100+ Consumable Gifts for Kids

For the last several years, we’ve done consumable gifts and experience gifts for our kids’ big holiday present. With lots of little kids, I feel like we have more than enough toys and activities and don’t need much more. We’ll still do a game or educational activity we can do as a family (and books, of course!), but I really prefer to gift experiences and consumable items when possible.

I’m sharing 50+ ideas for gifts that can be used creatively and consumed, but won’t sit around your house for forever. They also won’t put a bunch of plastic in landfills once you’re done using them. And stay tuned for lots of experience gift ideas coming soon!

I love that these creative gifts allow hours of independent or group play and also get used up. I hope they’re helpful for you, too!

This post about consumable gifts for kids 2020 contains affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% my own. That means I earn a small commission if you purchase through my link, but doesn’t change your price.

Best Art Kits For Kids

Art kits are a wonderful way to have all the materials you need in one shot, without having to purchase a bunch of individual items. It gives you the right proportions so you don’t have a ton extra of one thing. They make great gifts or are perfect for pulling out for a creative, indoor day.

Some of these are completely consumable, while others have reusable supplies or supplies to make little gifts to give away. These are some of our favorites!

• Bead Pets
  • Someone got these for one of our kiddos’ birthdays this year and he has loved making them for his siblings and friends!
• Spirograph
  • Such a classic and perfect for making design after design.
• Wood Burning Kit
  • This is perfect for a careful older child. So unique and fun – I may get this for my 10 year old!
• Paint Your Own Tea Set
  • While you do end up with a thing at the end of this, it’s SO fun for open-ended play. And it’s even better that your child can decorate it themselves – it’s a fun and creative project PLUS an imagination-stroking toy!
• String Art
  • There are a million different iterations of string art, but here are some fun ones – yarn unicorns, star lantern, rockets.
• Magnetic Mini Tile Art
  • This is one of those gifts that we always have in a bin on hand for birthdays or other events. It’s such a fun one for multiple ages!
• Flower Necklaces
  • This is a fun way to create some jewelry, or this one uses pressed flowers!
• Aquarellum
  • This is a fun way to learn about revealing a picture and mixing paints.
• Diamond Art
  • These are a similar idea to paint by sticker, but with pretty little jewels!
• Mosaic Stickers
  • These use fun little foam stickers to create fun (like dinos) designs. These sparkly ones are on sale for about $10 for a pack of 12!
• Art Set
  • We gave this set to our daughter for her 8th birthday and she has been in LOVE with it ever since. It’s so nice to have everything beautifully contained so she can carry her supplies outside or to a different room in the house or in the RV.
• Rock Painting Kit
  • Such a fun way to decorate some outdoor treasures!
• All in One Craft Set
  • This is perfect if you want to create a nice, open-ended foundation for a craft area!
• Coloring with Clay
  • A fun mix of textures – so fun to create 3D designs!
• Learn to Sew Kit
  • I taught my older kids how to sew a button this summer, and I was surprised how much they loved it! This is great for teaching some basics.
• 3D Paint Puzzle
  • This one is great for a younger child. You can help with the puzzle, and they will love doing the painting!
• Sequin Art
  • Who can resist how beautiful and shiny these are?
• Paper Maker
  • Perfect for a kid who is interested in learning about ancient paper, or if you’re studying Ancient Egypt.
• Rainbow Scratch Paper
  • More paper, except this kind allows you to scratch it off with the included wooden stylus to reveal beautiful colors underneath! My kids have loved the mini versions of these that they’ve gotten from birthday party favors.
• Sand Art
  • Perfect for a kid that likes to be exact in their designs.

