25 Minimalist Gifts For Kids

My daughter bought a journal like this (see image). Ever since my girls were little, they’ve loved the idea of journals. Even when they had nothing to write in it but lists of their friends’ names, and they’re not just for writing, these blank-paged journals can be great for sketching, doodling, and crafts as well. Bonus points if it comes with a lock and key! 

Speaking of, art pens go great with a journal (and just about anything else). The quality of the art pen (or marker, crayon, etc.) will vary by age. Maybe you don’t want to get pens for your three-year-old. Totally understandable. Maybe you want to go the crayon route. I would say that junior high kids and up generally love art pens. Pro tip: you can tell the good ones by the numbers on the end. That indicates a particular color, and these pens are of higher quality. Art supplies are generally plentiful in any media: clay, paint, crayons, markers, pens, pencils, charcoals, etc. Here are the art pens shown below. 

I did a video on things that I only own, and one of those things was a set of black wireless earbuds. They fit amazingly in my ears. In fact, they worked out so well for me that my daughter saved up her own money and bought herself a pair. Earbuds and headphones are great. They’ll keep you from getting a headache when your kiddo listens to things you don’t particularly want to hear. Also, they may be a necessity for school, especially when homeschooling.

If you saw last week’s article/video about minimalist gifts for adults, you know this was also mentioned there. That’s because I think that everybody should have a water bottle. These are so simple but serve so many purposes! For example, it keeps kids from grabbing a new glass whenever they want a drink (hello, saved dishes!). Also, drinking water is one of the best things you or your kid can do for yourselves. Carrying a water bottle ensures they stay hydrated when they feel too lazy to get up. They can look adorable too. As a matter of fact, this is the one that my oldest daughter (age 14) specifically requested for Christmas.

I think bath stuff is great for all people – boys, girls, and any age. The type of bath stuff you get changes, but the idea is always relevant. For younger kids, think of fizzing bath bombs or things that hatch into animals (provided the hatchlings are disposable and not additional tiny plastic trash toys). Then, of course, as your kid’s age, they might prefer more high-end bath products.

Kids generally need new jackets every year because they grow or the previous one gets too worn out. Jackets don’t have to be boring! Last year I got myself this leather jacket that both of my kids promptly went crazy over. My youngest requested that I get her the same jacket for Christmas. She was super excited to be able to have a jacket that looked just like mine and was black leather. 

Maybe you’re tired of hearing this, but I know for a fact that my kids have come to really prefer experiences for their birthdays. I took my oldest out for a girls’ day a couple of years back. We got sushi and had our nails done (something even I never do). Now, she looks forward to it every year. In fact, both of my kids do! Experiences are great. They may cost the same amount of money, but you’re not bringing anything new in the door to take up space.

I’m usually not into tiny plastic things … unless it has to do with the building. One (mostly) mess-free building toy I came across in my parenting journey is Bunchems. These little guys are so cool that we STILL have them, and it’s pretty satisfying to pull them apart and create little animals. Plus, it’s less messy than Play-Doh. 

Anyone with kids knows that they always need shoes. Every single year. Their feet grow at most ages throughout childhood, and even if they don’t grow, the shoes will get gross. And there are many types of shoes. My youngest has always loved boots. She’s been running all over the place in black cowboy boots since she was a toddler. It’s basically a given every year that someone’s getting shoes.

You can’t really talk about today’s generation of kids without talking about tech. (Honestly, you can’t talk about my generation of kids without talking about some kind of tech). It is what it is. The thing is, technology usually comes with accessories. That could be a stylus for the iPad, the Nintendo Switch, or the Nintendo DS. It could be a new controller for their X-Box or PlayStation. Just ask if there are any desired accessories. There’s a whole world of cell phone accessories. Whether they are Leapfrog age or a teenager with a cell phone, accessories will be needed.

My oldest daughter has books listed for half of her Christmas list, which is great. Books will always be a great gift for kids, whether on Kindle, hardcover, or paperback. You can donate or trade it out when they grow out of it. Not sure what books they like? Try a Guinness Book of World Records book.

I don’t care what age you are; fresh pajamas are great! It’s one of my favorite things in the world to get as a gift – my family knows, so they buy some for me every year. Kids love them too! You can get the cutest little footies or designs for any age. And they’ll likely need a new set every year after the previous set has been washed all year. Now they’re not soft anymore or are stained. Many people agree that Christmas is a great time to get new pajamas.

