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Not-So-Boring Christmas Gifts for Creative Kid
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items A not-so-basic gift guide for kids who love to make, build, imagine, explore, and create. From messy art projects and clever STEM builds to books, games, outdoor adventures, and big “WHOA” gifts, these picks are made for curious kids who like their C...
Sections
5
Make Something Messy
Build It, Break It, Try Again
Books for Kids Who Like to Wander Off Into Stories
Games for Clever Little Brains
Backyard Adventure Stuff
Make Something Messy
art kits, craft supplies, DIY projects, clay, paint, sewing, jewelry kits, sticker-making
An air-dry clay kit is a great gift for kids who love making things with their hands. They can sculpt little figures, ornaments, trinket dishes, or totally random creations, then let everything dry without needing a kiln or special equipment.
ARTPAR Air Dry Clay Kit,Modeling ...
This 4-pack paint-by-number canvas set is a fun pick for creative kids who like having a project they can jump into right away. The floral designs give them a little structure without taking away the fun of painting, and having multiple canvases make...
4pk Paint by Number Canvas boards Floral - Mondo Llama™: DIY Art Kit, Acrylic Paint & Brushes, Adult Craft Activity
This tie-dye kit is a fun pick for kids who love colorful, hands-on projects. With multiple colors to experiment with, they can customize shirts, tote bags, socks, or other fabric pieces and end up with something completely one-of-a-kind.
One Step Color Craze 12 Color Tie Dye Kit - Tulip Color: DIY Art Kit for Adults, Summer & Birthday Craft Activity
This felt sewing kit is a sweet hands-on gift for creative kids who are ready to try beginner sewing. With kid-friendly projects like a magical unicorn pillow and mermaid card holder, it gives them something fun to make while practicing basic stitchi...
Joyfy 7 Sewing Projects Sewing Kit for Kids - Unicorn & Mermaid Themed DIY Felt Kit, Arts and Crafts, Christmas Birthday Gift for Girls age 6+
This sticker maker is a fun gift for creative kids who love decorating notebooks, journals, cards, and just about everything else. It lets them turn their own ideas into custom stickers, which makes crafting feel extra personal and gives them somethi...
Ceaco Hello Blink Sticker Maker Create Your Own Stickers - Bluetooth Mini Thermal Sticker Printer Craft
A scrapbooking kit is a fun gift for creative kids who love photos, stickers, paper, and little keepsakes. They can turn favorite memories into colorful pages while mixing in journaling, doodles, and plenty of their own personality.
Best Kids' Scrapbooking Kits
A junk journal kit is perfect for kids who love layering paper, stickers, doodles, scraps, and little treasures into something totally their own. There are no real rules, which makes it especially fun for creative kids who like experimenting and maki...
DIY Junk Journaling Supplies Kit (C)
A DIY candle kit is a fun gift for older creative kids who enjoy making something they can actually use afterward. It lets them experiment with colors, scents, and containers while following a hands-on project from start to finish.
Candle Making Kit For Kids
This unicorn DIY soap-making kit is a fun mix of crafting and simple STEM for creative kids. They can make their own colorful soaps using the included molds, which gives them a hands-on project with a cute, usable result at the end.
Joyfy Soap Making Kit for Kids, DIY Arts and Crafts, Unicorn Girl Gifts, STEM Toys Science Kits, Ideal Birthday Gifts for Boys Girls Ages 6 7 8+
A fabric marker set is a fun gift for kids who love turning plain things into something totally their own. They can decorate tote bags, T-shirts, pencil cases, or fabric crafts with doodles, names, patterns, and colorful designs.
Fabric Markers
A mini weaving loom is a fun hands-on gift for kids who enjoy slower, creative projects. They can experiment with colors and textures while making little wall hangings, coasters, or fabric pieces they’ll be proud to show off.
Melissa & Doug Wooden Multi-Craft Weaving Loom: Extra-Large Frame (22.75 x 16.5 inches)
Build It, Break It, Try Again
LEGO, engineering kits, marble runs, robotics, circuits, magnetic tiles
A LEGO Creator set is a great gift for kids who love building, rebuilding, and figuring out new ways to use the same pieces. The multi-build designs keep the fun going longer and give creative kids plenty of room to experiment.
LEGO® Creator 3in1 Toys | Official LEGO® Shop US
A LEGO Technic set is a great pick for kids who love figuring out how things move and work. The gears, axles, and more advanced builds make it feel like part toy, part engineering challenge, with plenty of satisfaction once everything starts moving.
