Clutter-Free Gift Ideas for Kids

As a family of six living in a two-bedroom apartment with less than 900 square feet, we try to limit the amount of “stuff” that comes into our home and stays. That makes coming up with gift ideas for our kids at Christmas and birthdays a challenge. Here are some great clutter-free gift ideas for kids…

As our kids have grown up (and multiplied in number), we’ve found gift giving for birthdays and Christmas to be overwhelming and a bit of a turn-off. In recent years we’ve begun to simplify our giving, and we’ve semi-adopted the “four gifts” rule: something I want, something I need, something to wear, and something to read.

Clutter-Free Gift Ideas for Kids: Something I Want

Our kids LOVE crafts and DIY, but keeping a large quantity of supplies on hand can be cumbersome when you live in a tiny space with lots of people. That’s why we LOVE having a subscription to Kiwi Crate. Each month, our 8yo gets a box will all the supplies to complete 2-3 STEAM activities/crafts as well as a magazine that encourages his love of learning.

He spends several hours putting together the kits and several days/week playing with his new creations. However, in a week or two, when the novelty has worn off, I can easily dispose of the pieces of his creations (because he’s a boy and they inevitably break or are turned into new projects) knowing that a new kit will arrive in another week or two. It’s the perfect consumable gift for kids that minimizes the amount of clutter in our home!

Check out these great gifts for kids that love to build!

Clutter-Free Gift Ideas for Kids: Something I Need

I don’t know about you, but at our house, there is an ever present pile of laundry – whether clean or dirty, folded or unfolded – and piles of laundry equals clutter. So on my 8yo’s list, I’m including a clothes storage system for keeping his clean laundry from becoming a clutter-creator. It might not be on the top of his list, but it’s definitely a need that he has!

Check out this list of active toys for ages 6-10

Clutter-Free Gift Ideas for Kids: Something to Wear

I’m not sure there’s really a clutter-free or consumable gift idea for this category, so I’m going with something that I know will be worn over and over and over again. My 8yo lives to play sports, and his favorite clothes are his athletic gear, so I’m adding a 2 piece performance athletic t-shirt and short set to his list.

Clutter-Free Gift Ideas for Kids: Something to Read

My 8yo boy isn’t a huge fan of reading unless it’s a topic he really likes. Even in our tiny space, we have hundreds of books. Books are the one gift that we always allow on our gift lists. But since I’m trying to reduce the amount of clutter in my home, I’m starting to become more of a fan of eBooks, taking advantage of the fact the each of the big kids has their own Kindle Fire.

One of my 8yo boy’s favorite series to read is the Imagination Station series from Adventures in Odyssey. Adding the newest title to his Kindle reading app is a great way to reduce clutter in our home and encourage him to read for fun!

I love these toys that have kids laughing while they learn!