70 Consumable Gift Ideas for Kids Who Have Too Much Stuff

With the holidays coming up, you might be dreading the onslaught of clutter (and subsequently trying to get it all organized!). 

It seems like, no matter how much we purge, the toys and various “kids’ things” pile up and consume us.

Which is why I wanted to compile a list of consumable gift ideas for kids. Consumable gifts are things that they’re able to enjoy for a limited time. Once they’re used up, they no longer contribute to clutter in the house.

Parents love them – and kids do, too!

In our house, craft supplies are like gold. Anything hands-on is sure to be a hit, not to mention favorite treats…. And you can be sure that experience gifts will create lasting memories.

Why don’t you grab your favorite beverage, kick up your feet, and get comfy. This is gonna be a long one — you’ve got lots of consumable kids’ gift ideas coming your way!

1. Activity Enrollment

Let’s be honest; all the sports, dance, and music lessons can really put a strain on the budget. If your child has been asking to try something new, lessons could be a great gift idea. 

If the more expensive sports just aren’t in the budget, look into less costly activities. In our area, gymnastics lessons are pretty affordable (for younger kids, at least). And our local Community Education offers a variety of activities, including a one-day Create-a-Pet workshop. 

Do some investigating and see what you can find in your community!

You could even wrap up a new uniform, leotard, or whatever “things” they might need for the activity. This way, they still have a gift to unwrap.

(I actually think I’m going to keep this one in mind for my own kiddos this Christmas!)

2. Activity Subscription Kits

We’ve tried various activity subscription boxes, and my girls absolutely loved them! Here are some of our favorites: 

We Craft Box: A Themed Craft Subscription Box for Kids

5 Toddler Craft Subscription Boxes

24 Awesome STEAM Kits for Kids

Top 21 Done-For-You Activity Boxes for Ages 2+

Green Kid Crafts: Nature-Based STEAM Activities

3. Coloring Books

Coloring books are a great consumable gift idea for kids of any age, from toddlers to teens. (In fact, brain games coloring books would be perfect for the stressed out teenager!)

4. Fancy Soap

Soap might seem like a practical gift, and not a very good one for kids… BUT they’ll love having their very own “fancy” bar soaps like these.

5. Candy

I mean, what kid doesn’t like candy?! 

6. Herb Growing Kit

I don’t know about your kids, but mine LOVE growing things. And there’s something so satisfying about watching a tiny seed grow into a full plant.

Taking it a step further, an herb garden offers the chance to spend quality time together in the kitchen, once the herbs have grown a bit. National Geographic kits, like this one, are always a great option — they even get to decorate the pots!

Here’s a photo of my girls working on their herb garden (which, unfortunately, did not survive):

7. Tickets

Any tickets – sports, movies, concerts, etc. – are always a great option for an experience gift. 

8. Paint Sticks

Tempera paint sticks are perfect for toddlers – there’s minimal effort required to set up, and they’re very washable, so no worries there. All of my girls have loved using paint sticks!

9. Scratch Art

Scratch art is another great option, and this consumable gift is even popular among older kids. 

10. Paper Airplanes Kit

I’m sure you’ve made paper airplanes at one point or another, but did you know they make special paper for airplane-making? 

You can grab a pack of paper here, or even search for special designs, like flying dragons. We even had a book of flying bugs that folded up just like a paper airplane – my kids loved them!

11. Sidewalk Chalk

My toddler is currently infatuated with sidewalk chalk! And sidewalk chalk paint is a fun twist on a classic.

12. Scissor Skills Book

With a scissor skills book, toddlers and preschoolers can practice cutting along the lines with kid-safe scissors. Once they’ve cut out the activity pieces, they’ll have a chance to do some puzzles and sequencing activities – or you can throw the scraps in the trash.

13. Seeds

Earlier, I listed an herb garden as a consumable gift idea for kids – but seeds of any kind could be fun. Whether they’re growing flowers, melons, or veggies, it can be so satisfying to see their hard work come to fruition.

I have a daughter who LOVES watermelon; a packet of melon seeds would be a fun stocking stuffer for her! Of course, living in Minnesota, we’d have to wait a few months before we could plant them in the garden….

14. Books

I couldn’t possibly leave books off the list! While books can add to clutter, they’re absolutely consumable – and can eventually be passed on to another reader.

15. Construction Paper

A pack of multi-colored construction paper has endless crafting possibilities! 

16. Drawing Pad

A sketch book with some nice pencils would be perfect for the older artist, while a LCD writing tablet might be preferable for younger kiddos.

17. Glitter Crayons 

Everyone already has hordes of regular crayons – but some shimmering watercolor gel crayons will take coloring up a notch!

18. Scented Markers

An array of scented markers is sure to spark the imagination (and bring you back to your childhood!). 

