65+ Non-Toy Experience Gift Ideas for Kids

Raise your hand if you’re all about more memories and moments, less stuff! (every mom in the universe raises both hands). SAME! I’m so excited about this list of experience gift ideas for kids – there are over 60 ideas that kids of all ages would love to receive!

It’s easy for the holiday gifting to get out of control, and before you know it your house is filled with a ton of STUFF that just causes stress – too much to put away, too many choices to fight over, not enough space for imaginative play – the list goes on and on.

Research shows that experiences gifts make a person happier than tangible items… I polled you guys on Instagram and there were a ton of great ideas for non-toy experience gift ideas, so here they are!

65+ Non-Toy Experience Gift Ideas for Kids

1. Subscription for a kids’ magazine (Kids National Geographic, Highlights Mag)
2. Adopt an animal via the WWF
3. KiwiCo Subscription – your first month is FREE with this link
4. Little Passports Subscription
5. Literati Book Club for Kids
6. Trip to Great Wolf Lodge
7. Overnight Hotel Stay or VRBO/AirBNB
8. Certificate for a living room fort and movie night
9. Movie Pack – tickets and candy for a movie @ the theater
10. Fun lunch out – somewhere like a soda fountain or novelty restaurant
11. Trip to the arcade
12. A day of “yes”. You set a dollar limit and the kids choose what to do. You can’t say no if it’s within the dollar limit.
13. Concert Tickets
14. Coupons for 1-on-1 time
15. Mani/Pedi together
16. Tickets to Disney on Ice
17. Tickets to Paw Patrol Live / Sesame Street Live
18. Book Subscription
19. A special day with Grandparents/Aunt/Uncle to do something special
20. Polar Express Tickets
21. Movie night at Grandma’s with a sleepover
22. Coupon book of dates with just Mom or Dad
23. Tickets to a baseball, basketball, hockey, football game – we give the kids Blues tickets in their stocking every year
24. Day of being a tourist in your own city
25. Weekend trip to a nearby city
26. Tour of a local stadium (STL: Busch or Enterprise Center)
27. Shopping date
28. Behind-the-scenes tour at the Zoo, aquarium, etc.
29. Volunteer together

Memberships/Passes

1. City Pass for your city
2. Membership to the Zoo
3. Membership to Children’s Museum
4. Season Passes to Science Center
5. Aquarium Tickets/Passes
6. Botanical Garden Membership
7. Magic House Membership
8. Six Flags / Amusement Park
9. YMCA / Lifetime Fitness
10. Transportation Museum
11. Subscription to a learning App (ie Epic)
12. Disney Tickets
13. Disney+ App Subscription
14. Netflix Subscription

Lessons

1. Swimming Lessons – we love Goldfish Swim School // our location’s holiday packages linked here
2. Karate Lessons
3. Ballet/Dance Classes
4. Gymnastic Lessons
5. Skating Lessons
6. Music Lessons (Piano, Voice, Guitar, Drum, etc)
7. Art Class
8. Spanish/Foreign Language Lessons
9. Horseback Riding Lessons
10. Cooking Camp/Classes
11. Private/Group Lessons for their favorite sport
12. Summer Camp tuition

Gift Cards for Activities

1. Ice Skating
2. Trampoline Park
3. Bounce Park
4. Movies
5. Bowling
6. Rock Climbing
7. Top Golf
8. Pottery Painting
9. Build-A-Bear
10. Restaurant
11. VRBO / airBnB / airline certificate

Any experience gift ideas for kids I forgot? Tell me in the comments!