5 Screen-Free Gifts for the Child Who Already Has Everything This Christmas

Every December it's the same question: what do you actually buy the child who seems to have everything already? Another toy that'll be forgotten by Boxing Day feels like a waste, but finding something that's genuinely fun and worth the money isn't always easy.

If I'm honest, this is something I feel strongly about. I think one of the things children miss out on most these days isn't a lack of toys — it's the opposite. There's so much plastic, so much cheap, disposable stuff everywhere, that it's easy to end up with a pile of things that get used once and forgotten, rather than one thing that's actually loved and returned to again and again.

I'd always rather give a child one carefully chosen, good-quality gift than a mountain of quick, throwaway ones. Because quality over quantity isn't just about what ends up in the box — it's about giving children the chance to actually sit with something, to be creative, to think, rather than being pulled from one quick hit of stimulation straight to the next.

Here are five screen-free gift ideas that tend to actually get used, not just unwrapped.

1. A themed activity book

Not just any activity book — one built around something specific, like a country, a place, or a subject your child is already curious about. The specificity is what makes it last; a child flicking through pages about a place that means something to them (somewhere they've visited, somewhere they're from, somewhere they dream of going) stays engaged far longer than generic puzzles ever manage.

This is exactly why I built the Colour the World range the way I did — each book is dedicated to one country or place, packed with real facts, local language, puzzles, and colouring, rather than generic activities with a flag stuck on the cover. My newest, Colour the World: Yorkshire, has been a particular favourite this year, for obvious reasons.

 

2. A proper jigsaw puzzle

Not a 20-piece one they'll finish in five minutes — something that'll genuinely take an afternoon, ideally one the whole family can gather round. There's a real sense of accomplishment in sitting with something, working at it patiently, and actually finishing it — a feeling that's harder to come by when everything else is designed to be instant. Puzzles are one of the few gifts that quietly become a shared activity rather than a solo one, which makes them worth more than their price tag over a holiday period when everyone's actually around.

3. A craft kit

Friendship bracelets, sketching sets, simple sewing kits — anything that gives a child materials and a reason to make something with their hands. The best ones don't come with rigid instructions; they leave room for a child to get creative rather than just follow steps. What I love about this kind of gift is that a child isn't just passing time with it — they're sitting down, focusing, and making something they can actually keep. There's a quiet sense of accomplishment in that, and it's a different kind of pride to the one that comes from pressing a button and getting an instant result.

4. A board game suited to their age

A good board game does more than fill an afternoon. It teaches children something that's easy to miss in a world of instant everything: that you don't always get what you want, and you don't always win — but you can still have fun anyway. It's about shared enjoyment, not just the outcome, and that's a genuinely valuable thing for a child to learn early. The classics (Ludo, Monopoly, and the like) have lasted generations for a reason, and there are some brilliant newer ones too — find the right one for your family and you'll be playing it for years, not just one Christmas.

5. An explorer kit

Binoculars, a magnifying glass, a little backpack — anything that turns a walk into an adventure. It costs very little to put together, but honestly, I think it's the gift that keeps on giving. You're not just handing over objects; you're handing over a sense of adventure.

It's something I think about a lot with my own books, too — this kind of gift is a perfect companion to any activity book, because it encourages that same curiosity, and curiosity has a way of growing. A child who starts off curious about what's in the garden or down the lane tends to grow into someone curious about what's beyond it — their town, their country, eventually the other side of the world. It's less about any single gift and more about a way of being. Encourage that in a child young enough, and it tends to stay with them for life.

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Whatever you choose, the common thread is the same: gifts that invite a child to do something, not just consume something. Those are the ones that still get used in February.

If you're looking for something along these lines, Colour the World: Yorkshire is available now

— Gemma