Gift Ideas: Non-Toy Items

It was probably about 7 years ago that we started looking at ideas for gifts that were “non-toy items”, somewhat as a **hint hint** to all our loving family (mainly parents/grandparents) that wanted to give our kids all these wonderful toys!! However, truth is, we just didn’t (and still don’t) have room for all these items in our cozy house. I love the spirit of giving and my kids receiving gifts, but I’m going to be honest, it was becoming too much (stuff).

We, like many parents feel like our homes have become overrun by toys, but even more importantly than that, we fear our children are growing up with too much stuff. I don’t want my kids being “those kids that ask for something all the time, and they shall receive immediately”. We can focus on time together, appreciating what we do have, truly knowing, cherishing another person, and acts of service.

How can non-toy gifts make a difference in your kids and your lives?

By encouraging people to give your children gifts that aren’t toys, you help build the qualities in their lives that you want to cultivate: time together, building memories from experiences, appreciation, and a more simple way of living life in a home that is not cluttered with stuff all the time. Our goal as a family is to help our children remember time spent with their grandparents, aunts and uncles is a gift. Time is valuable and once that is taken away, we hold onto the memories of those we love. Most of us would admit, we wish we had more time to be with __________ (go ahead, fill in the gap). My time wouldn’t be spent getting another “gift” from my dad, it would be spending time with him watching sports, seeing the joy on his face as he played with his grandkids one more time, going for a walk and having his arms around me. See, we want our kids to look forward to doing something, spending time with a significant person in their lives. We want our kids growing up, building relationships; like the ones where you talk in person, face-to-face and not over a computer, phone message or game system. We want our kids to understand they have more than they could ever need (or want) for that matter. So many people around us in our community would love to have a small fraction of what they have and we want our kids to appreciate their gifts.

We hope you find this list helpful and encouraging so your family can make memories throughout the year! Also, feel free to share additional ideas in the comments or send us a message to add to this list! Even with COVID this year, I am sure we can get creative and still find ways to make memories and have fun with our gifts!

Charity:

Show them how to serve BE a Servant-Leader and show kids how to serve! It’s one of the most precious things to get to spend time together while setting the example of actively serving somewhere.

Compassion International Gift Catalog Give a goat. Or a chicken. Or baking classes. Or electricity. Give a gift that is tangible and life-giving to someone else. I know families do this many ways — one idea is allowing each child to pick out what gift they want to give. One child may choose a goat and one may choose three chickens, and they love that they’re giving something so special. It’s a great opportunity to open their eyes to what life is like outside of the United States.

Sponsor a child in their honor There are many different organizations from which you can choose to go through to sponsor a child. Choose one that is a legitimate organization, and you will be making an awesome choice. This is a great way to get kids involved at Christmas and year round.

Samaritan’s Purse:

Pack a Shoe-box or ten… This is an annual event for us. Our kids love shopping for our ‘kids’ we sponsor, praying over their boxes and writing a letter to them. 12 this year and they wanted to do more!

Give gifts that support marginalized people groups For example the International Justice Mission catalog allows you to pick a gift to give to help those who are at risk such as widows and orphans, as well as fighting slavery and sex trafficking.

Serve instead of giving a tangible gift Get involved in your community! Even simple things such as taking food to emergency responders is a great way for all of us to serve. Mobile Meals-get your kids and deliver meals in your community. . You can also do this by asking a neighbor if they need help with yardwork, shoveling snow or even just offering to pick up groceries for someone

Memberships: (These are ideas for a year Membership, or you can take individual trips too).

The MUSE: “Play, learn, discover” is their motto at the Muse, and you can spend hours doing just that. A great local spot, that will allow your kids to enjoy themselves. I can confirm they are taking extra precautions with COVID and are OPEN! Go check them out.

Aquariums:

Ripley’s in Gatlinburg is an amazing family attraction – State of the art facilities with over 10000 exotic sea creatures in 10 themed galleries.

The Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga offers a fascinating adventure tracing the path of water from the mountains to the sea. Meet feisty otters, colorful trout, giant catfish, alligators, jellies, turtles & more.

Zoo Knoxville is one of the premiere zoological experiences in the southeast.

Zoo passes make it nice when you want or need to take short visits.

The Creative Discovery Museum is one of the of the country's top children's museums located near the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. A vital educational resource collaborating with community partners across our region.

Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge When you fuse family-friendly activities with innovative learning opportunities, you get the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. With more than 20,000 artifacts showcased in more than 20 interactive exhibits, this entertaining museum delves into history, culture, Appalachian music, geography, and the environment. Families can bond over activities like pottery and gardening. For teachers, this museum offers plenty of hands-on activities that bring lessons taught in classrooms to life.

