This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Science says experiences are greater gifts to give than toys, but I am a play therapist, so I also see the value of having toys around. I actually completely agree with both: toys & experiences. These gifts for kids that I am sharing today make great birthday presents.
I wanted to share some of the gifts that our children have been given for birthday gifts or that we’ve received. All of our kids have summer & spring birthdays, but these could work anytime! I am sharing many ideas, as well as gifts that our kids have & love. We are so excited to have partnered with so many amazing companies, as most of the gift ideas below were ones that were gifted to us from brands that we love. I’ve also included affiliate links so you can find the products with one click. I hope this post helps you to enjoy the birthday & not stress about the gift! 🙂
Over 50 of the Best Birthday Gifts for Kids of Any Age
There are gifts in this list for kids of all ages! The key to a great gift is finding something unique that is special to that child. Just like the non-birthday gift for a one-year-old, these gifts are special & out of the box. They are sure to make the birthday boy or girl smile!
- Dress up costumes. Our kids love to dress up & play, so costumes are always a great idea!
- A Flip Flop fashion kit to make your own flip flops- (includes two) – this is SO fun.
- $10, given all as one dollar bills.
- Stickers or a build your own sticker book
- A birthday morning or any time of the day delivery of doughnuts or cupcakes to their house. ♥
- PBS KIDS Playtime Tablet – We LOVE this! A 2-in-1 tablet and DVD player, it’s the perfect portable entertainment provider for kids! Preloaded with over 23 educational games, 120 video clips, songs, and music videos in subjects including reading, math, and more making this tablet great for keeping kids entertained while at home or on the road.
- Imagination Toys: I love toys that let our kids imagine that they are something else. Plastic tools (hammer, screwdrivers) are perfect for this- they really let the kids believe that they are hard at work.
- Plastic Princess hair-styling kit I just had to toss this in there, it’s our daughter’s favorite.
- Little People (we love this Princess set and this SuperHero set)
- Papap Pony Adventure Set– Wait until your little one meets the adorable Papap Pony. It’s a cute little huggable hobby horse for children 18 months to 5 years. Papap comes with a fun ride-along adventure book & a cloth backpack to take along on their pony-ride (they will want to carry all of their treasures in here… trust me!) ♥
- Gift cards for a fun day out ($5 to a restaurant like McDonalds or Chick-Fil-A, $5 to Target, $5 to an ice cream store)
- GIANT lollipops! are the perfect ‘gift’ to tie on a gift bag. (the kind that they used in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory)
- Gloves (12 pairs for $15 – love this for as often as we lose gloves!
- Paints (watercolor paints always go over well)– I love these!
- Mini baby dolls (small enough to fit in a basket!)
- Matchbox cars or any little cars
- Slippers and Pajamas are always a hit!
- Awesome Chalk-Marker liquid pens!
- Legos mini sets (less than $5 each)
- Pocket pal mini-Notebook & an art set to use with it
- Nail polish – love this set!
- Bath Crayons & Toys
- Flashlights on a rope
- Little Critter Backpack (personalized)
- Princess Rosalina Doll
- Casio Portable Keyboard – Indulge your kids’ creative, musical side with this great portable keyboard!
- Shark Socks
- A gift certificate to a local ice cream shop (they can go with their family)
- Brain Quest Cards
- A personalized book from Hooray Heroes – these books are the perfect way to get your child interested in reading! They’re fully customizable so your child will see him or herself through all the adventures!
- Jewelry kit
- Board Games
- Digital Accessories such as the Ematic AGT418 HDMI Streaming Stick, or accessories for the Nintendo Switch, like the Nintendo Switch Carrying case, or a is great for any children that love playing video games (great for rainy days or too-hot-to-be-outside days! I actually just gave my nephew a Nintendo Switch Carrying case and Nintendo Switch Controller for his birthday (his parents bought him a Nintendo Switch). He was so excited!
- Play Figurines
- Personalized books for kids birthdays are a great gift.
We love The magic of my name: a story based on the letters in the child’s name. I also love the book called My magical numbers, an adventure book that reveals the magic of the most important numbers of their life (date of birth, the first day of school…) - adorable flavored Lip Glosses
- Ingredients for Playdough and a note stating that ‘these are the things that you need to make playdough with your family.”
- A Sketch Pad
- A personalized book from Wonderbly
- A special outing (vacations are great for creating memories, but a day-outing with a birthday child is, too!)
- Wipe clean Learning Book
- Jump Ropes and a Yo-Yo (fun things to do alone)
- Movie tickets for the family
- Family Gratitude Journal or Funny Things My Kids Say Journal – start a new tradition with your kids! Sit down every night and talk about what they were grateful for that day!
- Super Bouncy Ball
- Tinkering Labs Electric Motors Catalyst Robotics Kit – let your little engineers build and rebuild countless robots with this fun kit!
- Hoyle Seal Squad Game
- PLAYMOBIL Mars Space Station – with functioning lights, astronauts, and even a face-changing robot, this is the PERFECT STEM gift for any kid!
- Juggle Bubbles
- mini-Markers
- Plus Plus Construction Toy
- Kid Jewelry
- Cinemood – a 3-inch portable projector that can cast a 12-foot screen on the side of your RV or tent!
- Disceez – these are like frisbees only BETTER!
- Frozen Stationary Set
- Educational Insights Hot Dots Jr. Pete the Cat Kindergarten Rocks! Set – over 200 reading lessons for a kindergartener with a fun Pete the Cat pen that gives feedback for correct and incorrect responses!
- Glove-A-Bubbles (these are SO FUN for outdoor play!!)
- Loog Mini Acoustic Guitar – my kids love “jamming” on their guitars and learning a new instrument! The Loog Mini is small, fun and cute, but it’s not a toy: it’s a real instrument, made out of real wood, that projects a sweet, beautiful sound that’s just unbelievable for a guitar of this size and price.
- Banana Panda What in the World Young Explorers Jigsaw Puzzle – a puzzle and map in one, kids will have hours of play AND learning!
- Antsy Pants Lemonade Stand– perfect for creative play! Plus, they have multiple covers you can swap out on the same pole kit like this Wild West cover or this Farmer’s Market cover!
Looking for NON-TOY gift ideas? Check out this guide (below)!
