Low Clutter, Low Cost Gift Ideas
for Preschoolers, School Aged Kids, Teenagers, and College Kids
Adapted from flylady.com
Compiled by Endangered Spaces.... restoring order to families
Preschoolers
- Read aloud a favorite children's book onto a tape and give the tape to the child. They love to listen over
and over again.
- Buy a membership or class tuition to the local children's museum, zoo, gymnastics classes, music classes,
and swimming lessons. Most places have information on their website (including membership applications).
- Savings Bonds.
- Cookies of the month from Grandma, sidewalk chalk, crayons, paper, etc.
- Mommy & me classes. A great opportunity to introduce little ones to music or art or dance, etc.
- Time. Toddlers don't need tons of toys, they need attention! The gift of time spent with others besides
the primary caretaker is so beneficial to children because they are broadening their horizons. Get down on
your hands and knees, at their level and do puzzles, play with their cars, color with them, play house, take
them to the park or a special place. What a wonderful gift to give!
- An ABC album. Take extra pictures I of the child and incorporated it into a 5x7 album. Each letter page
has a picture of him and drawings or stickers that begin with that letter.
- Unadorned sugar cookies, icing and sprinkles so they can decorate the cookies. Also fun bubble bath and
foam soap.
- A suitcase of dress-up clothes, beads, and high heel shoes from yard sales.
- Puppet washcloths
- Gifts for infants are really gifts for parents, right? Get a load of pampers and baby wipes (plus some
nice small relaxing bath soak or chocolate for the parents themselves).
- A small children's photo brag book of all the immediate family members’ pictures so he can carry this book
with him everywhere he goes.
- "A Day at ______'s House." This included one full day for my preschooler to spend at her friend's house
- morning play, lunch, movie & popcorn, and then our families reunite for dinner made by my friend and her
husband.
- "I Spy" place mats made together. We clipped a wide assortment of pictures from magazines, found
inexpensive stickers, and used Internet clip art as a resource, as well. Then I let my daughter go wild
with a clear glue stick and large sheets of paper, creating collages with all of the little pictures. After
she made the collages, I wrote a simple "I Spy" rhyming riddle to go with each one, similar to those in the
book series. We printed the riddles and glued them onto the collage papers. After that, all I had to do was
laminate the large papers to turn them into personalized place mats. My daughter was very proud to tell
her friends that she made them herself.
- I am going to buy some of my favorite books and make a tape of me reading them (including a bell or ding to
cue the page turning). This is great from grandparents and relatives who live far away.
- Gifts that include cheap craft supplies. Little things that can be glued onto a paper bag (glitter, feathers,
scraps of yarn, fabric), some paper bags, a tube of glue, all wrapped in a bow. It translates into something
consumable as well as a time filler for me!
- My kids love to get "mail". They gloat over a piece of junk mail. They would simply love a magazine geared
to them--Highlights, Ranger Rick, Ladybug.
School-Aged Children
- Money toward a college fund.
- A year's family membership to our local science center. It has given us many hours of fun, educational
time together.
- Art / craft and bath supplies! Journals and unique pens, colored pencils and oil pastels w/ sketch pads,
sewing/ building kits that actually make a usable item like a storage box, scarf, hat, gloves, purse,
birdhouse / feeder,
- A "ticket" to a sports game with their uncle. They each got to pick which home game they wanted to go to
and they also each had to pick a different game so that it would be individual time with uncle, too. He made
the "tickets" on the computer and I wrapped each one separately, then we had the boys open them all at
the same time. They were so excited, and I know they got more enjoyment out of their date with uncle.
- A movie gift certificate, a gift card for an upcoming sports event or concert, or even money for a "special
event" (which wasn't already planned).
- New hiking shoes and some trail maps-then head out with him. Get new suits and goggles and a YMCA pass.
Surfing, racquetball, kite flying, long boarding, snowshoeing, etc. The options are endless.
- A new comforter and two fluffy pillows.
- So many people don't realize that just after the New Year, the second term of school begins for kids. A
great clutter free gift is school supplies! They are consumable and by halfway through the year, most kids
need more.
- A trip to the beauty salon...she had her nails, toes, and hair done...she's quite the girlie girl and loves to be
"made-up".
- A disposable camera & a gift card in the amount to get it developed-it's inexpensive and kids love to take
pictures.
- Painting my 13 year olds bedroom. The rest of her presents are the accessories that go with the new paint
job such as a bulletin board for her wall, a pretty mirror above her dresser, a new valance for her window
that matches her bedspread, etc. She gets to pick out the colors and designs for everything. Also, when we
put her things back into her room, the clutter will not return.
- Gift certificates for things like an ice cream cone, hamburger, etc.
- A certificate saying that they were invited to a Safari overnight party at my house in January. I had
explained to the parents beforehand that I was trying to give non-material gifts this year. The boys
weren't overly excited upon opening the gift but they sure enjoyed the overnight party! We ate camping
food (hot dogs, etc.) and each one got a flashlight to go on our after-dark neighborhood walk, looking for
wild animals. They just happened to each find a small toy animal (I had previously hidden) while we were on
our safari. We had bedtime stories around my living fireplace (our campfire) and they all slept in sleeping
bags on the carpet.