19. Canvases 

A paint palette, assorted paint colors, and a multi-pack of canvases will keep your budding artist busy for hours! You can even buy pre-drawn canvases for kids who love to paint but need a little help getting started.

20. Edible Cake Paints

If your little artist also loves to bake, try a set of edible cake paints to help them create a delicious masterpiece!

21. Friendship Bracelet Kit

Friendship bracelets are fun to make and exchange with friends; there are tons of different kit options to choose from, but for a first-timer, one with an instruction book is a must.

22. Origami Paper

Believe it or not, an origami kit is one of the very few things my kids have NOT received yet as a gift, but I’m pretty sure they’d love it. I’m filing this one away under “future gift ideas”….

23. Rock Painting Markers

Do you have a rock collector in your house? (I do!) I love the idea of getting them some acrylic paint pens to decorate their rocks.

24. DIY Slime

If you don’t mind having slime in the house, a make-your-own slime kit could be a lot of fun. My older girls used to love playing with slime, although my toddler can’t be trusted with it just yet, so we haven’t had it around for some time now….

25. DIY Birdhouse

A DIY birdhouse kit is not only fun to make, but it’ll provide some fun entertainment once it’s complete, as well. (I think this birdhouse is adorable!)

26. Make-Your-Own Fairy Garden Kit

For little ones who love fairies, creating a fairy garden could be a lot of fun! You could start with a kit like this one – it includes everything you need to get started: seeds and soil, lights, moss, paint-your-own figurines and more.

27. Make-Your-Own Ornaments Kit

Kids love seeing their own creations hanging from the Christmas tree; these unfinished wood cutouts come with markers, string, and even bells so they can make their own ornaments.

28. Puzzle/Activity Books

Kids – and parents! – love activity books with mazes, dot-to-do, hidden pictures and a variety of “quiet time” activities.

29. Window Art Supplies

My kids have really enjoyed painting suncatchers – and displaying them on the windows, of course.

30. Sewing Kit

A sewing kit like this one is perfect for beginners! It comes with easy-perforation felts that they can use to create their own adorable woodland animals.

31. Weaving Loom

Teach kids the basics of weaving with a little weaving loom and bands.

32. Modeling Clay

Modeling clay is perfect for kids who like to create things with their hands. Grab a kit like this one, and you’ll get a large assortment of colors + tools for making all sorts of cool creations.

33. Butterfly Growing Kit

This one is super fun! As a homeschooling project a couple years ago, I bought my kids a butterfly growing kit (this exact one!), complete with five LIVE caterpillars. It was so cool watching them go through the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly! 

Here they are shortly after starting the project:

Then, once they had all transformed, we enjoyed releasing them into our flower garden and flit away.

Here my girls are just before releasing the butterflies:

34. Fossil Dig Activity

This was another homeschooling project that my kids absolutely LOVED. I purchased a National Geographic fossil dig activity complete with 15 real fossils, and it was worth every penny.

FYI, it keeps kids occupied for hours, and it was an ongoing thing at our house – we’d put it away, then pull it back out to work on some more. 

And finding each fossil was hugely rewarding after all their hard work.

35. Crystal Growing Lab

Here’s another fun one for science-loving kiddos: a crystal growing kit. It includes fast-growing crystals in six colors, complete with a light-up stand.

36. DIY Terrarium

We’ve had several DIY terrariums in our house; this is truly a fun, educational STEM craft for kids. 

37. Paper Dolls

Paper dolls are a nostalgic part of my childhood; they are inexpensive, consumable, and they allow for tons of imaginative play.

38. Bubbles

We can’t leave bubbles off the list! Even at eight and five, my older girls haven’t completely outgrown them yet.

The best part? They’re super inexpensive! Of course, you can get all kinds of fancy bubbles and wands – or even bubble machines – but the basic bubble solution is so affordable.

39. Body Wash

Kids love having their own personal care products; it makes them feel so grown-up. 

40. Electric Toothbrush

A brand new electric toothbrush is a popular consumable gift in our household!

41. Baking Kits

Try out a monthly Baketivity subscription, or order a one-time kit of your choice.

42. Snack Subscription Box

Gift the kids a monthly box of fun edible surprises! Cratejoy offers a variety of subscription boxes, and it seems like they’re constantly adding new ones. Check out all of the options here.

43. Candy Making Kit

If you’re shopping for a sweets lover, there’s a variety of candy making kits to choose from….

44. Gourmet Hot Chocolate Mixes

I don’t know about your house, but in mine, the kids drink hot chocolate all year ‘round. If yours love it too, consider a variety pack of gourmet hot chocolate mix, like this Twelve Days of Christmas hot chocolate gift set.

45. Hot Cocoa Bombs

Hot cocoa bombs make drinking hot cocoa even more fun. What kid wouldn’t love it?!

