Gift ideas for the kid who has everything (that aren't toys)

The kid who has everything usually doesn't. They have too much of one thing: plastic. Bins of it. Their parents are quietly hoping nobody adds another bin this year, and most kids that age remember a trip to the aquarium long after they've forgotten what was in the boxes.

So this list sticks to time, skills and places. A few of these come with something small to unwrap, which matters more than you'd think when you're six.

A membership somewhere they already love

A year at the local zoo, children's museum, aquarium or science center is the gift that keeps showing up on the calendar. Two practical notes. First, buy the family level, not a single child pass. A five-year-old can't go on their own, so a kid-only membership hands the parents a bill for their own tickets every visit. Second, check with the parents before you buy. Some families already have one, and two of the same membership is money gone.

If it's a science center or museum, look up whether it's part of the ASTC Passport Program. Members of participating centers can get benefits like free general admission at other participating centers when they travel outside their local area. Exclusions apply, including a 90-mile rule, so read the fine print before promising a road trip.

A national park, if they're in fourth grade

Fourth graders can get a free pass to federal parks and lands through Every Kid Outdoors. The pass costs nothing, which makes the gift the trip itself: pick a park within driving distance, print the pass, put it in an envelope with a trail map and a date. For other ages, the National Park Service passes page lists the options for the rest of the family.

Lessons, in a block

Swimming, climbing, pottery, drums, a cooking class. One lesson is a nice afternoon; a block of six or eight is a new skill. Ask the parents first, every time. Lessons cost them time and driving, and a Saturday 9am class across town may be a gift to the kid and a chore for everyone else.

For older kids, let them pick. A twelve-year-old who chose rock climbing will go back; one who was signed up for piano by an aunt may not.

A subscription that turns into a project

• KiwiCo sends a build-it project box on a schedule, with lines aimed at different ages from toddlers up to teens. Good for the kid who takes things apart. The downside is a slow pile of finished cardboard projects, so give the parents a heads-up.
• Highlights magazines for younger kids. Mail with their own name on it is still exciting at seven.
• Little Passports for the kid who asks where everything is on the map.

Whatever you pick, pay for a set number of months up front instead of an auto-renew that lands on someone else's card.

A yes day coupon

The idea comes from Amy Krouse Rosenthal's picture book Yes Day: for one day, the grown-ups say yes to (reasonable) requests. Kids treat it like a holiday. It works best with a few rules written right on the coupon: a spending limit, a distance limit, bedtime still counts, and parents keep a veto on anything unsafe. Pancakes for dinner, a pillow fort in the living room and a drive to the good playground two towns over are all fair game.

If you're the aunt, uncle or grandparent, make it a yes day with you rather than one the parents have to run. That's the version parents tend to welcome.

A day out, just the two of you

For kids with siblings, one-on-one time is rare, and they notice. Make a ticket for a specific outing: a matinee, a minor league game, the children's theater, breakfast and the bookstore. Put a date on it. "Let's do something sometime" turns into never; "Saturday, January 16, pancakes and the train museum" happens. We have more along these lines in gifts from an aunt or uncle.

A grown-up thing of their own

Kids who have every toy often have very few real things. A proper tool kit with a small hammer and real screwdrivers, a camping chair in their size, a good flashlight, a library card and a tote bag to carry the books home. These aren't toys and they don't pile up. They say you think they can handle it, and kids hear that.

The same goes for responsibility as a gift: a small garden bed in the spring that's theirs to plant, or a first allowance with a jar for saving. Pair it with a packet of seeds or the jar itself, and the parents will usually thank you for it.

How to make it unwrap well

An envelope under the tree is a hard sell to a five-year-old watching a sibling tear into a big box. Pair the experience with one small, useful object that hints at it:

• Zoo membership plus a field guide to animals or a pair of kid-size binoculars.
• Climbing lessons plus a chalk bag.
• A park trip plus a headlamp and a trail map with the route drawn on.
• A cooking class plus a real apron with their name on it.

The object is the wrapping. The day out is the gift.

What usually ends up in the donation bag

• Experience vouchers with short expiration dates. Family calendars are full, and a pass that expires in 90 days often does.
• Gift cards to places an hour away. Someone has to drive there.
• Anything that needs a parent to assemble, schedule and supervise, unless you've asked them first.

If you're looking for something for their room rather than their calendar, we wrote about building a kids' room that grows with them. And if your family is starting new rituals this year, these Christmas traditions pair well with a gift of time.