This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
Are you looking for the best Christmas gift ideas for kids and teens? In our Kids Holiday Gift Guide 2023, we’ve gathered unique, creative, meaningful and practical gift ideas for all the kids and teens on your holiday shopping list. Some of these kids gift ideas use affiliate links, some are from our sponsors, but all are perfect for the kids and teens on your Christmas shopping list.
As parents, most of our holiday shopping is finding Christmas gifts for kids and teens. Shopping for younger kids is my favorite! Thinking of Christmas gift ideas for kids is so much fun, but it gets a little harder as your kids get older.
Find more of our Gift Guides and enter to win $100 Amazon Gift Card here.
Here are some awesome Christmas gift ideas for kids, tweens, and teens…
Educational Subscription Box
A genius gift idea for kids of all ages is monthly subscription to adventure and learning.
Little Passports makes it easy to give fantastic gifts to each child that perfectly align with their age and interests.
Each month they’ll receive an amazing package of crafts, activities, and treasures based on the type of subscription you select.
This amazing gift idea for kids is the best way for extended family and friends to easily give the ideal gift to children of various ages even when they don’t know what the children already own, want, like, etc.
We recommend starting their subscription as soon as possible so you can wrap up the first month’s box to put under the tree.
Christmas Books
Giving your children a special new Christmas book each year can become a wonderful tradition.
This new holiday book The Heartbeats – Christmas With A Difference is a lovely way to bring even more positivity and kindness into your family’s holiday season. In this story, the Heartbeats host three generations, along with their cat Coco and dog Dipsy, for a grand holiday meal party. But uh-oh, things do not go smoothly.
You and your little ones will love this book! And you can keep the holiday reading going with their other seasonal story, The Heartbeats – A New Year Is Coming.
The Heartbeats are based in the town of Heartsville where they live life in a positive, inclusive, cheerful way — spreading the message of kindness wherever they go!
Kinetic Sand
One of our top Christmas gift ideas for kids is Kinetic Sand.
A few years ago, we tested out four different types of play sand to see how they compared. Check out our Kinetic Sand comparison and to see what they’re all like.
Your kids will play with it for hours! We love that it’s surprisingly not messy and allows good sensory input and creative output.
This set is great because it comes with 10 lbs of Kinetic Sand, portable sandbox with 10 molds and tools, play sand sensory toys.
Educational Board Games
Playing board games with your kids is one of the best ways to spend time together as a family.
So, one of our top gift ideas for kids is a fun board game that also ends up being educational.
You can start your preschoolers out with a new board game like My First Castle Panic from Fireside Games. It doesn’t require reading, so kids can play independently or with you as a family.
For tweens and teens, give them the best-selling Castle Panic.
We love playing classic board games with our kids. So I always put a few new board games under our Christmas tree.
Storypod
Here is a brilliant gift for children from newborns to 5 years old… the Storypod screen-free audio learning system.
The Storypod magical audio-player built for kids nurtures, inspires and builds essential language skills with touch-to-play audio characters, board books, activity cards, tokens, and more.
If you already have a Storypod, you can gift a quarterly Learning Set subscription to a loved one or for your own family.
Getting children started listening to audio stories without screens is such a gift for them!
Storytime Projector
Create memories that are truly magical with this creative gift idea for your little ones.
Moonlite Storytime turns your smartphone into a storybook projector. Light up your child’s imagination with playful projections, vivid sound effects, and read-a-long features.
The 4 Story Collection with Projector uses ambient music, playful sounds, and big, bright storybook images to tickle your child’s senses. Moonlite Storytime creates a magical and unique bonding experience.
Kids Bluetooth Headphones
Kids these days are listening to headphones more and more… whether it’s music, movies, social media videos or audio books.
Puro Sound Labs volume limited kids headphones protect children’s eardrums from early hearing damage by limiting volume to 85 dB as recommended by the World Health Organization.
