educational gifts

Gifts They Can Love and Learn

Full Disclosure: These are affiliate links for the companies and items I have personally used and love. 


Gifts your kids can unwrap, resources for you (for them), and virtual ones for instant access!


We are a family of unschoolers - regardless of what your schooling style is, if you are looking to create more life-long learning, you can read more about educational alternatives and resources here.


Namaste Personality Snapshots

I feel this is one of the most powerful things you can do for your family and better understanding one another.  


This is the core foundational component for all of my coaching, and this is something you can do with your children to really have some quality time that is all about them!


Based on the DISC Personality profiles, I've used these in business for the past 15 years - and now I've created some variations to walk you through understanding yourself - and your family - better. My forte is working with families to help identify how the uniqueness in each of us strengthens all of us, and a great starter for this is the Family Portrait Sessions if you want some 1-1 coaching with your family about these results and how to best apply them.  

 

Explore the Namaste Personality Snapshots Here


Here is your curated list of gifts for your children that may be a bit out of the box for some practical, educational, and fun gifts for kids!

  • Toys and More
  • Books
  • Games
  • Apps
  • Movies
  • Music

So often we just go to toys for gifts for our kids, but I know my kids love getting other items that may be "grown up" as well. So while I may add some toys in here, more than that are practical/useful gifts that help kids take ownership of all the things they may need/want, plus fun things for the whole family!


Universal Yums


This is a monthly box subscription we absolutely love. There are so many cool ones out there, and this one lets us not only taste food from around the world, but also educated us on the culture, back stories on the foods, and more facts and insights into the different countries. Super educational and so fun to try! Click the link above for $5 off your first box.


Magnatiles


We LOVE Magnatiles - like legos, they keep kids of all ages entertained. Yet unlike legos, they don't get lost on the floor and take out a portion of your bone when stepped on. Plus, you can hide lights inside for some fun lanterns!


Moon Lamp


This was a sweet gift my brother got us, with the great idea to get something for his kids AND their cousins. It's fun to have matching gifts, so we started this tradition of sharing those special things - the gift we're excited about giving our own family we do a duplicate for his! These moon lamps have been great for a nightlight, and also have come in handy when our power has gone out! It's great for ambient lighting and pretty sturdy.


CamelBak Water Pack


These so come in handy for hiking - not just in the woods, but in the city! They saved us in the heat of Washington, DC, and are so much easier than lugging around water bottles for everyone!

 


Cooling Towels


We love having cooling towels for hot days and hikes - it really helps our youngest children manage the heat and keep moving. There are a ton of options out there, and I haven't really found a lame one - so pick a towel that works for you - these come with their own storage bags!

 


Waterproof Walkie Talkies


These have been fabulous - we use them while I direct Nathan on backing into campsites, and all the girls have one whenever they are out of our site. This allows them the freedom to run around the campground without us worrying about where they are.


These are waterproof, have a long range (although 35 miles is a stretch), and have been wonderful to have on hand for all the places where we are out of cell service. 


Inflatable PaddleBoard


This is a bit more of a family investment, but we have loved our inflatable paddleboard. Costco will often have a great deal on these, so if you're a member, check them out there. The inflatable option is still super sturdy and doesn't take up as much space as a traditional SUP. 


Backflow Incense Burner


Not a toy, you say? Yes, you're right. Kids can burn their fingers on the incense! However...my kids love ours - it's fascinating to watch, and since you have to stay super still to keep the smoke flowing, it's a perfect 5-10 minute meditation. Light one of these and let your children just watch the flow and have some zen time - it's pretty mesmerizing!


Car Seat Organizers


Okay, so this may not be a toy, but my girls were thrilled to have their own organizers in the car to put their things for travel days and keep it all from just falling to the floor. Sometimes we need to look beyond toys and give our kids other resources that are helpful! 


Headphones


I love these headphones for how well they work, plus the fact that they have sharing ports, so you can plug one into the other so kids can listen to the same thing - that has been the biggest frustration with headphones - only having one kiddo able to listen at a time.


Buddha Board


I absolutely love our Buddha board - it has been great for a minimalist lifestyle - instead of a ton of markers and crayons and scrap papers half scribbled on, we have the Buddha board out all the time for any of the family to doodle on. It allows for a creative outlet without using up so many resources and space.


Tongue Drum


Here is a bit more affordable option, although in our home we love the Hapi brand tongue drums. If you're wondering about a musical instrument for your kiddo but not sure what you want to be stuck listening to, get a tongue drum! It's hard to make them sound bad. Even a toddler can make beautiful music, and it's so soothing and melodic you can get into a trance just playing!


Tibetan Singing Bowl Set: Meditation Sound Bowl from Nepal for Healing and Mindfulness


This is another great music idea for children. It's portable, fancy, and makes a beautiful sound. Go beyond a drum set or flute and get something fun and zen-like for the whole family!


Hippie Hoopla


Okay, so this isn't really a toy, but it's a gift for a kiddo they will love - jewelry that makes them all "grown up"! Our whole family wears amber necklaces, and I have to attest to their healing qualities as well as their cool factor. We love ours. 


This is another fulltime traveling family, and Michelle knows her stuff about amber and hazelwood. We love supporting her biz and learning about these natural elements! (Use the code "NAMASTE" for 10% off!)



Educational Resources


When it comes to education, here are some hand-picked resources to help you - and your child - navigate, learn and grow together! And, if you aren't much of a reader (or your child isn't), we are huge fans of Audible and using audiobooks - many of these books were listened to rather than read in our home!

  • For Kids
  • For Parents
  • The Birds and the Bees
  • Documentaries

8. Life of Fred Math Series

The idea behind Life of Fred is that if students have an enjoyable experience and have fun doing their math, they will remember it and use it and have a good taste in their math about the whole subject.

The sub-title on each of his math books is "As Serious As it Needs to Be". And that is just the point: math doesn't need to be horrid and dry. This is math - just as serious as it needs to be - and I can tell you from my child's smiles and chuckles, that's not very serious at all!

As a bonus, these books are very low priced compared to any other math books on the market. If you have a creative child who dreads math, check out these stories and see if it engages them!


9.  Financial Peace Junior

This is not a quick "get the kids to bed" book. However, my girls love them and they really helped for them to understand how to give, spend and save and the importance of all of them.

This is an excellent resource for teaching kids not just about money, but breaking it down to our relationship with it and how you can use it for good; looking at investing, giving, saving and spending.    


11. What Your Kindergartner Needs To Know

If you're curious what other kids your child's age may be learning, this series is a great "cliffs notes" version. I've found these helpful so our kids know what others are talking about and to just give an overview of their peers. 

As an unschooling family, we aren't concerned that they have every single thing covered and memorized, so this just gives us a great overview of what other kids know in each grade.  


12. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy                Lessons

Before all the newfangled apps and goodness, this was the book I started with my oldest. It is broken down in such a basic way that kids really pick up the concept behind sounding the words out vs. simply trying to memorize it all. The script gets a bit tedious and old, so I used this as a basis to get us rolling, and then we skipped through and my daughter did a lot on her own. This really helps to lay the foundation of helping them sound out the individual letters to make words - don't get stuck on the details, but work to set the framework and have fun with it!



This is the tip of the iceberg on tips and resources we've found that are great for our unschooling, minimalist, gypsy lifestyle. I know this will continue to grow, and you can always reach out to me at [email protected] with your questions!