This holiday season, as my husband and I brainstorm gift ideas for our girls, our criteria are more specific than in years past. We need gifts that will not only delight little minds but also inspire and keep them busy for more than 10 minutes at a time. In short, we’re looking for presents that do double-duty: entertaining our kids and buying us time while we’re working from home during holiday break.
Enter the activity kit! Across the web, craft, art, and science boxes abound, all promising to whisk our girls off for a creation-fueled afternoon. I whittled down the wide selection to 11 of the most intriguing. Below, I’m sharing my favorite activity kits to add to your gift-giving lists this year.
Craft Gifts for Little Kids
Create the sweetest holiday keepsake with even your youngest's participation. This instant download comes with a blank spot for your little one's footprints.
I love seeing my daughters' footprints grow throughout the years and to make them into a piece of art I'll cherish forever? *Adds to cart*
KiwiCo's Panda Crate is perfect for little ones up to 24 months old. Sign up for a subscription and your child will enjoy monthly deliveries packed with activities to spark their imaginations and feed their curiosity.
Use code EVERYMOM at checkout for 30% off your first month’s subscription with KiwiCo!
Made for developing kids' motor skills, creativity, and artistic inclinations, this stamp collection is full of fun supplies. With stamps, ink pads, crayons, and an activity book, this kit is as fun as it is colorful.
I love making play dough from scratch, but I never know how to make it colorful--without dyeing my hands in the process! Enter this DIY kit, which includes everything you need to make organic, rainbow-colored dough for kids of any age.
What's more fun than regular playtime? Playtime with toys that your little ones made themselves, of course! With this wooden crafts kit, your little one can assemble and paint a race car, train, and airplane.
Craft Gifts for Big Kids
What could be more appropriate for the times we're living in than to give the gift of soap to your loved ones? Of course this kit makes hand-washing that much more fun with dino-shaped bars kids craft themselves.
A monthly subscription to the Kiwi Crate invites kids to create and innovate with exciting STEAM projects delivered to their door each month.
Use code EVERYMOM at checkout for 30% off your first month’s subscription with KiwiCo!
To create something just as cool as it is functional, have your kiddos cut and glue these felt-patch pouches. Let their creativity run wild and end up with fun pouches your little ones will love to use.
Invite your kids to design their own mug with this super easy kit from ArtMinds. Whether it ends up being a piece they use, or one they gift to grandma, this project is as easy as paint, bake, and enjoy!
I love a good craft that doubles as adorable bedroom decor. Encourage kids to design their own woodland creatures with these super cute natural supplies.
Soak up a sunny day by hanging one of these stained glass-inspired suncatchers in your window after your little artist has colored them to their heart's content.