While the headphones are volume limited to the maximum safe listening level, they certainly do not compromise on sound quality.
You can get this fantastic gift for kids on sale right now on Amazon.
Art Supplies
We always give our girls some type of art supplies for Christmas. As kids get older, they still love to be creative… just buy them more advanced art supplies.
These iHeart Art Packs are perfect Christmas gifts for older kids and teenagers.
For example, the iHeart Art Mash Up Art Pack Batik FX teaches kids the traditional technique of wax resist. The Art Pack Pastel FX combines oil and chalk pastels supplies.
These art packs are such great deals!
Kwik Stix Tempera Paint Sticks
Tired of the endless mess of painting? Fear not!
Kwik Stix Tempera Paint sticks take the mess out of painting while keeping all the fun! Simply uncap, twist and paint!
Kwik Stix have a fast drying formula that allows them to dry in 90 seconds while still leaving a paint-like finish! No cups, smocks, water or brushes required. Kwik Stix come in assorted vibrant colors with coverage that won’t crack.
Great on poster paper, cardboard, wood and canvas. Kwik Stix are also washable!
The Ultimate Kids’ Baking Book
I gave this book to my kids for Christmas a few years ago and we love it.
The Ultimate Kids’ Baking Book: 60 Easy and Fun Dessert Recipes for Every Holiday, Birthday, Milestone and More
Your kids will absolutely love how this unique cookbook puts them in charge of making dessert. It teaches them how to bake independently by covering everything bakers need to know. The book guides them through learning each important baking skill from separating eggs to creaming butter and sugar together and even rolling your own cookie dough.
Schleich Playset
Kids will play for hours and hours making up amazing stories when they play with this Schleich Horse Club Lakeside Country House and Stable.
The quality of Schleich figurines and playsets is incredible. Of all the toys we purchased for our kids over the years, their Schleich figurines were always their favorites.
You’ll love watching your children get lost in their imaginations as they play with this gift set.
The features include movable stairs, foldable table, sunshade that tilts, doors that open and close as well as many other interactive accessories. I especially love how the horses can be rinsed off with the hose.
If you’re looking for quality Christmas gift ideas for kids, definitely take a look at Schleich figurines and playsets.
New Creative Family Games
Don’t worry if you’re already all stocked up on classic board games, there are so many fabulous new games coming out for kids and families to play together.
One of our top new picks for creative gifts for kids is the PAPATON Shadow Puppet Theater.
This is an award-winning gift idea that your kids will absolutely love.
We especially love how it encourages the whole family to get creative together.
Storytelling Classical Music CD or MP3
Give your child the gift of classical music and storytelling.
Classical pianist, Ina Allen, has created award winning storytelling CDs that engage children with classical music as they listen to a captivating story.
You can purchase an MP3 or CD at Music and Narrative.
This is a unique Christmas gift idea for kids and an incredibly affordable way to introduce your children to classical music.
Their latest release is The Brementown Musicians; A Tale with Music (Mom’s Choice Gold Award Winner) and it’s a classic folk tale of four aging barn animals who discover the beautiful music that resides within them.
Gifts for Pretend Play
Our girls spent countless hours dressing up and playing pretend.
Gifts that encourage pretend play such as costumes, dress up clothes, and puppets are perfect Christmas gifts for kids of all ages.
Costumes are a wonderful way to get kids to make up stories and plays to act out.
Retro Toys
I love retro toys and stuffed animals are classic gifts for kids. It’s so much fun to give your kids a toy that brings back your own childhood memories.
Kermit the Frog is a perfect stuffie to give your kids because they know and love him from current Muppets movies and you can share your memories of the classic TV show.
I was recently searching for a Kermit stuffie to give as a gift and found this Kermit the Frog plush toy on Amazon.
Kids will love the soft material and stuffing that makes him easy to hold, squeeze, or hug.
He’s a perfect size… 16 inches in length, 5 inches wide at the torso, 13 inches with arms spread out and he weighs 7 ounces.
