This post is part of my toy series where I’m sharing the things that actually get played with in our home—not just opened on Christmas morning and forgotten a week later. These are the things that are good quality and last through many ages and stages.
In this post, I’m focusing on the toys and tools that invite my kids to make, explore, and learn—the creative, hands-on things that naturally overlap with our homeschooling and educational-based gifts, too.
These are the things that end up on the kitchen table, spread out on the floor, or tucked onto our homeschool shelves. They’re the “pull them out again and again” kind of items—perfect for gifts that feel fun and useful long after the holidays are over. I love giving creative gift ideas to family members because they’re items that can be used up over time and pulled out on a cold, wintry day or a rainy one.
- 1st Post: Toys That Last: Our Family’s Well-Loved and Most-Played-With Favorites
- 2nd Post: The Building Toys My Kids Still Play With (Years Later!)
- 3rd Post: The Pretend Play Toys My Kids Still Love
- 4th Post: Comfort Toys My Kids Reach For Again and Again
- 5th Post: Creative & Hands-On Toys and Learning Gifts for Kids
- 6th Post: Our Favorite Family Games: From Board Games to Nerf Battles
*This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you purchase through these links, at no extra cost to you. I only share products I genuinely love or would recommend. Affiliate income helps me keep creating free content—thank you for your support!
Open-Ended Art Supplies
Art is one of the easiest ways to invite creativity without overthinking it. I like to keep things simple and open-ended so the kids can make whatever they imagine. That usually looks like crayons, markers, colored pencils, watercolors, a few paints, and plenty of plain paper or sketchbooks.
Most of our art supplies live where the kids can reach them—usually in a rolling drawer caddy (here’s what we use and it’s made a huge difference in our arts and crafts organization) near their kid table. They’ll draw during read-alouds or while listening to Yoto stories, make cards for friends and family, or pull out scissors and stickers for a quick seasonal craft. My daughter has also been enjoying making her own little books and comics!
I love art supplies as gifts because they actually get used up. A fresh stack of paper and a new set of markers or paints feels exciting to the kids, but it doesn’t really add more “stuff.”
Craft & DIY Kits
While open-ended art is wonderful, my kids also really enjoy project-based crafts that feel a little more special. Simple kits—like jewelry-making, wood painting projects, STEM kits, sewing or knitting kits, or themed holiday crafts—are always a hit.
I like to pull out these kits on snow days or for one-on-one time with a parent. They are also great during that “what do we do now?” stretch during the holidays. I also love that the kids are actively learning a new skill while they play.
Sensory Play: Play-Doh, Kinetic Sand & More
If there’s one thing that’s big in our house, it’s sensory play. It gives the kids a way to use their hands, calm their bodies, and get creative without needing much direction from me. Play-Doh, kinetic sand, and modeling clay are the main things we use.
For kinetic sand, I keep it in a lidded container and put away so they have to ask for it, or I’ll bring it out as a special activity. I learned the hard way to keep this put up because it can be quite the mess (think: going to the bathroom for a minute and coming back to it thrown everywhere—never again!). They have little molds and cars and tools to play with it, and I’ll refresh the sand every so often when it needs it.
We keep the Play-Doh accessible in a bin with little kits they’ve gotten over the years. They take it out at leisure and use a plastic tray to keep it all contained. It’s easy to clean up and easy to store. My kids love opening a fresh tub of Play-Doh. It’s great for all ages.
Sensory play is especially nice on long winter afternoons or when I need them to do a quiet activity. It’s also grea, after a tough moment when someone needs a reset. Here’s the link to the clear bins that I use to store their play doh and kinetic sand.
Homeschool & Learning
Because we homeschool, a lot of our “toys” overlap with our learning tools. I actually love that. Learning doesn’t have to feel like school—these things can be fun and playful and experimental.
This looks like sticker books or wipe-clean books, puzzles, a talking globe for geography, a talking clock with a quiz game on it, new math manipulatives, and of course science kits or experiments.
Most of these things live on shelves near our school area. We use them during school, and the kids also take them out randomly for play. The science kits by National Geographic have been a huge hit in our house. It’s nice to stock up when I know we’re covering a specific topic for science. We’ve been finishing up Earth Science, and so many of those kits have been a favorite here.
Learning with Audio & Books
Even though I talked more about Yoto Players in another post, they definitely belong in the educational conversation, too. Yoto and books pair really well with everything in this post.
The kids will often listen to story cards or audiobooks while they draw, build, or play with Play-Doh. Educational cards about science, geography, or languages spark all kinds of questions and rabbit trails. On long winter afternoons, you can usually find us curled up with a blanket, listening to a story, while siblings quietly work on crafts or sensory play nearby. For a discount on yoto players click my link!
If you want a “learning-heavy but still cozy” gift, it’s hard to beat an audio player or favorite book series. We typically store their favorite books in a low to the ground bookshelf (like this one or this one) or in rope baskets (like these) on the floor around the house.
Final Thoughts on Creative & Hands-On Gifts
Creative and hands-on toys are some of my favorite things to give (and receive) because they invite kids to do, not just watch.
For our family, that looks like art supplies and craft kits that encourage making; sensory play like Play-Doh and kinetic sand that is calming and flexible; and homeschool-friendly tools and books that support what we’re already doing in a gentle, playful way.
These are the gifts that tend to grow with our kids, fit naturally into our homeschool rhythm, and give them something meaningful to do on long, slow days at home—especially around the holidays and during winter.
💬 What are your kids’ favorite creative or hands-on toys right now? Do they love sensory play—Play-Doh, kinetic sand, slime, or something else? And are there any books or learning gifts your family keeps coming back to?
Share your ideas in the comments—I’m always looking for new things to add to our “actually gets used” list.
This list is the 5th post in a little series I’ll be sharing all about our tried-and-true toys. In the coming weeks, I’ll dive deeper into each category — from creative toys to family favorites — and share how they’ve grown with our kids over the years. And I’ll also be sharing what I’m getting my kids for this year’s Christmas (and birthdays).
So if you’re looking for simple, meaningful gift inspiration or want to create a home filled with toys that truly last, stay tuned — and make sure to check back for the next post in this cozy series. (You can always check out my affiliate links that contain all our well loved toys – Amazon and LTK. I’ll be adding and updating it regulary. It helps to support my family while I create free content like this!)
- 1st Post: Toys That Last: Our Family’s Well-Loved and Most-Played-With Favorites
- 2nd Post: The Building Toys My Kids Still Play With (Years Later!)
- 3rd Post: The Pretend Play Toys My Kids Still Love
- 4th Post: Comfort Toys My Kids Reach For Again and Again
- 5th Post: Creative & Hands-On Toys and Learning Gifts for Kids
- 6th Post: Our Favorite Family Games: From Board Games to Nerf Battles