Best Science Sets for Kids

• Mind Blowing Science
  • A great first science kit, this is my favorite one for younger kiddos.
• Color Chemistry
  • We gave this to my daughter a couple years ago, and it’s so fun to do all the color experiments that were developed by real Crayola scientists!
• Terrarium
  • What kid wouldn’t like to set up their own terrarium, especially one that glows in the dark?
• Gross Science
  • Perfect for the very tactile kid. Or you could do this Glow in the Dark Slime Lab!
• Earth Science Kit
  • This one includes several different experiments, including growing crystals!
• Smithsonian Mega Science Lab
  • Great for older elementary kiddos, this one includes habitat-building and engineering.
• Soap Making Kit
  • I LOVE this dinosaur set – so many of these kits are geared to girls, but I love that this one is more unisex. Great way to combine science and crafting!
• Make Your Own Bath Bombs
  • Speaking of making bath products, my kids love bath bombs and this kit is perfect!
• National Geographic Gems
  • This gem-digging kit is perfect for any rock lovers.
• Learn & Climb Kids Science Kit
  • This one has over 60 experiments (and only requires extra common household objects). It also comes with a DVD to explain. Ages 5+.
• Bones – Dissect Owl Pellets
  • Dissect owl pellets to learn about little critters and their place in the food chain. Ages 8+.
• Test Tube Chemistry Lab
  • Perfect for ages 8+, this one teaches about states of matter through 50+ chemistry experiments.
• National Geographic Magic Chemistry Set
  • Does your kiddo love magic tricks? Learn to do them with chemistry!
• Dynamo Lab
  • Includes everything you need except for household basics, so you can do all the easy experiments like making volcanoes and lava lamps. Ages 5+.
• Lip Balm Making Set
  • A perfect way to do some little “experiments” and also have some fun lip balm at the end!
• Fossil Digging Set
  • This National Geographic one is perfect for kids ages 8+, or this dino egg excavation kit is great for kids as young as 3!
• Kids Embroidery Kit
  • Such a fun way to learn a skill!

Best Craft Supplies for Kids – How To Create an Art Cart or Art Corner at Home

We go through craft supplies like crazy over at our house. I love that they’re accessible for my kids to inspire creativity and imagination. These are all great as stocking stuffers, wrapped up together, or you could set them all up in as a craft station for a big impact holiday gift.

This art cart has been great for containing many of the supplies; it’s WAY sturdier than this style that we had in the past. It’s reasonably priced and has held up great. I love having a dedicated art area for all our supplies and for homework! Even though we don’t have a full art room, I love that we have an art corner in our playroom.

We also love these cups on hooks, as well as this bookshelf for books, craft kits, paper, etc. We also have this rug (with this rug pad) in that area, as well. Our table is out of stock, but this one is similar! I also love having a hanging wall file to contain papers. Don’t forget a trash can!

Ideas for Kids Consumable Gifts: Crafts

• Pencil Sharpener
  • Maybe my #1 favorite craft area item of all time. I love this thing dearly.
• Colored Pencils
  • Who knew I’d get picky about colored pencils? These are so much smoother and more durable than the Crayola ones (although we have a few sets of those, too).
• Markers
  • Another good basic to have. I always get the washable kind.
• Crayons
  • I like having normal crayons for my 3-year-old, and Twistables for my older kids.
• Stamp Pens
  • Stamp markers are so fun! I also like having some stamp pads and letter stamps on hand, as well.
• Watercolor Paints
  • These would be perfect when paired with this online watercolor class for kids!
• Pens & Pencils
  • Basics.
• Invisible Ink Pens
  • Speaking of pens, we put these in our kids’ stockings last year and they were a MAJOR hit.
• Tape + Dispenser
• Stapler
• Art Smocks
  • These are absolutely essential in an art area as far as I’m concerned.
• Erasers
  • It’s always nice to have some fun ones when the pencil erasers inevitably wear down.
• Compass and Protractor
  • Good for older kiddos.
• Hole Punch
  • My kids love using these for crafts or school projects.
• Scissors
• Glue and Glue Sticks
• Rulers
• White Paper and Construction Paper
• Pom Poms
• Googly Eyes
• Pipe Cleaners
• Stickers
• Stencils (or we love these letter ones!)
• Popsicle Sticks
• Sequins
• Blank Hand Puppets
  • A couple years ago, one of my daughter’s friends gave her some blank puppets for her birthday, along with sequins, pom poms, googly eyes, and a bunch of other craft supplies here on this list. It made for hours of creative and open-ended play!!
• Origami Paper (perfect with this Harry Potter origami book!)
• Washi Tape
• Glitter Glue
• Colored Felt
  • Great for so many different projects, including making clothes for the blank hand puppets above!
• Knitting Needles + Yarn
  • My oldest has been asking to learn how to knit!
• Play Dough
• Play Foam
  • Less messy and sticky than play dough, but just as satisfying to play with!
• Modeling Clay
  • This is so great for general crafting or for homeschool projects. One of our most used items for different countries like Egypt and Greece. Fun to paint, too!
• Washable Paints
• Paint Brushes
• Perler Beads & Patterns
  • My kids love making designs with these – don’t forget to get some parchment paper for the ironing!