LEGO Technic Aston Martin Valkyrie Toy Car 42208
This Connetix Magnetic Tiles Light Rocket set is a fun pick for kids who love building with a little extra wow factor. The magnetic pieces encourage open-ended construction, problem-solving, and imaginative play, while the light-up rocket theme makes...
CONNETIX Magnetic Tiles Light Rocket 30pc
This MindWare Marble Run is a great gift for kids who love building, testing, and tweaking their designs. They can experiment with gravity, speed, and cause-and-effect while creating different tracks and figuring out how to keep the marbles moving fr...
MindWare Marble Run
Snap Circuits are a fantastic gift for kids who love figuring out how things work. The pieces snap together easily so they can build working circuits, experiment with different setups, and learn basic electronics without needing complicated tools.
SNAP CIRCUITS® - Shop By Brand - Elenco Electronics
This Think Box Robotics Lab is a fun gift for kids who love building, experimenting, and figuring out how things work. It gives them a hands-on way to explore robotics and engineering while creating projects that feel more like play than a lesson.
Thinkbox Build and Create Robotics
A solar-powered building kit is a fun way for kids to explore engineering and renewable energy at the same time. They can build working models, experiment with sunlight, and see how solar power can make their creations move or function.
Sillbird 12-in-1 Solar Robot Building Kit
The National Geographic Da Vinci Catapult Wood Building STEM Kit is a fun pick for kids who love building something that actually works. They can put the wooden catapult together, test different launches, and explore simple machines, force, motion, a...
National Geographic Da Vinci Catapult Wood Building STEM Kit for Kids | Build a Working Catapult, Wooden 3D Puzzle
The Smartivity 2-in-1 Hydraulic Aeroplane & Dart Launcher STEM Kit is a fun hands-on build for kids who love making things move. It combines engineering, hydraulics, and a little launch-it-and-see-what-happens energy, making it a great pick for c...
Smartivity 2in1 Hydraulic Aeroplane & Dart Launcher STEM Kit Ages 6-14
An electric gear building block set is a fun way for younger kids to explore how gears, motion, and simple machines work. They can build different moving creations, test how the pieces connect, and learn through hands-on trial and error while still f...
DIYBee Electric Gear Building Blocks Set for Kids 3-8 with Motor
Carson Dellosa STEM Challenges are a great pick for younger kids who learn best by doing. The hands-on activities encourage building, testing, problem-solving, and experimenting while keeping science and engineering simple, playful, and age-appropria...
Carson Dellosa STEM Challenges, Hands-On, Science Kits, Ages 4-7
A cardboard cutter and construction tool set is a fantastic gift for kids who love turning boxes into inventions. It gives them kid-friendly tools to cut, connect, and build their own creations while encouraging imagination, problem-solving, and hand...
Swift Tool Kit – Cardboard Cutter & Construction Tool Set for Kids Age 5+
A domino building set is a fun gift for kids who love designing, testing, and setting off big chain reactions. They can experiment with spacing, patterns, ramps, and obstacles while learning about cause and effect, motion, and a little patience along...
KiwiCo Domino Machine STEM Toy - Automatic Chain Reaction Builder, Ages 9+
An architect home model kit is a great gift for kids who love designing, building, and imagining their own spaces. It mixes creativity with simple engineering and planning skills, giving them a hands-on way to think like a real architect while creati...
Architecture Kit for Kids - Architect Home Model Kit
This Joyfy Fort Building Kit is perfect for kids who love turning the living room into a castle, tunnel, hideout, or whatever else they dream up. The rods, connectors, and fabric covering make it a fun hands-on STEM gift that encourages building, pro...
Joyfy Kids Fort Building Kit, 81 Pcs Creative Tunnel DIY STEM Construction Toy
This 5-pack of STEM science kits is a great gift for kids who like having more than one project to explore. The wood-based builds mix science, crafting, and problem-solving, giving ages 8–12 several hands-on activities they can build, test, and learn...
5 Individual STEM Science Kits for Kids, Wood Arts and Craft Kits 8-12
The Thames & Kosmos My Robotic Pet: Coding Chameleon is a fun pick for kids who love robots with a little personality. They can build it, experiment with color-sensing technology, and explore basic coding concepts while creating a robotic pet tha...
Thames & Kosmos My Robotic Pet: Coding Chameleon STEM Building & Experiment Kit | Color-Sensing Coding Robot
Books for Kids Who Like to Wander Off Into Stories
graphic novels, activity books, illustrated nonfiction, puzzle books, journals
Baby-sitters on Board! is a fun pick for kids who love friendship stories, big adventures, and graphic novels they can really get lost in. The Baby-Sitters Club crew heads off on a huge vacation filled with travel, surprises, and plenty of friendship...
