the Family

Educational Experience Gifts for Kids

Science Museum Tickets

If you’ve got a STEM-loving kid, gift them one-time or annual pass tickets to your local science museum.

Magazine Subscription

There are a million options to choose from (I’m still a fan of Highlights! for kids). For the gift that keeps on giving, wrap the first edition and let your kids know there will be lots more on the way.

Book Box Subscription

Literati is perhaps the most well-known book box subscription, but Lillypost (for children up to 7 years old) and Owlcrate (for pre-teens and teens) are two popular options as well.

Kiwi Co STEM Box

KiwiCo offers a ton of different subscription boxes, but the Kiwi Crate (ages 5-8) and Tinker Crate (ages 9-14) are their most popular for hands-on STEM learning at home.

Kindle Unlimited / Audible Subscription

If you’ve got a kid who loves reading or audiobooks, Kindle Unlimited is perfect for avid readers, while Audible is a great choice for those who love to listen to audiobooks or kid-friendly podcasts.

At-Home Science Experiment Kit

Discovery’s Extreme Chemistry Set, Wild Science’s Volcano Lava Lab, or National Geographic’s Hobby Rock Tumbler are all fun ways to bring science into your home.

What’s on your kids’ Christmas lists this year?

xo laura


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