Experience gift ideas for families are becoming the new best gift. Family time is priceless, and clutter makes our lives miserable. Need I say more? You’re in luck! We have some great ideas for experience gift ideas.
Why Experience Gift Ideas for Families are the Best Gift to Give Your Own Family or a Family You Know
How many toys have your kids completely lost interest in the day after they got them, or sooner? How many gifts have you been given that just collect dust and take up space after that initial excitement wears off? A great alternative to physical gifts is to give both kids and adults the gift of an experience. Experiences create memories that last a lifetime and there are no better gifts than that, in my opinion.
Experience gifts for the entire family not only create great memories for the future but also build great relationships in the present. Giving your family the gift of time spent together doing fun activities is a great way to increase family bonding. Experience gifts are also a great way to help your kids learn new skills, try new things, see great places, and expand their little minds and imaginations.
If you’re looking for some experience gift ideas, look no further for the perfect gift for your family members. These clutter-free gifts are a great option for the holiday season, birthdays, or any other celebration that calls for a gift. I’ve also included a free printable that you can download that includes an experience gift checklist and experience coupons for any occasion or experience.
Experience gift ideas for families:
Tickets to an event
Depending on the age, this could be concert tickets, movie tickets, tickets to a local minor league sporting event, play tickets, a live show of some kind. Tickets to an event are a great gift because they give the person something to look forward to and you can give them multiple tickets for the whole family or just for the two of you to make it a more personal experience. For example, a daddy and daughter date to the movies.
Another option is to find local events with free admission and just surprise your kids with them. Kids don’t care whether or not you paid for the event, they just want to have a good time.
Annual membership
Giving the gift of a membership is the gift that keeps on giving. We have a family membership to the zoo in our town and our kids love going there on a regular basis. It’s great for learning, entertaining the kids, and just spending time together outside of the house. You could also give the gift of museum memberships, botanical gardens, or even a science center if you have any of those things nearby and can make regular trips. Our kids love our local children’s museum. We’ve been members for years and they haven’t grown out of it yet. You town may also have a community pool membership option that your kids would enjoy.
Escape room
This is a great gift to give your husband and do as a team. If your kids are old enough, you can include them as well. This is also a good gift to include more of your family in. My husband and I did this with his parents and we had so much fun!
Camping Trip
Camping is a great experience gift, especially if some members of your family have never been camping before. This is great with younger or older children and you can tailor the experience depending on ages and preferences. Many campgrounds offer different options like hiking, swimming, fishing, kayak or paddleboat rentals, and some even offer horseback riding. Not to mention the nights around the campfire, playing games and eating smores. It’s a great quality time opportunity because the electronics typically get left behind for camping trips.
Tour of national parks
If you’re lucky enough to live near national parks, you should make sure visiting them is on your list of things to do. National parks have so many fun things to offer and so much to learn for children and adults. This can be one of the best experience gifts for the whole family. Check out what national parks are in your state or nearby if you live close to a neighboring state. You can create a whole plan to visit each of them over a year or a Summer with day trips and weekend trips. If you plan on visiting more than a few national parks, it may be worth it to purchase an annual pass. This is probably more beneficial to people with a lot of national parks in their state.
Private lessons
If your child or even your spouse has shown interest in something like learning a musical instrument, the gift of music lessons would be a perfect choice for a birthday or Christmas gift. Get creative with this. You can get private lessons for almost anything. Ice skating, singing, tennis, dancing, karate, the possibilities are endless.
Scavenger hunt
This is one of those gift experiences that you can DIY or pay to participate in a highly organized event. If you’re looking for something for the whole family to experience together, including yourself, go for an organized scavenger hunt through businesses like www.scavengerhunt.com. You can find a scavenger hunt near you here.
Subscription boxes
Many subscription boxes would be considered material gifts, but there are some subscription boxes that offer unique experiences for kids and adults. Things like date night in a box or craft kits for kids.
Water parks or a theme park
These are fun outdoor activities that your kids will be so excited about! These could be local day trips or weekend trips and can be fun for the whole family, no matter what ages your kids are.
Gift card or gift certificate
A gift card or gift certificate for a fun activity allows for the person receiving it to cash in on that activity whenever they want to. It’s great for adults and gives them so room to decide exactly how they use the gift. For example, a gift certificate to a recreational park that offers things like zip-lining, indoor skydiving, and rock climbing allows the recipient to do whatever activities they want with your gift.
Coupon book
This is the most fun gift for adults and kids of all ages. You can give your kids or spouse specific coupons they can use for different things like a back rub for your hubby or a trip to the park for your kids. You can gift them a whole coupon book with different activities and they can cash in on them whenever they want. The best part is, all the experiences you include in the coupon book can be completely free.
Online Courses
This one may seem out there, but finding an online course the entire family can take together can be a great way to learn something together. Think music, art, a new skill or language.
Rainy Day Experience Gift Ideas for Families
You can have family experiences in your own living room! Store these up for rainy days: board games the whole family can play together (see below), card games, an indoor treasure hunt, or a new book to read together. Drinking hot cocoa and playing a family board game is a fun way to spend a rainy day, and create memories to last a lifetime!
We love these games because they are great for all skill levels, so they will work even if you have older kids and younger kids:
Family experience gifts will be fun and exciting for anyone who receives them! If you’re tired of collecting so much stuff that doesn’t get any attention, start using the downloadable experience gift ideas checklist I’ve included here for family gift ideas. You’ll be glad to start racking up on family experiences instead of more stuff you have to clean.
Free Printable Experience Gift Ideas for Families Idea List and Coupon Booklet!
To download this free printable PDF, just fill out your email below and click the button, then check your email!
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Hi, I’m Jessica! I am wife to Chris, and mom to Kaiper, Alana and Koa. I am a graphic designer, website developer and aspiring author. In this space, I share about everything from parenting, working from home, food we cook, and lots of things for kids! Learn more about me here.