- Sponsor a child in need in the child’s name.
- Classes for children-art, basketball, volleyball, drama, swimming,etc.
- Some tools for his tool box and invited him to my house to build something like a shelf, or stand-up puppet
theatre so they could re-use a lot of their own stuff making puppets.
- Framing a child's artwork makes them feel so proud. I have used small photo frames and cropped artwork
and also large frames for the wall.
- We got our hair trimmed, had a "girlie" lunch, then had our nails done.
- Cheer leading lessons and karate lessons during the after school time.
- Smell good stuff --- bath soap, shampoo, perfumes, lip gloss, powder, etc.
- A book light and gift card to a local book store to pick out a new book. The kids love shopping for
themselves, and books are a wonderful gift, plus the book light has been used many times, especially for
long car rides which stretch into the evening.
- Take the child on a "date"! Out for a movie, dinner, shopping for a new book (that can later be donated to
her school Library!) and one of those special "Mall" cookies/pretzels and a hot chocolate!,,Box like thing
that is a clipboard. We filled it with paper, colored pencils, crayons and water colors. Kids love to do art
projects- having it in it's own spot that the child can carry to the TV or in the car keeps messes to a
minimum!
- Give students the gift of tickets to local theatre or musical performances.
- A gift card to the local bowling alley. He loved being able to take a few friends out for a fun activity. I
liked the fact that the gift was consumable, nothing to dust or find a place for and most of all, it was
FUN!
- This isn't 100% clutter-free, but gifts like working models, robot kits, working car kits, &, etc, can do
triple duty, if your children like to make things. They spend time making the toy, and playing with it, and,
my kids are always so proud of toys that they build themselves, they take special care of them.
Teenagers and College Kids
- Gift certificates from an auto supply store, or a AAA auto club membership. No more worrying about them
being stuck at the side of the road and not able to get help.
- The Girlfriends Lifeline Calendar. I gave one to my daughter- just starting high school; she rolled her
eyes at me until she opened the calendar and started reading all the fun tips. Before I knew it she had
stickers everywhere she needed them. Best of all, she updates it without MY reminders.
- Gift certificates for hair, nails, spa services, make up and make up lessons. This would be especially
appreciated if they can be held to use when getting ready for the prom! They deserve to be pampered too,
and there's no clutter!
- I give the teenagers on my list gift certificates to either the movies, the mall or to the gas station.
- For my college-age niece, a collection of keep-a-cold-at-bay supplies: zinc lozenges, packets of vitamin C
powder, instant chicken soup, etc. & a file card of reminders of how/when to use("take at first throat
tickle, etc."). Can put these in a plastic lidded tub or one of those good looking photo boxes.
- Pre-paid phone cards for college students.
- Depending on their interests give an annual membership to a gym or the Arts, movie tickets, gift
certificates to their favorite restaurant, and most teens would LOVE a gift certificate to get some new
clothes. (Offer to pick up their old clothes & bring them to Good Will!) A very fun idea is to take the teen
for a makeover followed by updating their wardrobe with new classics and tossing the old.
- We gave our college-student daughter a six-month supply of the disposable contact lenses she uses. She
hates her glasses, but couldn't find the money in her budget to keep up her contact lens habit! To "jazz"
the gift up a bit, I bought a small case (available in the vision department of Wal-Mart where I bought
the contact lenses) for her purse or backpack that had room in it for one set of contact lenses and a small
vial of solution. She loved the gift!
- A "5-pack," or 5 day, ski pass to a ski area.
- "Consumables" -- movie tickets, certificates to restaurants, sporting event tickets, concert tickets, and
so on. (Be sure to get TWO or more so he can take a friend.)
- A disposable camera to take to sports events and concerts. That way she doesn't have to worry about
losing her good camera in all the confusion.
- Donation to a charitable campaign in their honor (especially if their name will be permanently recognized in
a public place such as a museum or sports arena or school)
- A recipe box (I'm buying the box and the index cards, and printing out the recipes) with family favorites
and quick simple recipes. A gift from the heart that will keep on growing with them all their lives, and can
even pass on someday to their children.
- The gift of a little organization. Many university students are notoriously messy and disorganized. They
don't want to be, but schoolwork makes them overwhelmed.
- If your teen is dating give him a "date kit" with movie tickets, gas money, a restaurant certificate, and a
watch (so he doesn't have an excuse to be late for curfew!)
- Lessons! All those great art lessons, guitar lessons, tennis lessons...etc.
- I gave a toolbox & every birthday & Christmas added tools to the box. They love using the tools as they
- For college students, a roll of quarters makes a wonderful gift.
- We got our teen stock in the company that owns "the Hard Rock Cafe". She thought that was soooo coool.
- We gave our teen-aged nephew a battery re-loader and reload able batteries. He said it was a great
present.
- A tool box with hammer and screwdriver set and other basic tools - I was the only girl in my dormitory to
have this with her upon arrival and it came in very handy. Made lots of friends right away!!
- We gave a bike- riding nephew a large reflective ( so people can see him better at night) tape band. ( the
kind that sticks on to clothes) He still has some and still uses it, this is 10 years ago now.
- A "find the key with a whistle gadget..." She now got her best friends the same thing!
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