An aspiring minimalist with a gift guide?! Is that an oxymoron? Let's be honest about something. Kids love presents, and they love toys. There is no denying that. I may strive towards minimalism, but my children - nope. Not in the slightest. I don't have any desire to push my minimalist agenda on them, and I will be the first to admit that my kids would feel disappointed to open a present for an experience in the future. At six and eight years old they are just not capable of grasping the concept of enjoying a gift that won't happen until weeks or months in the future. They are still kids, and kids are all about instant gratification.

But here's the thing. The holidays don't have to be a reason to engage in mindless consumerism. It's so easy to fall victim to! I can vividly recall years ago getting this itch days before Christmas to fill the tree with as many presents as possible. Is it hard to believe that every single thing I bought has long since been donated, tossed, or forgotten?

The holidays are a time to be intentional and thoughtful about your gift giving. I am constantly preaching to the kids about quality over quantity, and while yes, they would love to see a pile of presents under the tree, they both know that in the long run a couple of quality presents are much more meaningful than the quantity of presents.

So here's my gift guide to you.

Everything here is something we own or an activity we have owned and completed. When considering gifts for kids, think about investing in something that doesn't need to be out cluttering your living space. We like to invest in activities that can easily be contained with storage containers for easy rotation into use with our "one activity out at a time" rule.

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1. Keva Blocks.

I guarantee you hours and hours of engaged play with these amazing blocks. Trust me. From building, stacking, and creating, I am constantly amazed at what they will come up with next! Easy to store within a container and pull out when in use.

2. Magna Tiles.

Again, same purpose, longer structural integrity 😂 and hours and hours of uninterrupted play time!

3. GraviTrax

We have several different marble tracks but the GraviTrax system is hands down the kids' favorite set. There are step by step guides to make amazing marble runs, but the real fun is when they start creating their own!

4. Snap Circuits

Snap Circuits are education meets entertainment and we can't get enough of these!

5. Watercolors

These watercolors are game changing, we have been using the same exact set for over two years and it is still going strong! They are highly pigmented and incredible quality.

6. Science experiments

We have done nearly all the science experiments in this set several times over, the best part is that everything that you need is included and everything can be stored back in the box when you are done. Zero clutter goals!

7. Rock Painting

This art project provides everything you need to complete the set, and the best part is after we finished, we hid all the painted rocks around the neighborhood for other kids to find. Experience + no clutter!

8. Bath Color Tablets

My kids are growing out of the bath time phase, but these color-changing tablets make a great activity for a rainy day or to peak their interest in bath time again.

Other Gift Ideas:

You can never go wrong with games, puzzles, art supplies, and books. All activities that are easily contained and stored until put into use. Personally, if you have a system in place to store these things, than I consider that a clutter-free win!

What are some of your kids' favorite clutter-free activities?

Clutter-Free Kids Holiday Gift Guide