Baby-sitters on Board!: A Graphic Novel (The Baby-sitters Club Super Special #1)
Hilo is a great graphic novel series for kids who love action, robots, humor, and big adventures. It’s fast-paced, funny, and full of friendship, making it an especially good pick for readers who want something exciting without a huge wall of text.
Hilo Book 1: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth: (A Graphic Novel)
D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths is a beautiful pick for kids who love gods, heroes, monsters, and larger-than-life stories. The illustrations make the myths feel vivid and memorable, and it’s the kind of book kids can dip into again and again.
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths
Treasury of Greek Mythology is a gorgeous choice for kids who love dramatic stories, legendary heroes, and ancient gods and goddesses. The rich illustrations and engaging retellings make Greek mythology feel exciting, approachable, and easy to get lo...
Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters
The Animal Book by DK is a great pick for kids who love wildlife and learning random fascinating facts. It’s packed with colorful photos, easy-to-browse information, and plenty of animals to discover, making it perfect for curious readers who like to...
An Anthology of Intriguing Animals: Discover the Fascinating Truths of the Animal Kingdom
5,000 Awesome Facts (About Everything!) is perfect for kids who love collecting random facts and sharing them with everyone nearby. It’s packed with colorful photos, surprising trivia, and bite-sized information that makes it easy to flip through aga...
5,000 Awesome Facts (About Everything!): Updated and Expanded!: .
Weird But True! is a fun pick for kids who love surprising facts, strange discoveries, and all the wonderfully weird parts of science. The quick, colorful format makes it easy to browse, laugh, learn something new, and then immediately tell everyone ...
Weird But True! Animals: 300 Outrageous Facts About Wacky Wildlife
Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids is a fun little gift for kids who love silly jokes, riddles, and making everyone around them groan in the best way. It’s easy to pick up, easy to share, and great for car rides, quiet time, or family game nights.
Laugh-Out-Loud Awesome Jokes for Kids
The Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids is a fun pick for kids who love goofy humor, riddles, and jokes they can repeat all day long. It’s great for car rides, family nights, or anytime they want something light, funny, and easy to dip into.
The Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids
The Everything Kids’ Puzzle Book is a great pick for kids who love mazes, word games, brain teasers, and little challenges they can work through on their own. It’s perfect for quiet time, travel, or keeping busy without a screen.
The Everything Kids' Puzzle Book: Mazes, Word Games, Puzzles & More! Hours of Fun!
Secret Code Games for Clever Kids is a fun pick for kids who love cracking codes, solving mysteries, and feeling like a junior detective. The puzzles are great for building logic and problem-solving skills while still feeling like pure play.
Secret Code Games for Clever Kids�: More than 100 puzzles to boost your brainpower
Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman is a fun pick for kids who love stories with a little danger, mystery, and decision-making. They get to choose what happens next, which makes every read feel more interactive and gives the book lots o...
The Abominable Snowman (Choose Your Own Adventure #1)
Choose Your Own Adventure: Journey Under the Sea is a fun pick for kids who love ocean mysteries, exploration, and stories where they get to call the shots. Each choice sends the adventure in a different direction, making it easy to read again and di...
Journey under the Sea (Choose Your Own Adventure #2)
642 Things to Write About: Young Writer’s Edition is a great gift for kids who love stories, journaling, and making up weird little worlds of their own. The prompts are varied and playful, so it’s perfect for sparking ideas without making writing fee...
642 Things to Write About: Young Writer's Edition
Rip the Page! Adventures in Creative Writing is a playful pick for kids who like writing without a bunch of rules. The prompts encourage imagination, wordplay, and experimenting with ideas, so it feels more like creative play than a writing assignmen...
Rip the Page!: Adventures in Creative Writing
Doodle Adventures: The Pursuit of the Pesky Pizza Pirate! is a fun pick for kids who like drawing, puzzles, and silly stories all mixed together. They get to doodle their way through the adventure, which makes the book feel interactive, creative, and...
Doodle Adventures: The Pursuit of the Pesky Pizza Pirate!
The Anti-Coloring Book is a fun pick for kids who like drawing but don’t want to just fill in someone else’s lines. The prompts encourage imagination, original ideas, and creative problem-solving, making it feel more like open-ended art play than a t...
