2021 Holiday Gift Guide (with a Twist!)

We’ve just had our first cold front of the season. That means when I got to work it was a shivery 49 degrees but by the time I left it was 82. This is fine by me, it rejuvenates my soul. That first cold front brought with it the first inklings that the holiday season is just around the corner. This year I decided to share my first holiday gift guide, and I couldn’t be more excited. This is not your ordinary gift guide, it’s a gift guide with a twist so to speak.

Several years ago, money was tight so we decided to put a twist on our own gift-giving that Christmas. Instead of getting everyone several gifts that added up to several hundred dollars, we got one gift for each person and came up with a creative way to work that gift into the larger gift of spending time together. Our time is such a precious commodity, and as we have learned these past two years, it’s one we need not take for granted.

It’s with those things in my that I crafted this year’s gift guide for kiddos. I’ve chosen five categories of interests of the kids you might be buying for and have chosen items within those categories. I’m also including ideas for how you might offer to spend time together using the gift given. I’m excited to share these ideas with you, so let’s not waste any more time on this introduction. Read on for the holiday gift guide (with a twist)!

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Gifts for the Foodie

One of the best gifts adults can give to kids is to get them in the kitchen. Not only is this quality time spent together, but kids will also learn how their food gets to the table and with more ownership in their meals they might even be more willing to try new foods they helped prepare. Aside from allowing kids to practice reading skills while reading a recipe, both cooking and baking allow kids to hone their science and math skills as well. It’s a win for everyone!

Essential Baking Book & Supplies

Every professional baker started somewhere! If your kiddo is in to baking, I recommend the baking cookbooks by Duff Goldman and America’s Test Kitchen and a set of baking supplies.

Get a Raddish Subscription

Get your special kiddo a subscription to Raddish! With predetermined themes each month, the Raddish boxes introduce foods from different cultures around the world. Letting them decide what you’re going to make takes one more decision off of your plate so you can just have fun cooking with your kiddo!

Gifts For the Brand New Kid Chef

Introduce your young chef to the world of the kitchen with these essentials! America’s Test Kitchen does an amazing job of explaining the science behind their recipes and why they work. Their books are a perfect foundation for anyone learning to cook. Add some kid cooking supplies and you’ll be all set!

Gifts for the Scientist

My four year old is obsessed with science! All kids are born scientists. When they take things apart, they’re not being destructive on purpose, they’re trying to learn! Give your young scientist a constructive way to explore their world with these great science gifts that you can do together.

Check out a Subscription box!

With activities for all age levels, you’re sure to find the perfect experience for your budding science nerd! Two popular boxes are Kiwi and MEL Chemistry.

Science Kits

There are some seriously cool science kits out on the market right now. These are just a few that I thought would be fun to do together. *Note: the Makey Makey is awesome, but it does require a PC computer, just FYI.

Gifts for the Young Artist

One of my favorite thing to gift friends when I went to birthday parties as a kid as a big box of art supplies, and you know what? It was always among the most popular gifts. Kids love to create art of any kind. Grab one of the large Amazon boxes you have sitting around (you know you do) and fill that sucker up with all kinds of supplies! Then, if you don’t already, kick this gift up a notch by creating a kids art studio in your home. For ideas, see my post on Rethinking Toys.

Gifts for the Maker/Creative

All Makers are artists but not all artists are Makers. Makers create out of found objects. Usually a maker or creative project solves some sort of problem. We use maker problems in class all the time. Kids are presented with parameters that their project has to fit. Pull together some supplies and create a makerspace in your home. Our supplies live in an old dresser and we pull them out when we use them. For more info on makerspaces, visit this great article.

Gifts for the Builder

I think all kids are builders. They’ll use practically anything to build a tall tower, or a castle, or a zoo. Here are some really fun ideas you could build together with your kids.

I hope you have as much fun putting together your gift list this year as I had planning this for you. The important thing to remember is that what our kids want most from us is just us. The tangible gift is simply the icing on the cake (or holiday cookie, if you will). Being present is the best present you can give anyone.

Wishing you a joyful holiday season.