Best Fun Activity Books

• Paint By Sticker
  • I’ve talked about these paint by sticker books endlessly because they’re just amazing. We take them on road/airplane/RV trips, in the car for errands, to church, or just use them when we need quiet indoor activities for kids.
• Mystery Mosaic
  • I love that these mystery mosaic coloring books are easy as paint by number and reveal beautiful designs. So fun!
• Tape Activity Book
  • Anyone else have a kid obsessed with tape? So fun to make designs with it!
• Extreme Stickering
  • These are so fun and great for slightly older kiddos.
• I Spy Christmas
  • Perfect for preschoolers!
• Challenging Mazes
  • Great to give a challenge to older elementary and middle schoolers!
• Harry Potter Origami
  • Can’t go wrong with Harry Potter!
• Human Body Activity Book
  • Learning is fun as you figure out the purpose of different parts of the body. My 7 year old flew through this one!
• Awesome Engineering Activities
  • So many amazing projects!
• Backyard Bug Book
  • Great for preschool age!
• First Book of Knots
  • Perfect for the outdoorsy kid in your life.
• 50 States Activity Book
  • Such a fun one for road trips!
• Adventure Girls!
  • Great for getting girls especially outdoors in nature.
• Water Wow
  • Perfect for really young kiddos, these make zero mess!

Find lots more suggestions in our Educational Activity Books for Kids post!

Consumable Food Gifts for Kids

• Candy
  • Chocolate (fancy or regular) or gummy
• Cheese
  • My kids are obsessed with brie!
• Fancy Sprinkles
  • Great for kids who enjoy baking! You could pair them with some silicone baking cups.
• Hot chocolate or herbal tea
  • Perfect for a tea party! My kids love peppermint the most.
• Baking Set
  • This one even has a turntable for a kiddo who likes to make cakes!
• Sparkling Water
  • Anyone else have kids obsessed with fizzy water? I’m thinking I’ll stick one of these in each of their stockings.
• Homemade Goodies
  • This could be anything from a favorite cookie to salted caramel sauce to homemade root beer. The sky’s the limit!
• S’mores Kit
  • My kids would love this!!
• Pizza Gift Card

Personal Care Gifts For Kids

• Bath Bomb
  • My kids ADORE bath bombs – I’m planning to put these that make a rainbow design in their stockings this year! You could also gift a bath bomb making kit.
• Body Wash + Loofah
  • This is my FAVORITE body wash that’s perfect for all ages, even little babies. It’s great for sensitive skin, smells amazing, and lasts forever. Pair it with a loofah in a favorite color.
• Bubble Bath
  • Always a hit!
• Bath Crayons or Finger Paint
  • Bath time becomes an activity with bath crayons or paint that easily washes away when you’re done. Perfect for long winter days when you’re stuck inside!
• Colored Bath Tablets
  • These make bath time so fun since they turn the water colors!
• Lotion
  • My kids always get super dry skin in the wintertime so it’s nice to have some good lotion available. I love this one that goes along with the body wash for a consistent and relaxing scent. This all-over ointment is also great, and my toddler especially loves getting lotion put on him after a bath.
• Lip Balm
  • Why are kids so obsessed with lip balm? I’ll never know, but this is always the BIGGEST hit in our kids’ stockings. Bonus points if they’re fun flavors.
• Mini Hand Sanitizer
  • Anything mini is automatically fun, and hand sanitizer is especially useful right now. Get one with a cute cover to attach to a backpack.
• Candles
  • Even my kiddos love a yummy smelling candle in the house. This is one of my absolute favorites scents!
• Nail Polish (or certificate for a manicure)

Other Consumable Gifts for Kids

• Personalized Stationery
  • This is a great way to practice some writing skills!
• Personalized Book Labels
  • How cute are these little book labels? Perfect for labeling books and helping develop a love for them!
• Address Stamper
  • Perfect to go along with the stationery to encourage letter writing to grandparents, relatives, or friends!

Have you done any of these for gifts before? I’d love to hear how it went!

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