The First Anti-Coloring Book: Creative Activities for Ages 6 and Up
Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith is a fun pick for creative kids who like art with a little chaos built in. The prompts encourage doodling, experimenting, bending the rules, and using the book in unexpected ways, making it perfect for kids who enjoy ...
Wreck This Journal: Now in Color
Create This Book by Moriah Elizabeth is a fun pick for kids who love drawing, painting, decorating, and making a book completely their own. The creative prompts give just enough direction to get started while leaving plenty of room for personality, i...
Create This Book
Making Comics by Lynda Barry is a great pick for older creative kids who love drawing, storytelling, and inventing characters. It encourages experimentation, imagination, and finding your own style, making comic creation feel playful instead of intim...
Making Comics (Lynda Barry's Creativity Series)
Cat Kid Comic Club is a fun pick for kids who love goofy humor, comics, and making up stories of their own. It mixes reading with creativity and encourages kids to experiment with characters, art styles, and storytelling without worrying about making...
Cat Kid Comic Club
Story starter cards are a fun gift for kids who love making up characters, adventures, and wonderfully weird plot twists. Just pull a card and start imagining—they’re great for storytelling, creative writing, family games, or getting past the dreaded...
Storymatic Kids – Writing Prompts for Young Writers
A drawing tutorial book is a great gift for kids who love to sketch but want a little guidance getting started. Step-by-step lessons can help them build confidence, practice new techniques, and turn simple shapes into characters, animals, and scenes ...
How to Draw Everything for Kids: 300 Step-by-Step Drawings of Cute Animals, Vehicles, Monsters, Robots, Food, Gifts, and Much More!
A book light is a cozy little gift for kids who love reading in bed, on road trips, or tucked into a favorite reading spot. It gives them just enough light to keep reading without lighting up the whole room.
Deal for Prime Members: VAVOFO Rechargeable Book Light for Reading (Purple)
These Kawaii Arrows Page Clip Bookmarks are a cute little gift for kids who always have a book in progress. The colorful clips make it easy to mark a favorite page without bending corners, and they add a fun little pop of personality to any reading s...
Kawaii Arrows Page Clip Bookmarks Set of 4
My Very Own Book Journal is a sweet gift for kids who love keeping track of what they read. It gives them a fun place to record favorite books, jot down thoughts, rate stories, and turn reading into a little collection of memories.
My Very Own Book Journal: A reading log for kids (and grownups) who love books
A book sleeve is a great little gift for kids who like carrying books everywhere. It helps protect covers and pages from backpack chaos, snacks, and bent corners while adding a cute, personal touch to their reading stash.
Floral Book Sleeve Pouch
A lap desk is a cozy, practical gift for kids who like reading, drawing, writing, or working somewhere other than a desk. It gives them a sturdy little surface for the couch, bed, floor, or car and makes creative time feel extra comfy.
LAPGEAR MyStyle Lap Desk
A cozy reading pillow is a great gift for kids who love curling up with a book somewhere comfy. It gives them extra back support for reading in bed, on the floor, or in a little reading nook and makes quiet time feel even more inviting.
Hobed Life Faux Fur Backrest Pillow for Kids
This Barnes & Noble gift card is a great pick for kids who love choosing their own next read. It gives them the fun of browsing for books, graphic novels, activity books, or journals and picking out something that feels completely their own.
Barnes & Noble Gift Cards and eGift Cards
Games for Clever Little Brains
logic games, family games, escape-room kits, brain teasers, strategy games
Kanoodle is a fun little brain game for kids who love puzzles and figuring things out. The challenges start simple and get trickier, making it great for quiet time, travel, or sneaking in some logic and spatial thinking without it feeling like school...
Educational Insights Kanoodle | 3D Brain Teaser Puzzles for Kids
Rush Hour is a great logic game for kids who love solving problems and working through tricky challenges. The goal is simple—free the car from the traffic jam—but each puzzle gets more challenging, making it perfect for building strategy and critical...
ThinkFun Rush Hour Traffic Jam Logic Game
Gravity Maze is a fun logic game for kids who love puzzles, building, and figuring out how things work. They can create marble runs, test different tower setups, and use spatial reasoning to solve challenges that get trickier as they go.
ThinkFun Gravity Maze - Falling Marble Logic Game
Qwirkle is a colorful strategy game that’s easy to learn but still makes kids think. Players match colors and shapes, plan ahead, and look for the best moves, making it a great screen-free pick for family game nights or quiet afternoons.
MindWare Qwirkle with Trays Strategy Board Game
Spot It! is a fast, easy-to-learn game that’s perfect for kids who love quick challenges. Players race to find matching symbols, which makes it great for visual skills, focus, family game nights, and tossing into a bag for travel.