Learning Resources Puzzle Globe
Globes make fascinating and educational toys for kids.
This Learning Resources Puzzle Globe is a fun, engaging way to encourage children (as young as 3) to learn more about geography.
We think this puzzle globe is a fantastic Christmas gift idea for kids.
Challenging puzzle, teaches continent names, the oceans famous landmarks, and more!
Books, Books, and More Books
The best gift for kids of any age is a new book, or a stack of new books. 🙂
We love picking out books for kids… they are just so much fun!
But there are so many to choose from, we shared some tips for how to pick the Best Children’s Books to Give as Gifts.
One of our favorite children’s books is Let’s Imagine What We Will Do! by Nikki Moyes and illustrated by our friend Cheryl Lawson. We love it’s fresh take on career and job choices for kids.
Cute Hooded Bathrobe
A fabulous gift idea for kids are cute hooded bathrobes. Kids of all ages will love getting a new cozy bathrobe for Christmas.
You can find these two cute bathrobes at Gymboree, or you can also find lots of kids bathrobes on Amazon like this adorable unicorn bathrobe or this DC Comics Toddler Batman Hooded Robe
These soft plush bathrobes for boys and girls are perfect for Christmas gifts.
Kids will love how cozy the plush terry fabric is. They’ll be warm and happy after their bath or swimming at a pool. You’ll love how durable the bathrobe is and that the detailed embroidery holds up excellently even with daily use.
Available in several styles including Bear, Cow, Dog, and Panda.
Soft’n Slo Squishies™
Kids these days are obsessed with Squishies!
Squishies are a super popular online trend that are actually a fantastic toy that kids can use as a calming tool that can help them relax and regulate their mood.
I find they are perfect to use as a fidget toy for my child with ADHD while she is doing homework.
Kids love to collect tons of squishies so go ahead and you might want to get them a bunch. They’re a simple and sure to please Christmas gift idea for kids.
KLASK – Magnetic Game of Skill
You and your kids of all ages will have a blast battling in the game of KLASK. It’s like half foosball, half air hockey.
This clever game board is magnetic and shaped like a ball field with two holes functioning as goals in each end of the field. The purpose of the game is to push the small, red ball around on the eld with your magnet/gaming piece, shoot the ball past the obstacles and your opponent and into the goal hole – Klask!
This is a great way to encourage family fun as you all put your reflexes and instincts to the test. In Canada, you can get Klask on Amazon.ca.
Wireless Earbuds
I bet your tweens and teens would love a pair of wireless earbuds. If you’re stuck thinking of Christmas gift ideas for kids, you can’t go wrong with new earbuds!
If you want to keep the price low, grab a pair of these Skullcandy Earbuds on Amazon.
Or if you don’t mind spending more and you think your teenager won’t lose them, treat them to Apple Airpods.
Another great option for earbuds option is SAMSUNG Galaxy Buds Pro.
Selfie Ring Light
Teens take tons of selfies. So why not give your teenager a selfie ring light for their phone.
A selfie light ring works on phones, laptops, and tablets to give better lighting on photos and videos. It is easily recharged with a USB cord so they won’t be wasting money on batteries.
They’ll love that the light is compact and light weight so they can toss it in their bag and take it anywhere. This is another awesome Christmas gift ideas for older kids who are tough to shop for.
Color Printer
Teenagers and college students need a color printer for school assignments and this compact size is great for small dorm rooms.
So give them a Christmas gift that’s good for their grades… an Expression Small-in-One Printer.
Find out more about this Epson Printer and other models here.
And with this gift idea, the whole family can make use of it.
Award Winning Board Game
Catan is the incredibly popular, multi award winning civilization building board game of harvesting and trading resources.
Get your teenagers off their devices and gaming IRL with this incredible multiplayer board game that makes a brilliant gift for older kids.
Players control their own civilization and look to spread across a modular hex board in a competition for victory points.
