If you’re still on the hunt for holiday gifts for kids, we’ve got some goodies you can pop into your shopping cart. UNest’s list includes popular, more practical gifts that aren’t as wasteful, including financial gifts. Keep on reading for more holiday gifts for Christmas and other holidays, too. It’s not too late to purchase the best holiday gifts for kids!
Whether your child loves reading, outdoor activities, games and more, you’ll love our picks for the best gift ideas for kids during the 2022 holiday season.
UNest
Those little ones at the holiday table grow up fast. Before long, they’ll be sitting at the “adult table!” Because it happens in a blink of an eye, our No. 1 gift recommendation this holiday season is an investment in the kids in your life. Get started with a nest egg for your kids with UNest. UNest offers flexible tax-advantaged custodial accounts for minors. Your family and friends can contribute funds to your child’s UNest Investment Account for Kids using a shareable gift link. You can save on taxes with a UNest Investment Account — the first $1,100 of the earnings is completely tax-free!
Monthly Subscription Boxes
Just like you might get HelloFresh in the mail for weekly deliciousness delivered straight to your kitchen, why not sign your child up for a monthly subscription box full of unlimited discoveries? Science boxes, art boxes, geography boxes — the sky’s the limit with activity boxes that fuel kids’ interests and engage their love of learning. Subscription services from KiwiCo, Green Kid Crafts and Little Passports target various age groups and cover a wide variety of different subjects. They offer a great way for the fun to continue even after the holidays!
Books About Money
You can buy dozens of books about money, from young kids to older kids.
“A Dollar, a Penny, How Much and How Many?” by Brian Cleary gives young children a great way to learn about money for the first time. It helps kids learn the different ways to add up to $1 — the building blocks of learning about money!
“Once Upon a Dime” by Nancy Allen helps young kids to learn about money through a fun tale about a farmer who learns that money grows on trees at his own farm.
“Lemonade in Winter: A Book About Two Kids Counting Money” by Emily Jenkins features two kids who try to sell lemonade in the snow. The book teaches business skills and shows kids how to count money using quarters.
“How to Turn $100 Into $1,000,000: Earn! Save! Invest!” by James McKenna, Jeannine Glista, and Matt Fontaine helps teens and tweens learn about setting financial goals, investing and using compound interest to their advantage.
“Not Your Parents’ Money Book: Making, Saving, and Spending Your Money” by Jean Chatsky gives tweens and teens a great start on the road to financial independence. If you have a tween at home who is chomping at the bit to learn how to earn money, this book can give them a few ideas.
“Kid Start-Up: How YOU Can Become an Entrepreneur” by by Ian McCue, Mark Cuban, and Shaan Patel gives kids some great options for learning how to become entrepreneurs and includes real-life examples of current entrepreneurs.
Experiences
Ready to make memories with your kids? Skip the gifts that will reside permanently in the close in a month or two and go for experience gifts. The options are endless — local zoo passes, museum memberships, online classes, athletic gifts (like pitching, horse riding or dance lessons), art classes, music lessons, concert tickets, athletic season tickets and more.
You may want to broaden your child’s existing interests or get them started on something new. If you need ideas, talk with other parents about opportunities locally or even reach out to your child’s school for more information. Many schools can help you come up with opportunities for your child’s extracurricular opportunities.
Charitable Donations
For kids who are old enough to understand the significance of a charitable gift, consider donating money to a charity of their choice. Kids in grade school will feel great about donating to their favorite pet shelter or other cause. It also teaches a lifelong practice of giving back and considering personal values with a wide variety of worthy causes, including the fight to end poverty, causes to benefit terminal illnesses, homeless services, youth shelters and more.
Consider creating a gift certificate that shows that your child donated to the nonprofit or fundraiser in their name.
Research worthy causes with Charity Navigator.
Outdoor Games
Raring to get your child outside more? Go for outdoor gifts that are outside the mainstream. Get away from baseball and basketball for a little bit and opt for a different twist on outdoor sports with badminton, lawn darts, croquet and more.
Otherwise, put together a theme like camping, complete with a tent, flashlight, binoculars and a fishing rod (try fly fishing!). It’s a great way to build connections with your child in the great outdoors. Who knows? Maybe you can get the whole family interested in sleeping outside under the stars.
Board Games
Who can ignore the allure of board games? They’re still popular among kids and adults alike. Let’s take a look at some ideas of finance-related games you can purchase for your child this holiday season.
The Stock Exchange Game doesn’t require any prior stock market experience (or finance, economics or heavy math, either) but is based on real principles related to the stock market. You can play family friendly, strategy and team levels and is geared toward individuals aged 10 to adult.
Managing My Allowance gives kids a fun way to do just that and helps them make smart financial decisions and allows them to hold real money. Ideal for kids eight and up, the winner ends up having enough money to go to college.
Financial Planning
If you’ve got bigger kids (those about to graduate high school or college), why not consider having your kids meet with a financial advisor? It’s a gift you might wish you had had when you were just starting out at your first job! Sometimes the information is better received when it comes from someone else — not you!
If someone else can educate your child about debt, budgeting, credit card management and saving for retirement with their first paycheck, why not help them confirm that ol’ mom or dad know something about money? It may be a conversation that stays with them long into the future and sets them up for long-term financial success. Set your child up to talk with your financial advisor or another trusted financial representative in your community.
Ready for Fun this Holiday Season?
It’s never too late to find the perfect gift, even if you’re looking for a gift on Christmas Eve! There are plenty of online options for kids — just print up a quick certificate at the last minute, if needed!
Look to UNest for updated information about affordable gifts for all upcoming holidays. Learn more about personal finance and custodial accounts at UNest.
This material is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. You should consult your own financial, legal, and tax advisors before engaging in any transaction. Information, including hypothetical projections of finances, may not take into account taxes, commissions, or other factors which may significantly affect potential outcomes. This material should not be considered an offer or recommendation to buy or sell a security. While information and sources are believed to be accurate, UNest does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information or source provided herein and is under no obligation to update this information.
