With the holidays quickly approaching, you may be feeling overwhelmed as gift expenses pile up and take a toll on your bank account. Luckily, a mother has shared her list of thoughtful holiday gifts you can get for your kids this year that will barely cost you a dime.
Her thoughtful gift ideas that are completely free or actually affordable come at just the right time, considering a recent survey found that nearly half (47%) of U.S. adults expect to go into debt instead of curbing holiday spending. The thing is, everyone wants a little joy. We are all looking forward to celebrating, and no one wants to give that up. Despite economic turmoil, they shouldn’t have to.
A mom shared 9 holiday gift ideas for kids that are free or actually affordable:
Social media mom influencer Hannah shared tips that will surely make parents’ lives easier this holiday season. In her video, Hannah described an urge that many parents experience as Christmas draws closer, referred to as “the twitch,” which has them feeling compelled to buy even more gifts for their children, even after they’ve completed their shopping.
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Considering that most parents also have to buy gifts for people other than their children, gift budgets can easily get blown. Since most kids barely engage with half the gifts they get, sometimes just days after the holidays, it makes sense to start thinking outside the box about what and how much they get. Hannah shared easy and extremely cheap gifts that could save you money this year without kids even noticing.
1. Time-tokens
This gift is completely free and entirely handmade. Hannah explained that “time tokens” act as coupons or gift certificates that your kids can cash in for time with their parents. “This could be something like baking cakes with mommy or a coffee date with daddy, kick around in the park, or a movie night together,” she said. “It’s something your kids look forward to.”
2. Bedroom art
Hannah suggested that parents design their own art for their children’s bedrooms. “I did this for me for my little girl’s room since she’s obsessed with pandas,” Hannah said.
All she did was create panda prints for her bedroom wall on the free digital art platform Canva. “It’s super easy, completely free, and she absolutely loves them.”
3. Write a letter
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Another meaningful free gift Hannah recommended is writing a letter for your children. The letter could recap everything you have done together with your kids during the year and emphasize your pride in them, along with all of the things they have accomplished. “That could be a really special thing for a child to read,” she said.
4. Charity vouchers
“I used to ask a lot for these as a kid,” Hannah revealed. She explained that various charities offer people the option to donate items to whatever foundation the charity supports. “It could be something like a midwife kit so that babies could be born safely in places where they don’t have adequate healthcare … or it could be chickens for a family in a rural area to help them start their own farm,” Hannah shared. She suggested googling charity vouchers to find one your child may like to contribute to.
5. Online workshops
Hannah recommended that parents create their own online workshops for their children that incorporate hobbies that they enjoy doing. “My kids do quite a lot of these as part of their home education,” she said. “Kids can learn how to code their own Roblox game, they can learn how to do French rotisserie cooking, they can do a session on how to identify venomous snakes, as well as things like art, sculpting, and singing.”
In addition to being a great gift, Hannah said that online workshops are fun and educational, allowing children to pursue their interests. Besides, experience gifts are what everyone remembers.
6. Make a scrapbook
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Similar to a letter, Hannah suggested gifting your children a scrapbook. The scrapbook can be composed of photos or any other tokens, such as ticket stubs or any other item that is attached to a memory from the year. “It’s a great way to record memories and kids will love looking through what they’ve done,” she says.
7. Subscribe to a membership service
Instead of gifting your children toys once a year that they’re bound to forget, Hannah advised getting them a membership to something they’re interested in. “Having a membership is a really good idea because it means you’ll get something throughout the year,” she said. Memberships include recipe kits or even magazine subscriptions.
8. A day out
Hannah recommended gifting your children a day out where they completely call the shots. “If there’s somewhere your kid would like to go, like a local zoo, or a soccer game, or a cinema, this could be a really lovely idea,” she said.
9. ‘Fun Jar’
Hannah’s final gift recommendation was a “fun jar,” which is an empty glass jar you could put various activities on slips of paper and place them in the jar. “This could be stuff like ‘make a LEGO mythical creature, ‘draw our family as if they had superhero powers,’ or ‘draw a comic strip,” she shared. “Just lots of different ideas so that when your kids are bored, they can go to the jar and pick something out.”
“These cheap or free Christmas gifts are thoughtful, meaningful, and valuable to kids!” Hannah captioned her video. “I think they are a great way to show your child that you really consider them, and several of them are great ways to spend time together too — which is one of the most important things about Christmas!”
So if you’re struggling with finding affordable gifts for your children this year, look no further! Hannah has you covered.
Megan Quinn is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing. She covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on justice in the workplace, personal relationships, parenting debates, and the human experience.
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