Christmas is fast upon with less than a month away, and as much as it can be a beautiful time for families to reconnect, slow down and enjoy each other’s company, sometimes the stress of the details up until that point can be overwhelming.
Whilst my little tribe enjoys a relatively simple Christmas we still exchange gifts. We deliberately don’t buy a ton of toys each year and opt for quality things that promote family togetherness and/or encourage our littles to explore, be active and use their imagination. I must admit it warms my heart when I find the perfect gift but sometimes finding that perfect gift weighs heavy and causes more stress than it probably should.
If you still have gifts to purchase for littles and you haven’t settled on what to buy, I have put together (with the help of my littles) some kids gift ideas, with direct links, and broken them down into the following categories:
- Gifts Ideas for Babies and Beyond
- Gift Ideas for the Little Creative
- Gift Ideas for the Little Explorer and Outdoor Adventurer
- Gift Ideas for the Little Gardener
- Gift Ideas that Encourage Imaginative Play
- Gift Ideas to Extend the Play Kitchen
- Gift Ideas for the Little Scientist
- Educational Gift Ideas
Before I get into the guides, here are a few considerations that guide my suggestions:
- I try to focus on brands and companies that care about:
- the conditions of their workers (from raw material to end product)
- the environment and sustainability and sourcing responsibly
- human health, producing safe and low tox products
- This year has been especially tough on many small businesses, so I have tried especially hard to highlight
- small Australian and New Zealand made products, as well as
- small Australian and New Zealand owned businesses from which products can be bought from, if the product isn’t manufactured in Aus or NZ.
If the ideas in this list are just not cutting it and you want to peruse a bricks and mortar store, I have tried to supply a list of a few locally owned stores whom focus on stocking quality products at the end of this post.
Please note that some gift idea suggestions may contain small parts, so please check if specific products are appropriate for your child. Products were available at linked companies at time of publishing however this is subject to change at anytime.
**Affiliate disclosure** A few of the links to books included in this Christmas series of posts are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase of some of the books. All other links are to third party websites and companies, and are not affiliate links (nor are they sponsored).
Gifts Ideas for Babies and Beyond
This selection of gift ideas are by no means restricted to the youngest members of our families. I have tried to highlight ideas that will not only stand the test of time but may also provide many years of enjoyment too.
Gifts Ideas for the Little Creative
Gifts Ideas for the Little Explorer and Outdoor Adventurer
Gifts Ideas for the Little Gardener
For the little gardener you may want to put together your own personalised kit. Diggers Club has a range of heirloom seeds for purchase and even supply some organic seeds too. Eden Seeds distributes old traditional open pollinated varieties of vegetable seeds (old Australian organic or biodynamic where possible too). But if that requires too much effort or you simply don’t have the time, Gardening 4 Kids have organic kits neatly boxed for an instant ready to wrap gift.
However if your little gardener is ready for the next level in gardening, The Australian Native Bee Book may be the go, as it teaches you all about Australian stingless bees as well as how to build and manage a native beehive. Or if the whole family wants to get involved, Spiral Garden have a Seedlings Permaculture for Families E-Course.
Gifts Ideas for the Little Scientist
Gifts Ideas that Encourage Imaginative Play
Gifts Ideas to Extend the Play Kitchen
Behind the Trees has a wonderful range of felt fruit and vegetables that can be bought individually or as a selection ready to go in a seasonal crates.
Educational Gifts Ideas
If you are interested in being more environmentally focused this Christmas than check out my post that explores some simple and creative low waste considerations and alternative wrapping ideas for Christmas.
XxTammy
