DIY Learning Gifts
Trying to think of a creative gift idea for a science-loving kid? How about a DIY learning kit? My children are fortunate to have many toys. I’ve realized over the years that they quickly get overwhelmed by vast piles of toys and I struggle to maintain the home when we have too much clutter, so I’m cautious about what we bring into our home. If you celebrate Christmas, societal pressure to give MORE MORE MORE can be intense. But I truly believe a thoughtful gift means far more than several inexpensive toys that quickly end up buried in the toy bin.
A DIY science or art kit can be a wonderful creative gift. It’s often hard for parents to make time for activities that requiring compiling a lot of materials. Yet, these activities can be so engaging for young children and create wonderful moments of quality time with a parent, as well as making learning fun! The wonderful thing about making something for your child is that you can tailor very specifically based on what you know your child likes - their favorite colors, topics, and activities. Pick something your child has an interest in and build your DIY gift around that. You can also keep waste and costs low by making use of recyclables and things from the kitchen. The gift is the labor of collecting the materials AND the time spent doing the activity with your child. Pairing with a book can round the gift out nicely too. My educational company makes science guides on lots of topics, which could be a helpful addition for building a DIY kit based on your child’s interests! I’ve included links to books and products that will help you put these kits together. If you decide to make one of these kits yourself, I really appreciate friends who use our links - we make a tiny percentage that costs you nothing, but helps our small business.
Here are a 12 learning kit ideas for different ages and preferences:
1. Slime Science Kit -
Gather all the ingredients to make slime and pick add-ins based on your child’s favorite things, such as small bug toys or sparkly glitter. Our slime science guide will give you a great background on how slime works, several recipes, and science experiments to do with the slime, and book recommendations to go with this. If you are short on time, this mix and match kit or glow in the dark kit are good choices to pair with our guide.
2. Fort Building Kit - An old sheet, clips, and a rope makes for an easy and simple fort kit, with many build options. Pair with a flashlight and favorite book to encourage a little cozy reading.
3. Little Chef Kit - Is your child interested in cooking? There are so many great cooking books for kids, even really little kids. Add a few kid-sized tools and ingredients for a recipe you know they will love to make, such as monster cookies.
4. Muddy Fun Kit -
If your kid loves muddy play, gather supplies to do mud painting and make mud pies, or set up a mud kitchen outdoors! Our Dirt: Dig In guide has great instructions on how to have a lot of fun with mud.
5. My First Science Kit - Select an introductory science book and gather materials for a few of the experiments. A few jars, food coloring, and a bit of baking soda and vinegar are always a hit!
6. Eco-Warrior Kit -
A book about climate change paired with our carbon cycle game and an eco-friendly cup could be perfect for budding environmentalists.
7. Cardboard Creations Kit - The box is usually the best part of gifts for kids, right? Lean into that and gift your child a book for inspiring creative building with cardboard, some special cutting tools, colorful duct tape, and a few pieces of cardboard to get started.
8. Bug Explorers Kit -
A magnifying glass, tweezers, and a jar could pair well with a book or two about bugs. You could also pair with our worm activity guide or Dirt: Living Earth, which is all about creatures that live in the soil.
9. Shadow Puppet Set - Print a few animal shapes and trace them onto cereal boxes. Glue onto a popsicle stick. A flashlight and sheet completes the kit.
10. Tinker Kit -
Recyclables such as straws, clips, and popsicle sticks are transformed into building materials when they are organized into a kit. Add a few DIY building challenge cards to get kids started.
11. Rocket Science Kit - Bottles, straws, vinegar, and baking soda will get your pretty far on this DIY engineering kit idea.
12. Zentagle Art Kit - New markers and an instruction book about making zentangle drawings.
I hope this inspires some learning fun gifts for you. We are constantly adding more hands-on fun learning guides to our store, be sure to check back frequently!