Tied with pajamas, as my favorite thing in the world is slippers. I’m so fond of them because it’s been ingrained in me since I was a kid – which is how I know kids love them. When I was growing up, the whole family would get some giant animal paw slippers. It was funny but also so comfortable. Plus, they keep the feet warm and keep the kiddos from stepping on anything sticky on the floor.

I think any outdoor roller thing that the kiddo is actually going to use is great. My kids never really took to bikes, but there’s nothing quite as compact and versatile as a fold-up Razor scooter. You can practically put it anywhere. They’re a lot of fun, and I know kids of all different ages who use them. 

Moving back away from the ‘things’ again, another great idea is a class. Dance, karate, cooking, etc. Consider a class with a special token if you want to take it up a notch. For example, enroll them in ballet classes and buy them ballet flats to accompany them. Along that same train of thought, you could consider memberships to things like the zoo, science museum, climbing gym, etc. Again, if you want to go above and beyond, give them a token to go with it – a climbing gym membership with the climbing shoes.

If your kid is responsible enough, we’ve had a great experience with my daughter’s Fujifilm Instax printing camera (Polaroid makes a great one, too). This is another one of those minimalist gifts for kids that I feel is a ‘thing,’ but worth it because of the value they get out of it. She’s gotten a lot of use out of it and has actually taken really good care of it.

Another great idea for minimalist gifts for kids (I’ve recommended this for sentimental item management) is a memory box. This is something that I talk a lot about, particularly considering sentimental clutter. Each of my girls has its own. They store things like favorite art pieces, pictures of them and their friends, and memorabilia they want to hold onto that fit into this large box. Now, Matt told me that no little boy is going to get excited about a memory box. He said when he was 8, he would have rather had a lightsaber. But I said, “Oh, contrary if it’s shaped like a big, decked-out treasure chest, I think some boys would really dig it.” It could be any shape as long as it holds the belongings.

We love board games, card games, and all different kinds of games. As adults, my fiance and I have weekly game nights with friends. Some that we play with the kids that are a hit and work with different ages are Love Letter (a family favorite), Minecraft: the card game, and Dragonwood. That last one has dragons, trolls, spiders, and other really cool cards. Fun games! All of these would make great minimalist gifts for kids or adults. 

Something beneficial that collects clutter and is financially motivating is a piggy bank with a money counter. My daughter requested this last year. She still loves it and is still collecting change (there’s already $50 worth of change in this thing!). The one we got was inexpensive, and the counter works well.

If you have a kid (like most of us do) who’s really into a certain theme, a great gift would be some clothing that goes along with that theme. Generally, I’m not going out of my way to get one of my daughters an It, or Pokemon, or Minecraft shirt, you know? But a special occasion is a great time to look into whatever fandom gets them excited and make a little trip to a store you don’t usually go to.

I have to throw this in there not because the kids will get excited about it but because the parents will (and probably the dentist, too)! That’s a Sonicare toothbrush. It’s not all hype. These things work really well. And every time we go to the dentist, he’s like, “Oh, great, you’re using a Sonicare!” We bought our daughter a black Sonicare recently, and she actually did get a bit excited about it (granted, she’s 14, not 6).

I bought this on a whim because I had some extra credits for a store, but this thing works really well. It’s a simple phone stand, and that’s it. No frills, but it works and has been a huge asset to us here. I went back and got another one, so now we have two and probably need three because, between both of the girls and me, we’re constantly passing them back and forth. It just does its job like it’s supposed to.

One very minimalist thing is to buy gifts upgrading to what people currently have when the time comes. That way, they can replace what they have rather than add extra things. Because kids are transitioning through so many different phases of their lives, their tastes will also change. Think of going from toddler room decor to elementary room decor, from that to a preteen, and from that to a more mature teen style. No teen wants to be still sleeping in her princess sheets. This may be the year for that.

So many things fall under the umbrella of “digital purchases,” but I’m going to try to hit on some of them. When you’re talking about minimalist gifts for kids, there’s nothing more minimalist than something that takes up zero space! First, there are media like movies, audiobooks, and music. Then you have apps and software. Of course, video games and computer games are more commonly requested for kids (in other words, about half of my twelve-year-old’s Christmas list).