Clutter-Free Gifts

Being in a life of travel when you live about 9 months out of the year away from your permanent home can mean that many of the toys your kids owned often don’t get played with very often.  Each season we pack a few select toys for the kids, but about 3/4 of what they have stays at home.  We may pick up a few things while we live abroad, but what we do pick up usually ends up getting left behind as well.  So not having a lot of toys has been something I have thought about often.  It seems pointless to have a bunch of toys for the kids that they only get to play with a few months out of the year.  Plus, I have to admit, I really don’t like an overload of toys for kids.  Not only does it clutter up the house, but it seems like they get bored more easily the more toys they have.  Creativity seems to thrive when there is less.

Now that the holiday season is over and I finally found a place for everything at our home in the United States, I am sort of dreading the upcoming birthday season for the kids.  Our three kids have birthdays starting at the middle of March and running through to the end of April (then throw in our 4th due at the beginning of May).  I am hoping to encourage our families to get them some gifts that won’t clutter up the house, but will be just as fun to receive.  My brother-in-law and sister-in-law gave the kids a great gift for Christmas: an afternoon out with them to pick up some lunch at Wendy’s and then head to the Discovery Museum.  It was a fabulous gift idea because not only did it give them a great day out with their uncle and aunt (they still talk about all the things they loved) and an educational, hands-on time, it wasn’t anything I had to find a spot for in the house.  So I have been thinking of ideas of gifts that won’t clutter up the home, not only for my kids, but also fun gifts we could give to other kids in our lives:

1. Charities: There are lots of people who appreciate money being donated in their name to a charity of their choice.  If you are one of these people, let others know that.  Kids may not pick this option, but many adults would!

2. Lessons or Camps: Kids love going to classes, but they can become very pricey.  There are swimming lessons, sports camps and music and art classes almost everywhere in the country.  A young person who is especially interested in a certain sport or hobby would enjoy the activity.  For instance, Abby really wants to go to Camp Woodward for gymnastics this summer, but the price is between $800-$900 depending on what week you select.  So she is trying to save money and is also going to write a letter to her grandparents and great grandparents to ask that in lieu of a birthday gift, she could have money towards going to camp.

3. Tickets to a Special Event: In our area we have lots of options of heading to a theater for a musical, ballet or other performance or seeing a sporting event (either major or minor leagues).  There are lots of great events that would be a special outing in a child’s life that could provide a day of fun together.

4. Tickets to a Special Place: Besides the idea of a museum that I mentioned above, trips to the zoo, aquarium, amusement park  or waterpark are all fun things for kids to do.  Plus I know as an adult, I enjoy them as much as the kids do at times!

5. Photo Gifts: There are lots of fun ways to capture memories to give as a clutter free gift.  You could make a DVD of photos over the past year or put them in a scrapbook or on something special like a blanket or pillow.  Or if the child really likes to take photos, you could buy a disposable camera and include a gift certificate for getting the pictures printed at a later time.

6. Coupon Books: Kids just love time with adults in their lives.  Some of the best gifts are those where you give the child a coupon to pick a time when you do something special.  It can be a really simple activity too.  Abby told me the other day when we were out together for some alone time that some of her favorite things that we do together are doing crafts, baking things and reading together.  Giving the gift of time together takes up no space and is a great investment into a young life!

What are some of your ideas of clutter-free gifts for kids?