This intellectually stimulating game is designed for tweens 10+, teens, and adults. You play with 3 or 4 people and each game takes about an hour to play. You can play with 5–6 players if you get a game extension.
Inspirational T-Shirt
Inspire your teenagers with a cool graphic t-shirt.
Picking out clothes for teens isn’t as easy picking up mix-and-match sets of Garanimals when they were toddlers.
But you can give your teenager a fun t-shirt that celebrates happiness.
Help them project their positivity with one of these awesome graphic shirts. You can always buy them oversized and they can wear them to bed or for lounging around the house.
UPDATE: Check out their fabulous SALE ON NOW.
More Gift Guides
Find more gift ideas, see all our guides…
Giveaway
We’re giving away $100 Amazon Gift Card… find the entry form here on the main page of this Holiday Gift Guide.
And don’t miss these Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas and Gifts For Your Best Friend.
Disclosure: This gift guide contains some suggestions from sponsors and some affiliate links.
Written by the team at 5 Minutes for Mom
Talk with us: @5minutesformom and Facebook.com/5minutesformom
Pin with us at https://pinterest.com/5minutesformom/
Betty Curran says
Art supplies are always a good gift. Kinrtic sand encourages creativity in children.
BILL HOFF says
Our grandkids would have a ball with the Kwik Stix Tempera Paint sticks
Dana says
Kinetic sand? I’d never heard of it
Vicki says
all of the art sticks and paints sound great!
JanD says
I really like the StoryPod because there’s no screen.
Tiffany Diack says
I had never seen the puzzle globe before, that is such a cool gift for the kid who loves tactic learning.
Cassandra G. says
It’s good to know what gifts are trending this season, they change so often! Thanks 🙂
Susan Smith says
My niece would love the Hooded bathrobes and the Skullcandy Earbuds
Charlotte B says
Games, art supplies, learning toys, and books are usually the types of things we get our kids, but some of these were new to me like the paint sticks.
Patsy says
I like the Kwik Stix Tempera Paint Sticks and Klask 🙂 Thanks!
Tracey Masters says
I didn’t even think to get my teen a selfie ring light for Christmas. Thank you for the suggestion! That’s a great idea since so many teens nowadays are taking lots of photos. She also likes to do unboxing of her hauls purchased at Marshal’s. I also liked the idea of the wireless air buds and the Catan game. We played Catan with out of town family members and had a blast. Your gift guide helped me remember the name of the game so I added it to our family wishlist. Great suggestions – thank you for sharing. I am looking at purchasing the Kwik Stix Tempera Paint Sticks for my students because I remember Alyssa enjoyed them as a child.
Allison Husser says
I love the storyline projector!
Diane Sabatini says
I love the art supplies and the ultimate baking book.
Betty S says
My granddaughters would really enjoy the EDUCATIONAL SUBSCRIPTION BOX
Ed says
My kids would love the art set and bluetooth headphones.
David Smith says
My Kids love the Kinetic Sand and the wireless ear buds.
Jeanette Jackson says
My grandchildren would like the art supplies and the wireless earbuds
Maryann D. says
I do think an EDUCATIONAL SUBSCRIPTION BOX is a perfect gift for any child or teen. I never thought of that, but I would have liked that for my children.
Susan P. says
I like the art kits for the younger kids and specific art supplies for older kids.
molli says
the kinetic sand and the kwix paints are a great way to be creative without making a permanent mess
Robin Abrams says
I think the Storypod and the Skullcandy Earbuds are great for the kids
Rosey says
That storypod is cute and a projector is always a good idea.
Krista says
My kids are too old for most of this stuff… art supplies and maybe cookbooks, but you can find those online. We like snorg tees, teepublic, and tee turtle for cute and fun tees for teens.
Donna says
My oldest granddaughter would love the selfie light ring. The Puro Sound Labs headphones would be great for all my grandchildren.
