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Family Gift Ideas: 15 the Whole Household Uses
Family gift ideas for households with children aged 3 to 8: 15 things to keep or do together, with ages, price bands and when a thing beats a voucher.
A family gift has one job: getting everyone in the house doing the same thing at the same time. For a household with children aged 3 to 8, that means either something to keep, like a game, a garden kit or a mat the adults use too, or something to do, like a day out that works for a four-year-old. Here are 15 family gift ideas, split that way.
Each one says which ages it fits and what it's likely to cost. They work as family Christmas gift ideas or for any time of year, and none of them names a shop or an experience company, so you can buy them wherever suits you.
What's a good gift for an entire family?
A family gift is one present for the whole household, rather than one each. The good ones pass a simple test: the youngest can join in without spoiling it for the oldest, and nobody has to sit out.
It also helps if it gets people moving, because the guidance for every age in the house points the same way. The NHS says children aged 1 to 4 should be active for at least 180 minutes a day, children aged 5 to 18 should aim for an average of at least 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous activity a day across the week, and adults should do strengthening activities on at least 2 days a week, with yoga on its list of examples. One present won't meet any of that, but it can give a family a reason to start.
Which family gifts get used at home?
These are things to keep. Each one works with a three-year-old and an adult at the same time.
1. A garden games set
Skittles, quoits or a beanbag toss. Set it up on the lawn and everyone gets a turn, grandparents included.
Good for: ages 3 and up. £10 to £25. Outdoors.
2. A board game a four-year-old can win
A dice race or a co-operative game, where luck or teamwork beats experience. Our family game night ideas has more that need nothing but a pack of cards.
Good for: ages 3 and up. £10 to £25. At the table.
3. A family jigsaw with mixed piece sizes
Big pieces round the edge for the youngest, small ones in the middle for the adults. It lives on a tray for a fortnight.
Good for: ages 4 and up. £10 to £25. Indoors.
4. A yoga mat with numbered poses (this one is ours)
Fifteen numbered poses are laser-engraved into the surface, so a child can lead the session. It's full length, 183 x 61 cm, so the adults fit on it too.
Good for: ages 3 to 8, and the grown-ups. £34.99. Indoors.
5. A bird box and a bird book
Put the box where the kitchen window looks at it, and keep the book on the sill. Everyone gets to spot something.
Good for: ages 3 and up. £10 to £25. Outdoors and at the window.
6. A grow-bag vegetable kit
Potatoes, tomatoes or beans in a bag on the patio. Children dig, adults supervise, everyone eats the result.
Good for: ages 3 and up. £10 to £25. Outdoors, from spring.
7. A waterproof picnic blanket and a frisbee
A blanket with a waterproof back means the grass can be damp. The frisbee gives the restless ones something to do after lunch.
Good for: ages 4 and up. £25 to £50. Outdoors.
8. A baking set and a card of family recipes
Tins, cutters and three recipes written out by hand, including one from the oldest person in the family.
Good for: ages 4 and up, with help. £10 to £25. In the kitchen.
Which experiences actually work with a four-year-old?
These are things to do. Experience gifts for families work best when the day suits the youngest child, because a tired four-year-old ends the outing for everyone. Pick something short, with a toilet and a snack nearby, and an exit if it goes wrong.
9. A day at a city farm or farm park
Animals to feed, a tractor ride, a playground. It's built for small legs: short walks, animals at eye level and somewhere to sit.
Good for: ages 2 to 8. £25 to £50 for a family. Outdoors.
10. A children's theatre show
Pick a show made for young audiences, a matinee, and seats on an aisle. Check the theatre's age guidance first, as it varies from show to show.
Good for: ages 3 to 8. Over £50 for a family. Indoors.
11. A family swim
A pool with a shallow learner area means the youngest can splash while older ones swim. Flumes can have a height limit, so check before you promise one.
Good for: ages 3 to 8. £10 to £25 for a family. Indoors.
12. A pottery-painting session
Everyone paints a plate or a mug, and they're glazed and ready to collect a week later. Younger ones may need a hand to hold the brush steady.
Good for: ages 3 to 8, with help under five. £25 to £50 for a family. Indoors.
13. A short steam railway ride
A half-hour ride to a station with a café is about right at four. Longer trips suit seven and eight-year-olds better.
Good for: ages 2 to 8. £25 to £50 for a family. Out and about.
14. An indoor climbing taster
A session for families on low walls with an instructor. Climbing centres set their own minimum ages, so check before you buy for the youngest.
Good for: usually ages 5 to 8, by the centre's rules. £25 to £50 for a family. Indoors.
15. A family cinema morning
Some cinemas run family screenings at weekends, so check what's on near them. A film under 90 minutes is kinder at three.
Good for: ages 3 to 8. £25 to £50 for a family. Indoors.
When does a thing beat a voucher?
A thing wins when the family is short on time, because a voucher with no date can quietly expire. It also wins with under-fives, who can open a box but can't do much with a piece of paper. And it wins when you won't be there, because a game gets played whether or not you come round.
A voucher wins when the family has no space, when they already love days out, or when you're going too. Experience days for kids make a good shared present for the same reason: the day out is the present, and you're in the photos.
If you do give an experience, set the date or book the slot. An open voucher is easy to put off.
What should you check before you buy?
A family present lands in a house with every age in it, sometimes including a baby. Two checks cover most of it.
- Small pieces. Board games, garden quoits and craft kits often come with counters or small parts. The NHS says children aged 1 to 5 often put objects in their mouth, so if there's a toddler in the house, pick versions with big pieces or plan where the small ones live.
- The small print on an experience. Read the minimum age, any height limit, the expiry date and how far ahead it has to be booked. A voucher that can only be used on school days isn't a family present.
What if the children are years apart?
A three-year-old and an eight-year-old want different things, and the eight-year-old will notice if the present feels babyish. Give each of them a job. The older one deals the cards, reads the rules or leads the poses; the younger one rolls the dice or picks the colour.
Co-operative games help here too, because nobody loses to a little sister. For a moving present, family yoga for the whole family sets out poses for every age, with the grown-ups joining in.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good experience gift for a family?
One the youngest enjoys as much as the oldest. Pottery painting and a children's theatre matinee both work from about three, and a climbing taster from five or so, depending on the centre. Keep it to half a day, close to a toilet and a café, and check minimum ages and height limits before you book.
What do you buy a family who has everything?
Things that get eaten, planted or done. A day out, a family membership somewhere local, a baking set with recipes in your handwriting, or seeds and a grow-bag for the patio all leave no clutter behind. If they're short on time, pick the date with them.
What are good presents for a family with young children?
Presents a three-year-old and an adult can enjoy at the same time: a garden games set, a board game a four-year-old can win, a bird box, a grow-bag vegetable kit or a mat with numbered poses. For an experience, a farm park, a short steam railway ride or a family swim all work at four, as long as the day is short.
How do you wrap an experience?
Wrap something from it. A swim float for a family swim, a toy train for a railway ride, a paintbrush for a pottery session, with a card giving the date. If you haven't booked, write two dates and let the family pick. With under-fives, the thing to open matters more than the voucher, because a voucher means little to a four-year-old.
Two mats, two children
If the present is going to a house with two children, our mats come in two designs, so each child can have their own and nobody fights over pose 1. They're £34.99 each with free UK delivery, and 10 per cent off two or more. They're full length, so the adults can use them too. You'll find both on our kids' yoga mats page. For one child at a time, our presents for kids guide goes age by age.
