clutter free gifts

Clutter-free Christmas list for children

Oct 27, 2017 - Christmas , Recommendations , Toys - By Carine Robin

Are you dreading the number of toys your children will receive this Christmas?

I do!

I don't want them to receive lots of toys they might or might not play with. I don't want to have to deal with the amount of wrapping papers and empty boxes.

I don't want to add more clutter to my house and especially to their "small" bedrooms. Seriously, my children are 5 and 9 and they have toys to last a lifetime.

So here my clutter-free gifts list, of course with a Montessori twist!

  • Playdough : possibly home-made in cute little jars that you have recycled or can reuse later.
  • Good quality art material : we never have enough of paints, pencils, wax crayons and chalks in our house! Sketch pads and good quality paper.
  • Sticker: stickers and more stickers and sticker books
  • Recipes and ingredients included to cook and bake during the holidays. There are some ready-made boxes such as this one
  • Clothes: yes we always ask for clothes as gifts especially from grandparents because they have very good taste and my children love those gifts
  • My children are now in the Elementary years, so they like the " activity gifts " so tickets for a movie, circus show or anything like that will please them.
  • Classes : why not asking your family to offer the swimming lessons? The horse riding session? The toddler group sessions? Honestly, if your toddler is under 5, he will be happy to open one or two gifts and enjoy those activities! Take pictures of your child enjoying the class and make a little photo album for the generous contributor.
  • Membership for the local farm, museum or indoor play centre (and you can invite whoever offered this on a regular basis)
  • I include anything from the charity shops that will go back to the charity shops after use. It works well if your child is under the age of 3 as they probably will not remember that specific jigsaw, stacking toy and so on. I used to buy good toys but cheap in charity shops and gave them back when my children were done with those toys. Check my post about Montessori inspired toys and material in Charity shops.
  • Donations : if your children are older, why not asking them to not having toys but donate to a charity instead? My son went to a birthday party recently and we donated to two associations instead of offering gifts. Oxfam does great gifts donations.
  • Bank account and stock : what about a very small gift (in term of value and space) and anything else that you and your family wanted to spend goes on a savings account? It might not be meaningful for your child now, but he will thank you when he is 18 years old!
  • A photo album : how many times do you sit down to watch photos with your child? Make an album now to enjoy together.
  • A photo calendar : make a calendar with family pictures and offer it to your child to start the year! My children love to write their own activity, to tick the day when it's over. Children like routine and being aware of what's going on.
  • Candle making set : if you like to burn candles in your house, make natural candles with the children and use them.
  • Kits to make gifts : like coasters to decorate, calendars to decorate, keyrings to decorate. Make the gifts, offer the gifts (grand-parents are generally very keen).
  • Useful gifts : we love magnets in our house and we play and use them on our fridge.
  • Bath products : as my children are getting older, they love bath products. We choose them non toxic and eco friendly .
  • Ask family members to participate in one big gift : you want to offer a bike, a wobble board, a playhouse for the garden but it's pricey: pool up together for a big gift! I still remember to these days that everyone in my family participated to buy me my bike and my music player!

Do you have any other ideas? Share in a comment!

Need more ideas? Check the gift lists here.

This year, I have created a box of Montessori activities for Christmas!

Have a look and order it now to receive it before the Holidays!

Discover our Montessori Christmas box! Montessori Christmas Box

Plenty of activities and craft for the holidays!

Are you unsure what activities are appropriate? How best to present them to your child?

LEARN MORE
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About the Author: Carine Robin is a qualified and experienced Montessori teacher and founder of The Montessori Family. With over 15 years of experience, Carine offers a blend of professional insight and personal understanding as a mother of two and qualified child psychologist. Inspired by the success of her Montessori subscription box, she created The Montessori Family to provide a comprehensive resource for parents and teachers globally. This platform aims to support child growth and well-being through curated educational activities. Additionally, Carine maintains the UK's most popular Montessori blog and administers the largest Montessori UK Facebook group, making her a central figure in the Montessori community.

Carine Robin
Comments (13)

Joanna Bayford

Oct. 27, 2017, 6:11 p.m.

Great ideas my sons birthday is close to Christmas so we end up with double the amount of toys and I find i have to have a big clear out beforehand.

Laura - Dear Bear and Beany

Oct. 27, 2017, 8:52 p.m.

Great ideas! We often ask grandparents to buy a membership for somewhere local that we can use all year round, this is a brilliant gift!

Katy Stevens

Oct. 28, 2017, 7:18 a.m.

There are some fantastic ideas here! Especially the bank account and stocks one!

Alexia Browning

Oct. 28, 2017, 8:04 a.m.

This is spot on advice! I felt like this for my daughter’s birthday, so family clubbed together to give her a princess makeover experience. She loved it and she really didn’t need any more toys!
A friend also gave her a llama walking experience! Love it!

Charlotte

Oct. 28, 2017, 6:59 p.m.

this is so good! I love how thoughtful people are but we don’t have the space for all the giant gifts everyone insists on getting!

Kira

Oct. 28, 2017, 11:31 p.m.

Some great ideas . We got a national trust family pass once – was the best present !

sarah (theparentingtrials)

Oct. 29, 2017, 9:36 a.m.

aww i love some of these, especially the classes and membership ideas. such a great alternative.

tots2travel

Oct. 29, 2017, 11:19 a.m.

Products that they love but can use are a good idea. As you say bath products perhaps in a Paw Patrol theme or something along those lines,

Cathy Glynn

Oct. 29, 2017, 5:45 p.m.

Some really good ideas. Gee loves what I call rubbish and won’t let go of it, even though it’s probably not age appropriate x

five little doves

Oct. 29, 2017, 6:32 p.m.

What a fab idea! I’m dreading Christmas to be honest, the kids already have SO much stuff! These are great gift ideas!

Kara

Oct. 31, 2017, 12:36 p.m.

We have a very strict budget for xmas so my kids don’t get that much – we prefer to spend money on their birthdays

Emma

Oct. 31, 2017, 1:54 p.m.

I have asked for lots of playdoh, sticker books and money towards our travels next year. It can be so easy to go overboard at Christmas.

Steph

Nov. 1, 2017, 7:40 p.m.

What a fantastic list of gifts. I’m going to save this for Xmas ideas