Suzie B says
Catan is a huge hit in our home! I could see the kinetic sand and selfie ring also being a hit
Carolyn D says
I think my niece and nephew would have a blast with the kinetic sand. The Schleich playset would be perfect for my niece because she loves horses.
Meg A says
The Heartbeats – A New Year Is Coming and the tempera paint sticks were the most appealing. How about adding a Rubik’s Cube, too?
Penny Raine says
My granddaughter Emma will love those paint sticks!
Maria Malaveci says
Oh! I absolutely love the KWIK STIX TEMPERA PAINT STICKS!!!
Clem says
I like the selfie light and color printer
mrsshukra says
Retro Toys are amazing!
Kim Pincombe-Cole says
The kinetic sand and baking are huge boredom busters in our house- definitely make great gifts!
Sarah Hayes says
I love gifts that encourage imagination. The pretend play items like dress up clothes and i love retro toys!
Jeanna Massman says
My grandson would love the Kids Ultimate Baking Book.
Maryanne says
Kids baking cookbook and Shadow puppets are great screen-free activities!
Debbie Beattie says
For kids I like the CHRISTMAS BOOKS, wireless earbuds and the RETRO TOYS
Andrea Amy says
I like the retro toys and the wireless ear buds
Sandra Watts says
I think the KINETIC SAND is so cool. I am just in awe every time I play with it.
Terri Quick says
The Christmas books & kinetic sand
Paula D says
Art supplies and books for kids. Always books. And a cool peace t-shirt.
Tiffany G says
The Schleich Playset is such a good quality toy
Alayne Langford says
I love the Storytime projector and Art Supplies always go over well with my grandchildren!
Maritess S says
Second to experience gifts, I really like subscription boxes because the gift extends beyond the Holidays.
tiffany cheung says
The klask game looks cool! Just added to my daughter’s wishlist!
Helga says
The Storypod would be a welcome gift for my niece.
Donna L. says
I like the Storypod gift idea.
Kara Marks says
I love the kinetic sand and the storytime projector.
Elaine G says
I like the board game, the globe and the storybook projector
Beth T. says
The baking book sounds really fun. I have a selfie ring already headed my way.
Rosanne Robinson says
Great guide list! A few of my favourites are the dducational board games, kinetic sand, colour printer, hooded bathrobe, & the inspirational t-shirt.
Monique L.S. says
I like the Kinetic Sand, Art Supplies and the Wireless Earbuds.
Lisa Marz says
I love all the educational gift ideas
Mary W says
The kids are really getting into cooking lately so the The Ultimate Kids’ Baking Book is a perfect gift for them. They would love Kermit too. Doesn’t everyone?
Tammy S says
My daughter would love the graphic tees and the wireless earbuds.
Anne says
Educational board games, retro toys, color printer and art supplies
Marisela Zuniga says
The hooded bathrobes look so cute
Rebecca Dwelle says
My nephews would like the kinetic sand. My sons would love a new pair of earbuds.
Nancy says
These are fun gift ideas for kids and teens. I like the gifts of art supplies, dress up imaginative play, inspirational t-shirt, and the baking book.
Alicia Buckingham says
The Story pod, storytime projector, and kinetic sand are perfect! Kids would love these!
Barrie says
I love the ideas for kids. I miss having younger kids in the family. I love the projector for stories and the kinetic sand.
Samantha J says
The art supplies and robes are really great ideas!
Lynda Cook says
That Little Passports is so awesome, and I love everything in this group, so many amazing gift ideas for the kids!
Debbie S. says
The Storypod screen-free audio learning system looks really cool. My grandchildren would also love art supplies.
Julia Wilkie says
I saw a few things the grandkids would like.
bbrepagi says
Miaj genevoj ĝuus ĉiujn ĉi donacojn!
Shirley O says
So many wonderful gift ideas listed here.The Schleich Playset is super cute and the board games are always a hit over the Holidays.
