26 Fun Experience Gifts For Kids They Will Love

Discover the best experience gifts for kids. 

Want to switch up your regular gifts with some experience gifts for kids? This list is packed with fun ways to celebrate a holiday, a special achievement, or a birthday with your children. 

Skip the expensive toys that only last a season and create fun memories with your littles that they will truly cherish. 

We will cover Christmas experience gifts for kids, how to wrap experience gifts, some free experience gifts, and important reasons to choose experience gifts over regular ones! 

I hope this list of experience gifts for kids gives you plenty of inspiration and helps your kids’ celebration feel extra special! 

The Best Non Toy Experience Gifts For Kids

1. Bowling– when was the last time your family went bowling?! It is a great way to get up and moving while having a blast. 
2. Science Experiment Day – Create DIY volcanoes or make slime to make an at-home laboratory. 

3. Trampoline park– Get some of that energy out by hopping around your local trampoline park. 

4. Cooking Class at Home – Try out a cooking class for kids online or teach them a family recipe. Even making something simple like decorating sugar cookies or homemade pizzas can be exciting. 

5. Mini-Golfing – Head to your local min-golf course for some family-friendly competition. 
6. Ice Skating or Roller Skating – rent some skates, thrift skates, or head to your local rink to try something new! 
7. Zoo, nature center, or aquarium trip – Visit local wildlife centers to learn about the animals and habitats. 

8. Board Game Day – Play all of their favorite board games or introduce them to new ones. Ask neighbors, friends, or family if you can borrow board games. Or invite them too! 

9. Treasure Hunt – Create a treasure hunt around your home or yard with clues. You can set a timer or create teams to make it a bit more challenging. 

10. Local Museum Trip – Head to a kid-friendly museum or science center for interactive learning. 

11. Farm Visit – Visit a local farm to see animals and learn about farm life. Bonus points if you can find one with a petting zoo. 

12. DIY Craft Kits – Buy or make a crafting kit for a day of creativity. You can include materials to create jewelry, slime, or painting.

Christmas experience gifts for kids

13. Gingerbread House Workshop – Spend an afternoon building and decorating gingerbread houses.

Check out the post below for some inspiration! 

{RECOMMENDED POST: 13 Best Homemade Gingerbread House Decorating Ideas To Try}

14. Polar Express Train Ride – Enjoy a special holiday train ride with a Christmas theme. Some areas even have a Polar Express version from the movie!

15. Reindeer Farm Visit – Visit a local farm that has reindeer during the holiday season. This is a unique experience they will never forget. 

16. Personalized Storybook Experience – Create or buy a personalized Christmas storybook that includes their name, and adventures their character goes on.

17. Elf on the Shelf Scavenger Hunt – Set up a fun holiday-themed scavenger hunt around the house as their elf goes on mini adventures. 

18. Holiday Concert or Nutcracker Ballet – Get tickets to attend a festive performance like The Nutcracker. 

19. Christmas Craft Workshop – Research local holiday craft-making classes or organize one at home. You can make ornaments, mason jar snow globes, or funny Christmas stockings. 

20. Holiday-Themed Escape Room – For older kids, head to a a Christmas-themed escape room for some festive problem-solving fun.

Free experience gifts for kids

21. Nature Hike – Enjoy a fun hike at a nearby park or trail. You can include a scavenger hunt as well to make the experience a bit more special. 

22. Movie Night at Home – Pull out the blankets and popcorn! Enjoy their favorite movies in your living room or head to the backyard to watch movies on a projector. 

23. Picnic in the Park – Pack up your kiddos favorite foods and head to a new park to enjoy some fresh air and new scenery. 

24. DIY Obstacle Course – Set up a backyard obstacle course using items you already own for a fun challenge. Your kids will be surprised to see the backyard transformed and it will surely be a memorable time. 

25. Bike Adventure – Instead of your normal path around the neighborhood, research a fun local trail to bike around for a unique adventure. 

26. Stargazing Night – Teach your kids about the stars and planets with a night spent learning under the sky. 

How to wrap experience gifts for kids

1. Treasure Hunt – Set up a fun scavenger hunt with clues. At the end of the treasure hunt have a DIY scroll explaining what the experience gift is. 
2. Gift Card in a Creative Box – Upcycle a shoe box with plenty of paint, glitter glue, and ribbons. Inside stash the tickets, gift card, or a note explaining the experience gift.  
3. Scrapbook – Make a photo scrapbook as a clue to what the experience gift is. Leave space to include photos from your special day. 

4. Message in a Bottle – Decorate a plastic bottle and include a rolled-up note explaining the experience gift. Try to theme the decor on the bottle as well. For example, an experience gift of an aquarium could be paired with a bottle that is decorated as a jellyfish. 

5. Holiday Ornament – Attach a small card to a Christmas ornament for Christmas-themed experience gifts.

6. DIY Coupon Book – Create a booklet with coupons if you are gifting multiple experience gifts at once. 

7. Surprise Box Inside a Box – Hold onto those boxes from online orders! Use them to wrap boxes inside of boxes to reveal a note in the smallest box describing the experience gift.

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Reasons to give experience gifts for kids

• Experiences can leave a lasting impact, longer than many material gifts.
• They include quality time as a family .
• Helps your kids to learn new things, build new skills, and expand their knowledge.
• Helps to keep your home clutter-free. Less toys means less stuff piling up in your home. 
• Teaches kids about sourcing happiness from experience rather than things.
• More eco-friendly! There’s less packaging than traditional gifts.
• Perfect for kids that “have it all” and if you’re not sure what to give them. 
• Perfectly customizable. Experience gifts can work for all ages, personalities, and seasons. 

Have any other cheap experience gifts for kids? Let us know in the comments below! I’m sure others in the community would love to learn from you as well.

Stay well, 

Maggie

This post was all about experience gifts for kids.

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