17+ Educational Gifts for Kids to Spark Fun and Imagination
Finding the perfect gifts for kids can be a bit of a challenge, especially for the “kids who have everything!” Educational presents are always an excellent choice — they combine entertainment with learning, have the ability to inspire, and spark big imaginations too! Kids happy, parents happy.
So whether you’re searching for gift ideas for kids for Christmas, birthday, or another holiday, our educational gift guide has you covered! You’ll find science and art-inspired gifts to support their homeschool life or nature side, gifts to encourage their creative side, and other options that may be a better fit!
We’ve included top-rated products that have been tested and loved by parents and children both, mostly things we’ve tried or have gifted personally! You’ll notice an emphasis on products that are (mostly) screen-free and of high-quality that will last.
We hope these recommendations will help inspire you to find a meaningful present that will light up your child’s face and help to create amazing memories!
This post is all about educational gifts for kids.
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EDUCATIONAL GAMES, TOYS + PUZZLES FOR KIDS
If kids can learn while playing, it’s a win-win. These educational games and toys are some of our go-to’s for gift-giving!
1. 3D pen
If you haven’t heard of these yet, 3D pens are becoming more and more popular as awesome birthday gifts for kids, Christmas gifts for kids, or whatever the reason! They don’t make much of a mess, don’t get hot, and the sky’s the limit on what they can design. Our kids have made so much with theirs, such as a mini-Eiffel tower, glasses, and 3D name sign.
2. K’NEX
K’NEX is great for kids because they’re STEM focused, so kids can learn engineering, math, and more while being creative. These sets are also super durable and can enhance fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving skills.
3. ThinkFun Gravity Maze
For those kids that love logic game, mazes, and building. Think STEM, critical thinking, and team building or solo play.
4. Oven-Bake Polymer Clay
Non-toxic and vibrant colors made in USA. Excellent for molding, sculpting, DIY projects, holidays, and whatever they can create! For younger kids, we prefer air dry clay just because you don’t have to take that extra step of baking and it’s easier to work with little hands.
5. Dino Excavation
Our kids definitely went through a Dino Dan + Dana phase, and they loved this gift during that time! Perfect for the kids that love learning about dinosaurs, fossils, and getting hands-on with projects. Be warned that this can get messy so be sure to use a tray and/or table cover during this activity. Better yet, take it outside if the kids are able to set up there.
6. Art Supplies
Beautiful watercolor paints have lasted us FOREVER and would pair so well with art paper, brushes, canvas, or coloring books! We’ve learned the hard way that acrylic paints are harder to get off of surfaces so those are def for the older / more responsible crowd 🙂
7. LEGO Creator Sets
The LEGO Creator Sets make great gifts because they’re not just one build, there’s the option to build three different animals. The fox has movable legs and a tail and is so cute to display where they can be proud of their project!
8. MAGNA-TILES
These high-quality, magnetic pieces made for little hands are a classic – recommended for ages 3 and up. Also, they last forever, so they’ll be passed down to younger siblings and friends when the kids grow out of using them! Great for learning, games, experiments and enhancing imagination.
9. Thames & Kosmos Mega Hand
For kids that love STEM projects, or already have a million LEGOs, but love following instructions to build something amazing…this mega robot hand is huge (16 inches), uses hydraulics, and can actually pick things up. It won the 2021 STEAM Toy of the Year Award and is rated for 7+ years with adult help or 10+ years to assemble independently. A huge hit with all the friends!
The Homeschool Handbook
For a beautiful, printable guide that covers what you need to know to homeschool
PLUS myth-busting, goal-setting and resources, go HERE.
10. Puzzles
Beautiful puzzles can make a great gift or addition to a gift basket. Especially for rainy or cold winter holiday seasons and birthdays! The New York Puzzle Company seriously nailed it with these Harry Potter puzzles featuring different scenes from the books. Be prepared for a little bit of a challenge, as the pieces have unique shapes that uplevel it a bit. Really pretty colors and great quality!
If you need a gift for a kid who doesn’t care for Harry Potter, Galison puzzles are beautiful and these are perfect for cat lovers and dog lovers (recommended ages 8+)!
