Gift ideas for children that last longer than a week
Gifts for children are easy to buy and hard to get right. Most of them get played with for a week and then end up at the bottom of the toy box, as anyone who has tidied a child's room in January knows.
The gifts that survive usually have one thing in common: they can be used in more than one way. Here are twelve ideas built on that principle, grouped by age, whether they're for your own child, a grandchild or a godchild.
Toys that last for years
The toys that come back out next year are rarely the ones that do the most by themselves. The more the child has to invent, the longer it lasts.
- Wooden toys
Blocks, figures or a train track in real wood. They survive being dropped, they can be handed down to a younger sibling, and they still look good in five years' time.
- The construction set
One that can be taken apart and built again from scratch. Choose an open-ended set over a single model, so it isn't finished once it has been built the first time.
- The play kitchen and the play food
Pretend play is the kind of play that lasts longest for most children between three and seven. It can be added to year after year, one piece at a time.
- The teddy for the little ones
For the very young, one good teddy is worth more than five pieces of plastic. Choose the one that can be washed, because it will go everywhere.
Games the whole family can play
A game is two gifts in one: the game itself, and the hours round the table with the grown-ups. It's also the easiest gift to get right, as long as you know the age.
- The children's game
One you can play in twenty minutes without anyone ending up in tears. Check the age on the box and go a year younger rather than a year older, so the child gets to win sometimes too.
- The card game
The cheapest gift with the most hours in it. It takes up no space, it slips into a bag on holiday, and it gets played long after the big game is forgotten.
- The jigsaw or the brain teaser
For the child who is happy sitting alone with something. Choose a difficulty slightly above what they can do now, so there is something to work towards.
- The wooden classics
Chess, backgammon or one of the old games in a proper set. This is the gift from a grandparent that is still out on display when the child has grown up.
For the older children
Around the age of ten, things change. The gift should no longer be a toy but a step into something they are getting good at themselves.
- The experiment kit
Chemistry, crystals or electronics. It catches the exact moment a child discovers there is something they want to know more about, and it is hard to buy too early.
- Art supplies and the colouring book
A drawing pad, colouring book or notebook of proper quality. Good paper does more for the urge to draw than yet another set of felt tips.
- The children's classic
The book you had read aloud to you, in an edition built to last. Books are the gift parents almost never buy enough of, and they get read many times.
- Headphones or gaming kit
For children from about twelve. If they're into gaming, they'll notice the difference from day one, and it is far more personal than another game they may already have.
What a good gift for a child costs
Less than for anyone else. Under DKK 200 gets you the card game, the colouring book, the teddy, the children's game and many of the wooden toys, and that's actually where most of the real winners are. Between DKK 200 and 400 you'll find the board game, the jigsaw, the experiment kit and the play food. Above DKK 400, you're into the large construction sets, the wooden classics and kit for older children. A child doesn't measure a gift in money, they measure it in how many times it can be used.
Frequently asked questions
What do you give a child for their birthday?
Something that can be used in more than one way. A game, a construction set or wooden toys last for years, while a ready-made model is often finished with the same day. If in doubt, ask the parents what the child is playing with right now, and buy a better version of that.
How do you find the right age for a game or toy?
The age on the box is a safety limit for small parts, not a recommendation. For games, the rule of thumb is to go a year younger rather than a year older: a child who sometimes wins will want to play again.
What do you give a grandchild you don't see very often?
Give something you can do together next time you meet. A wooden game, a jigsaw or a book you have read aloud yourself becomes a shared plan rather than an object, and gifts like that get remembered for years.
How do I avoid giving the same as everyone else?
Be specific. Aim at the one thing the child is deep into right now, rather than what all children that age like. Or let My Gift Partner remember it: we keep track of the occasions, and our gift picker chooses based on your own words about the child, year after year.
My Gift Partner at a glance
You take care of the personal part. We take care of the admin. That way you can keep giving with real thought behind it, year after year.
- You describe them once
Who you give to, when, and how much to spend. It takes one evening, and it's the only thing you have to do yourself.
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Our gift picker finds it using your own words about the person, well before the day, from shops we've checked. If you want to approve or change it, that's one tap away.
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You wrap it and give it yourself. The service is free, and you pay the shop's own price for the gift.
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