DollyWood offers you the chance to immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the Smoky Mountains and the incredible spirit of its people, all at a place fun for all.

Tangible Gifts:

Contribute to a college fund: Kids are going to grow up and get smart. Start a college fund while they are young and contribute at least annually. My parents would put our birthday money in a savings account each year and that was nice to have as I grew up, got a car and went to school. Nothing huge, but nothing little. Every little bit helps!

New clothes: Kids grow so fast and we constantly feel we need new sizes for each season. Maybe even something fun their parents wouldn’t always pick for them (like that glow-in-the dark princess nightgown or shirt that mom and dad don’t love). We are most definitely thankful for special Nana’s and Aunts that get these types of gifts for our kids (even the hand me downs). That builds character!

Better yet, take them shopping for new clothes:

Spending time together while buying them new clothes. My daughter LOVES this! She gets to go shopping and knows her input is valued. Plus, you know she will wear what she picks out! 😊

A carseat: Carseats are expensive and you could give the gift of a carseat. The kid may not think it’s a cool, but I know the parents will appreciate the purchase!

Give them a library card and show them how to use it: I remember in school having to “check a book out”. Help them learn how a library works and how to pick out books and bring them home (don’t forget to return them)! This is something my husband is good about doing with our kids. If you’re in Knoxville, we have an amazing library system.

Lifetime wildlife hunting and fishing license: In Tennessee, you can purchase this for your child while they are young and give them the gift of a lifetime license. My Mom did this for of our kids! Hey, even if they don’t enjoy hunting/fishing when they are younger, remember, they grow up! If their buddies are into it or they eventually have kids and want to entertain their kids, they have their license. This is a HUGE Cost savings if you purchase while they are young and not as an adult!

Teach them a skill and give with it (Not our original idea but love it): **knoxvillemoms blog From one of our readers: “I struggle with meaningful gift giving every year. This past Christmas my husband and I gave our 10 yr. old daughter a cookbook, oven mitt and an apron. Now, we spend quality time in the kitchen bonding, cooking and baking. For our 13 yr. old son, we started a toolbox. I think this next year it will be plans to build something!”

Books:

Give them the gift of Reading! Encouraging them to spend time in a book, age appropriate. Make this gift something you spend time with them, reading together!

Bike:

Oh the memories I have of being outside for hours in our neighborhood riding bikes! This is something that all of our kids LOVE and with the Quarantine of 2020, we appreciated them having bikes and outdoor activities. We love our 3 year-olds Lava balance bike that is quickly setting him up for success to be able to ride a “big bike” within the year (or sooner). Don’t forget that HELMET!!

Make something together: Take that special little girl to a local jewelry making place. You can make a necklace, bracelet, or earrings together. Such a special gift! For a little boy (or girl!), go to a local wood workshop (The Home Depot kids’ workshops or try Woodcraft here in Knoxville) and build something together. This makes for a fun bonding time and something they will treasure.

Pictures: Kids love pictures! Especially pictures of themselves with their family and friends. Giving a picture in a nice frame or making a pictures book (age appropriate) is a great way to have a picture of you and them together! Great for those littles that are learning those special people’s “names”, aka…Nana, Gigi, Grandpa, etc…

A personal thoughtful book: This can be anything from a photo book, to a book of handwritten notes from you, to your voice reading a book to them. One of my most treasured gifts is a photo book of our family when we took a Christmas train ride. Our kids will still get the book down and look at memories with Nana and Grandpa. It is wonderful to look at the pure joy on their faces in the photos and realizing just how much they are growing up!

Music: Their favorite CD, iTunes downloads, or make them a special playlist of favorite songs you like to listen to while together.

Hammock: Hammocks, especially the ones that you can hang up and take down whenever and wherever you want, are very popular. This is a good gift from young elementary school up through teenagers.

Gift Cards/Certificates:

Find out what it is that they are interested in, and get them a gift card. Work with them to redeem the gift card. Currently, most of our oldest son’s yard mowing money goes to buying things on Amazon. He gets the cash and then hands it right back to us to buy what he wants.

Mommy/Daughter or Daddy/Daughter Date:

Offer a gift certificate to spend time with you at a restaurant or party venue that’s just you and your little girl. She’ll appreciate it and she’ll know what a good date should be like so she doesn’t get swept off her feet later on by a fast food joint and some roses.

We hope you find this list helpful in your gift ideas this season! Feel free to comment or send us additional ideas to add to this list!

When life is spinning, pick your focal point!

~The Lord family