Do you feel like your house is filling up with “stuff” faster than you can say “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town”? We are quickly approaching that time of year where we wrap gifts up with fancy paper, give them to our children, and then watch them fall to the wayside after a few days. If you’re tired of the stuff rut, here are some suggestions for gifting experiences rather than things for your tweens and teens.

Lessons

Have an aspiring pastry chef or BBQ enthusiast? Give him cooking lessons at the Culinary Center of Kansas City. Have someone who has always wanted to ride horses? Give her horseback riding lessons at Saddle and Sirloin. Future fashion designer? Give her sewing lessons at Harper’s. Whether it’s ballroom dancing or baseball, water color or water polo, there’s a lesson for that!

The Arts

We are extremely lucky to have such a strong and diverse arts program here in Kansas City. You can gift tickets to the museum, the opera, the ballet, or the symphony (They’re doing a Harry Potter series!). There are a number of professional theatres around town where you can buy tickets for musicals and plays, and don’t forget gifting tickets to upcoming concerts.

Sporting Events

Gifts that give you something to look forward to are double the fun to give. If your student likes winter or spring sports, grab the tickets now and put the date on the calendar. If you are more of a summer and fall sports family, give a gift voucher for a future game. Don’t forget to throw in a little extra for hot dogs and popcorn!

Kansas City Activities

There are some really unique and fun activities around Kansas City that make perfect gifts. Has your student tried an escape room? What about a group painting night? There’s go karting, mini golfing, indoor sky diving, IMAX movies, experiences at the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop, tours at the Wornall house, Pinterest parties and more.  Pick something you’ve never done before and go as a family!

Trips

Trips are the ultimate experience gift, but gifting a trip doesn’t have to be expensive. Grab a tent and some sleeping bags and gift a weekend camping trip. Make it even more extreme and do it on bikes! Are you more of a stay in a hotel family? Then gift a trip to St. Louis where there are tons of free activities! Even a night in a fancy local hotel with an indoor pool can be fun for younger kids and tweens.

“Things” are not the enemy, but I can pretty much guarantee you that your kids will have better memories of the fun things they did with you rather than all the times they sat on the floor with their quickly forgotten “toy of the year.”