46. Popcorn Tin

Do your kids love popcorn? Head over to your local shopping center and grab a tin – they’re pretty inexpensive in stores. (I won’t bother adding a link since they’re insanely expensive online!).

47. Popcorn Seasonings

Another idea for the popcorn lover: a variety pack of popcorn seasonings.

48. Popsicle Molds

Homemade popsicles are so much healthier — and tastier! – than store-bought ones. And a set of popsicle molds will provide an opportunity for endless homemade frozen treats.

49. Water Bottle

This Christmas, I’m hoping to get everyone new stainless steel water bottles; I’m eyeing up these ones for my girls.

50. Water Enhancers

Water flavor enhancers are a great way to get kids to drink more water.

51. Decorate-Your-Own-Cookies Kit

Let your little bakers show off their artistic skills with a set of cookie decorating art supplies.

52. S’mores Kit

This tabletop s’mores maker — complete with all the ingredients — would be really handy. Although, you could easily skip the s’mores maker and simply put together all of the s’mores ingredients yourself, as well.

53. Nostalgic Candy Packs

Remember wax bottle candy? How about pop rocks? You can find them and a whole lot more on this page.

54. Magic Milk Straws

Do you have a child who loves strawberry or chocolate milk? How about vanilla milkshake, birthday cake, and unicorn kisses?

Yep, you can get all those flavors by drinking milk through these magic milk straws.

55. Chocolate Fondue Set

Everything tastes better when covered in chocolate! An electric fondue pot, plus all the necessary ingredients, will provide endless fun for both kids and adults alike.

56. Kids’ Cookbook

While not necessarily clutter-free, a cookbook can provide endless cooking (and baking) fun – and you can all enjoy eating the treats once they’re done!

57. Bubble Tea Kit

Make-your-own bubble tea could be an interesting consumable gift for kids to make, and then enjoy drinking.

58. Cake Pop Kit

A modern blend of cake-and-lollipop, cake pops are a fun new sweet treat that kids can make and decorate themselves with an all-in-one DIY kit.

59. Baking Sprinkles

Kids love sprinkles! (At least, mine do 🙂 )

60. Edible Stickers

Edible stickers (like these Hello Kitty ones) are even more fun than regular stickers. You can stick them to cupcakes, cookies, or whatever – and then you can eat them. 

61. Temporary Tattoos

My kids love temporary tattoos – and so do I, because they’re fun for a while, then they eventually wash away and they’re gone. Great clutter-free gift for kids!

62. DIY Gingerbread House

Every Christmas, our girls build and decorate gingerbread houses. We helped them build these ones a few years ago:

Gingerbread houses could be a fun project for a number of other holidays, though – how about a Halloween, Valentine’s, or just-for-fun gingerbread house?

63. Healthy Snack Box

Snacks are great; healthy snacks are even better. As I mentioned a little earlier, there are a number of different snack subscription boxes you could order. Although in all honesty, I’d recommend putting your own snack box together – that way, you control exactly what goes into it.

64. Flavored Honey Sticks

You can get flavored honey sticks in a wide variety of flavors. I’d recommend elderberry honey sticks as a yummy, healthy (and consumable!) gift idea for kids.

65. Chocolate Coins

From personal experience, I can tell you that chocolate coins are sure to be a hit!

66. Cocoa Art Tools 

A set of hot cocoa art stencils is another fun, unique gift idea – the stencils themselves might not be consumable, but the art certainly is! And they don’t take up a lot of space, so you can tuck them into the corner of a drawer when not in use.

67. Pancake Art Supplies

While we’re on the subject of edible art, I wanted to mention pancake art supplies as another gift idea for kids. This pancake art supply kit comes with everything you need to make pancakes in a variety of fun shapes!

68. Edible Glitter

Glitter is always a hit with kids, but not necessarily with parents, if you know what I mean… However, edible glitter could be a great alternative.

69. Gift Cards

Of course, we can’t forget good ol’ gift cards. Gift cards themselves are consumable, and if you want to take it a step further, go for a restaurant (or perhaps ice cream!) gift card. Older kids might want to go shopping for new clothes; cold, hard cash is always popular, as well.

70. “Date Day” With You

My final clutter-free, consumable gift idea for kids: a “date day” or alone time with just you. Come up with something that your child enjoys doing, and spend some one-on-one time doing that activity.

Final Thoughts

Whew! That was a long one. Now that we’ve covered a (long) list of consumable gift ideas for kids, what’s your favorite? 

More Gift Ideas for Kids:

75+ Christmas Gifts for Kids That Aren’t Toys

12 Days of Christmas Gifts for Kids — 12+ Fun and Unique Gift Ideas

Useful Gifts to Put in a Christmas Eve Box for Your 1-Year-Old

19 Practical Alternative Gifts for 2 Year Olds

21 Fun and Unique Christmas Gifts for Preschoolers