The best no toy gift guide

Take a look in your toy closet - what do you see? Or better yet, look in your toy closet, toy box, playroom, kids' room, and family room - chances are they're saturated with toys upon toys upon...wait for it...more toys (am I right?). 

Whether you're choosing a gift for your child or looking for a present for a friend's birthday or holiday, do yourself a favor and think outside the toy aisle and into more meaningful gifts, full of value and experiences.

While toys can be wonderfully engaging, fun, and even educational, we're often so inundated with "stuff" that kids don't even appreciate what they have - they feel overwhelmed or even bored with an excess amount of "stuff." So start by taking an inventory of your toys, making a pile to donate or toss, and then check out my favorite gifts that are NOT toys. 

Get a Tiny Returns custom silver bar for $39.95 - not only is it an adorable gift, but the silver is an investment because it's a commodity. Instead of an intangible stock or savings bond, let your child open a beautifully packaged gift - something they can actually hold that holds a growing value at the current market price. 

Use your Tiny Returns silver bar as an educational piece to teach them about the fundamentals of basic gain/loss with an investment as you check the fluctuation of the price of silver. Hold onto the gift to watch it grow or down the line, make an activity out of selling it to a silver company or pawn shop.

Shop now

Print off pictures and make a scrapbook for your child, adding in sweet captions to capture what you love about the memories you're including.  After gifting the photo book, you can include scrapbook stickers or markers so your kiddo can have a hand in decorating. 

Whether or not you're crafty or have talent in sewing, you can make a beautiful, comfy blanket for your child that will be cherished for years to come. I still sleep with my baby blanket my mom made for me - though sometimes I let my daughters use it, too.

Check local fabric stores for sales on fabric or let your child come with you to choose the fabric themselves! You can make a quilt, knit or crochet, or make a tie blanket that requires very little skill at all!

Give a child a gift of a fun experience with either a one-time event or membership such as:

- movie tickets
- zoo trip or membership
- Children's Museum
- waterpark (indoor or outdoor)
- painting, cooking, music, or gym class

Make an activity out of going through your family library and weeding out books you no longer read or that you've outgrown. Take them to your favorite used book store to donate or trade in for store credit. Or you can give a gift card to a bigger chain book store and take your child out for lunch and to browse new books as a fun date activity.