Cynthia C says
The Kwik Stix and Kinetic Sand would be hits with the kids in my family.
Leela says
I like the Schleich Horse Club Lakeside Country House and Stable and Learning Resources Puzzle Globe.
Ann Fantom says
I like the Schleich Playsets
MICHAEL A LAW says
My picks would be the KINETIC SAND and INSPIRATIONAL T-SHIRT.
Cher says
Wow! These gift ideas are great. I love the kinetic sand and the Kermit the frog.
Regina says
I like the art supplies and baking book.
Amanda Masters says
My teen would love the wireless ear buds and my youngest is all about playing and learning. He would love the board games and kinetic sand.
Kristen Visser says
my favorite is the kinetic sand and squishies
Nancy says
I love the KWIK STIX TEMPERA PAINT STICKS and the colour printer.
Juliee Fitze says
My granddaughter loves KINETIC SAND and would like more of it plus any off the creative kits.
Florence Cochrane says
The selfie ring and ear buds would be perfect for my granddaughter
Florence Cochrane says
My granddaughter would love that selfie ring or the ear buds. Great ideas.
Renee T says
All are great ideas. The wireless headphones are a great idea though for anyone.
Mari says
Shadow puppets gift was different
Helen Xie says
Very nice iHeart art packages. Great way to kill some spare time
Lisa Vance says
I think the KINETIC SAND and ART SUPPLIES would be great to entertain some kiddos.
Janet M says
I like the Let’s Imagine book and the iHeart art packages. I was looking for a craft package and this one is great.
elizabeth miller says
The Klask game is really cool. My grandsons would love that . As for the lego, my granddaughter loves them.
Natalie Lebeau says
That Klask game looks like a hoot and a great way to bond, literally! Haha 😆
Barbara Platt says
Board games are a great kids gift that can bring a family together
Cutie Pie says
Storytelling Classical Music in a great idea to get kids into classical music, and Catan is such a fun game!
Marlene V. says
I think the KINETIC SAND would be a fun gift!
Marlene V. says
What a great and fun gift the KINETIC SAND would be!
Shannon Shark says
Books, art supplies, and paint sticks are a great gift idea for kids who love drawing, painting, and creating.
Rhonda Struthers says
The colour printer and selfie ring lights are great for teens
Amy W says
Good gifts for young kids, the robes are adorable. I think the best gift for teens is giftcards to places that are personal enough to show you know them but allow for their own independent choices. The wireless headphones are a great idea though for anyone.
Carole D says
THE ULTIMATE KIDS’ BAKING BOOK and the COLOR PRINTER would make wonderful gift for my granddaughters
Dee | GrammysGrid.com says
I like the sand, art supplies too are always a win-win.
Arthur Otsuka says
Many gift ideas for all ages. There should be something to please the hard to satisfy.
mami2jcn says
My daughter would enjoy the Schleich Horse Club Lakeside Country House and Stable and the art supplies.
Dot Mann says
Awesome ideas
Shirley says
A printer would make an awesome gift
Mikhail Rapoport says
I think that the Schleich Horse Club Lakeside Country House and Expression Small-in-One Printer are great gift ideas. Overall, good suggestions.
KayJay says
My kid loves kinetic sand – and it’s pretty inexpensive.
Anthony says
I like Klask and the kinetic sand.
SARA says
Thank you so much for the ideas! Kids are easy, teens are impossible.
wendy hutton says
SCHLEICH PLAYSET and the printer would be amazing gifts
Fredrick Pauly says
My kids would like KLASK – MAGNETIC GAME OF SKILL or wireless earbuds.
heather says
I love the books and art supplies gift idea for the teens this year.
Sandra Dufoe says
Art supplies and wireless ear buds are always a great gift idea for the kids.
Jessyneil says
So many great ideas for my niece and nephews here!
Julie F says
Love the Kwik Stix paint sticks, the Ultimate Kids Baking Book and the Kinetic Sand