11. Kid-Friendly Cookbook
Cookbooks for kids make excellent gifts for aspiring chefs, or kids wanting to learn independence in the kitchen. This would be cute paired with an apron and kid-friendly utensils, or this baking set which makes it soo easy.
12. Osmo
We’ve noticed that too much screen time for our children does. not. benefit them. So we’re really picky about the apps & games our kids use. Osmo has been time spent on their tablets that we can actually feel good about. When purchasing, be sure to select the version for correct device, depending on if the child already has an Ipad or Amazon Fire Tablet (you need one to play and it’s not included). So far we have had great experiences with the Detective Agency (like Where’s Waldo), the Creative one for art, the Newton one for logic, and the Pizza Game for math skills and more!
13. Microscope Science Kit
This microscope learning kit for aspiring scientists includes enough to keep kids busy for hours! There are slides and info to create and study various specimens, do experiments, and more. (Be aware this kit might include a sharp object or 2 for prepping slides. *May need to be removed based on parent discretion.*)
14. Kid’s Camera
So fun for kids…mini-cameras have come a long way with options and durability. Some have built in games, video capability, and SD cards to easily transfer footage to a cell phone or computer.
15. Planetarium Galaxy Projector
These room projectors are mesmerizing (relaxing!) at night time and great for teaching, too! Constellations, nebulas, planets…lots of topics to cover here with astronomy – loving kids. Pictured model comes with 13 different slides to change out the scenes, it rotates, and has a timer for automatic shut off for convenience.
16. Board Games / Card Game Set
Learning strategy, teamwork, logic, and more, a set of favorite board games could also make a great gift for kids! Some of our latest faves are Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, Trouble, Labyrinth, and this wooden music game (good for preschoolers).
Also for younger kids, this Zingo game is a fun classic which teaches word/picture recognition.
17. Interactive Chess Game
Rated for 7 years old and up, this chess set is so helpful, and fun! Some of the best features are the drawers that keep all pieces intact, the lights that indicate which piece can move where, and the different challenge levels with hints available. It helps to actually teach and has a feature to suggest better moves so the player can improve their skills. Play is available against the ‘computer’ or with another person.
Related Post: 21 Beautiful Gifts for Homeschool Moms They’ll Absolutely LOVE
EDUCATIONAL SUBSCRIPTION GIFTS FOR KIDS
Subscriptions are a cool gift that keeps on giving for a while! Who wouldn’t want a repeat delivery of something they totally enjoy? Kids especially love to get things “just for them” in the mail!
Here are some fun ideas for subscription gifts for kids:
18. Crunch Labs
Created by Mark Rover, a NASA engineer and YouTuber. These ‘Build Boxes’ foster design, construction, engineering skills, have won tons of awards, and have earned many positive reviews! As a bonus, each subscription grants access to corresponding science videos. Get $10 off your subscription box with our shopping link here:
19. Highlights Magazine / Book Club
In addition to the classic Highlights Magazine, there are also activity boxes and book club options available now. Our kids love to read these and solve all the puzzles the day they show up in the mailbox!
20. KiwiCo. Subscription
So many options based on the child’s interest and age level! Kiwi Co. delivers Kiwi Crates over a certain time period, i.e. one every month for three or six months based on what you prefer. The kids love getting a new project in the mail just for them! And the projects are often really great, with tons of learning and ideas to expand upon.
21. ABCmouse Subscription
For the younger crowd, ABCmouse is fun for kids (roughly 8 years old and under) that are learning computer skills and love stories, music, puzzles, and games. Time limits can be adjusted, and challenge levels can be set by grade/age.
Educational Gifts for Kids | Conclusion
Full of fun, inspiring ideas, this guide was created to make your birthday or holiday shopping a breeze. Because when it comes to finding the perfect gifts for kids, it seems like the options are endless.
Choosing something both fun and educational makes both kid and parents happy…especially something of high quality that can grow with them too or passed down to younger siblings.
Really, it’s all about the celebration and making memories! Let us know your faves in the comment section below!
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