Asmodee Spot It! Classic Card Game (2024 Refresh)
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is a fast, silly card game that gets everyone laughing while testing focus and quick reflexes. It’s easy to learn, great for family game night, and especially fun when you want something energetic that doesn’t take forever ...
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza Card Game by Taco Cat Games, Age 7+, 2-8 Players
Sleeping Queens is a whimsical card game that mixes strategy, simple math, and a little bit of luck. It’s easy to learn, fun for family game night, and full of quirky characters that make every round feel playful.
Gamewright Sleeping Queens Card Game
Sushi Go! is a quick, colorful card game that’s easy to learn and surprisingly strategic. Players collect different sushi combinations to score points, making it a fun pick for family game nights, travel, or kids who like games that move fast without...
Deal for Prime Members: Gamewright Sushi Go Card Game, 2 to 5 Players, 15 Minute Playtime, Ages 8+ | Pick & Pass Family Card Game | Fast‑Playing Kids & Board Games for Kids 8‑12, Games for Family Game Night | 2‑5 Players
Guess in 10 is a fun guessing game that gets kids thinking, asking smart questions, and narrowing down clues. It’s easy to play, great for family game night, and sneaks in logic, memory, and communication skills without feeling educational.
Skillmatics Guess in 10 – Countries of The World, Trivia Card Game
An escape-room card game is a great gift for kids who love mysteries, clues, and working through tricky puzzles. It turns game night into a mini adventure and is especially fun for kids who like solving problems together instead of just competing.
EXIT: The Game - The Magical Academy | Escape Game | Stop Creatures Wrecking Your School
A mystery-solving game is a fun pick for kids who love clues, suspects, and piecing together what really happened. It encourages logic, observation, and creative thinking while making family game night feel a little more like detective work.
Buffalo Games Junior Detective Board Games for Kids 6-8, Family Board Games
A logic puzzle set is a great gift for kids who love figuring things out and tackling little challenges. It helps build problem-solving, pattern recognition, and critical thinking while still feeling like a fun brain game instead of schoolwork.
The Genius Square from the Happy Puzzle Company
Backyard Adventure Stuff
binoculars, bug kits, scavenger hunts, nature journals, gardening kits, walkie-talkies
Kid binoculars are a fun gift for curious explorers who love spotting birds, wildlife, and interesting things in the distance. They’re perfect for hikes, backyard adventures, vacations, or turning an ordinary walk into a mini expedition.
Binoculars for Kids
Walkie-talkies are a fun gift for kids who love backyard adventures, forts, scavenger hunts, and secret missions. They add a little extra excitement to outdoor play and are great for siblings or friends who want to stay connected while exploring.
Walkie Talkies for Kids
A bird identification guide is a great companion for curious kids who love spotting birds outside. It helps them match colors, markings, and habitats to real species and turns backyard birdwatching into a fun little nature study.
Ultimate Backyard Bird Watching Book for Kids: Learn to Spot and Identify Birds in Your Garden with Simple Tips and Colorful Photos
A bug identification guide is a fun pick for kids who love inspecting every creepy-crawly they find outside. It helps them compare colors, shapes, and features while turning backyard discoveries into quick little science adventures.
The Nature Kid's Guide to Bug
A weather station kit is a fun gift for kids who love tracking what’s happening outside. They can measure things like temperature, rainfall, and wind, record their observations, and start spotting weather patterns over time.
Science Can Interactive Meteorology Lab Toys
A rain gauge is a simple but fun tool for kids who like tracking the weather. They can measure rainfall after storms, compare totals over time, and turn ordinary rainy days into a little hands-on science project.
Rain Gauge Outdoor for Yard
An outdoor explorer vest is a fun gift for kids who love backyard adventures, nature walks, and collecting little treasures along the way. The pockets are perfect for magnifying glasses, notebooks, bug viewers, and all the random “very important” thi...
Safari Kidz Outdoor Explorer Kit
A headlamp is a fun and practical gift for kids who love exploring, camping, building forts, or reading under the covers. It keeps their hands free and makes evening adventures feel a little more exciting.
LED Headlamp, Super Bright Headlight Flashlight, Kids & Adults Outdoor Use
A nature backpack is a fun way for kids to carry all their outdoor adventure gear in one place. It’s perfect for binoculars, journals, field guides, snacks, and all the little treasures they collect along the way.
IVYGREEN Little Kids Hiking Backpack for Boys or Girls