Gathering ideas for people on your gift list? We want to help people spend quality time together, so we’ve rounded up some of our favorite gifts for families!
If you’ve been around here long, you know that one of my biggest focuses for the last several years has been trying to intentionally enjoy all the “little moments” with my family – the time in between milestones and celebrations and vacations, the time where some of the most special memories are made if we don’t miss the chance.
You can find several gift guides we’ve published over the years and they still have great options. This year though, I wanted to focus specifically on gifts for families – things you can use to spend quality time together. Not all of them will appeal to everyone, but it is my hope that you find something perfect for your family that leads to great memory making in the months (or years!) to come.
Gifts for Families – Under $10
Box(es) of Questions – My mom started a tradition with the Thanksgiving version of the question box, and my husband and I have purchased several more. We especially love taking the Trip Talk one when we travel, but this dinner one is a great start! Table Topics is another great option. I think it is more versatile, but also much more expensive.
Pass the Pigs or Spot it – Certainly, these could have gone with the list of board games (below). We usually don’t play these at home for game night though; instead, they are among our must-have travel necessities! Either of them would also make a great stocking stuffer.
Jelly Belly gift boxes – or you could go for the Beanboozled box, if they’re up for it!
Gifts for Families – Under $25
Board Games – I debated how to share this, because the truth is there are just so. many. games to choose from. Many of them are excellent, but the wide variety means differing appeal. The link is to Amazon’s best-selling board games. We are also really enjoying the following: Five Second Rule, Jenga, Beat the Parents, Guess Who?, HedBanz, PayDay, Apples to Apples Jr, and our current favorite, Telestrations.. I’ve also put together a longer list here, and a list of Disney games here if that’s your thing, too.
Oontz Angle Portable Bluetooth speaker – We have sort of a collection of Bluetooth speakers around our house, but this is the only one we’ve purchased three of. My favorite is actually this one, but the Ootnz is hands-down the best value we’ve found. Get your family dance party on anywhere! 🙂
Movie Tickets (or a gift card to the theater or ticketing site most appropriate for your location)
Bowling alley gift certificate
Saucer sleds for everyone – Any sled is a good choice (you know, if you get snow…), but saucers are usually inexpensive and easier for each person to carry back up the hill!
Ice Cream Sundae supplies – this could be as elaborate or simple as you’d like, whether you decide to add toppings or just the most adorable ice cream dish set in the entire world.
Gifts for Families – Under $50
Magformers – Technically, I’ve linked to the set I most recommend and it’s usually a bit more than $50. But you can start with any size set of Magformers (some as inexpensive as $19) to fall in love with them as we did!
Bocce Ball (just keep in mind the weight of the balls in the set(s) you look at, and consider the ages of your child(ren)!)
Netflix subscription (cheaper or more expensive, depending on how many months you gift)
Gifts for Families – Under $100
Rock Band (or Guitar Hero, etc) – It was last Christmas that I realized my children had never been exposed to Guitar Hero. If you’re the same age as my husband and I, it may be time to introduce yours as well. We bought a few guitars, but need to expand to the Rock Band setup so we can all play (and explore other options). It has been so much fun though, not just playing but also exposing our kids to some new music along the way! (Even if my daughter drove me crazy for weeks singing “No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn”…)
HP Sprocket pocket printer – I fell in love with these little miracles when we saw them as part of the HP Millennials panel, and I am hoping to get my hands on one for under our tree! I’ve come up with at least a dozen uses for the social media integration and sticky paper since I heard of it! (Related: You can also try the HP Social Media snapshots for virtually no cost commitment. I downloaded the app and printed a few images out one morning while running late for school, from our normal printer. It was simple and they were exactly what we needed :))
More expensive, but worth every penny
Memberships to local theme parks, zoos, museums, etc
Apple TV – We have had a couple of Apple TVs, which we purchased at first for obvious purposes – streaming television and movies. We have since learned to use it for games, to share photos with our friends and family in a gorgeous (and super simple!) slideshow, to reminisce with the personalized family screensaver in the background, and even to play countless games. Honestly, it just keeps getting better; we didn’t hesitate to buy a second one for the basement when it was finished. (Side note: it’s not always true, but this time the newest generation really is that much cooler.)
Family Portrait Session
Tickets to a sporting event or show
Garmin eTrex 20 or other Geocaching device (new to geocaching? Start here!)
Breville Hemisphere blender – Hear me out! Smoothies and snocones are why this easily makes a list of great family gifts. It’s also, however, the most highly rated blender by professional chefs (yes, above the Vitamix) for less than half the cost. We have at least 4 friends who have purchased this after using ours for milkshakes, frozen drinks, or the “snow” setting for crushed ice, and they’ve all been incredibly pleased.
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