Did the Parents Suggest an ‘Experience’ Gift? Here’s Why It’s the Perfect Choice for Connection (Plus 29 Experience Gift Ideas)

When it comes to gift-giving, many grandparents are choosing to make an impact beyond the toy aisle with experience gifts – and it seems more and more parents are requesting these types of gifts for their kids. Me included!

As a parent, I don’t have anything against toys per se, but it’s so worthwhile to just quickly check-in with the parents to make sure they don’t already have something you are planning to purchase.  Or to make sure your grandchild will use the gift you would like to purchase. You’ve likely witnessed how quickly their interests can change.  Dinosaurs can be all the rage for years – and then suddenly, they have moved on to all things baseball.

Why parents like experience gifts

Parents ultimately want you to give a gift your grandchild will love and use because they want to be able to say.. yes, remember nana got that for you!

And sometimes that can be a much sought after toy, game or sports-related item.

But if the parents have asked you for an experience gift, one of the following things could be true:

1. They are overwhelmed with the management of all the stuff coming in and out (as well-meaning as it might be)
2. They are running out of space or time to organize all the stuff
3. They want to teach their children about the value of doing things together
4. They want you to be the one to give them something fun that will last beyond the gift giving day
5. They are struggling a bit with being able to afford the experiences, even though they want to share these with their children. Even having one child paid for makes it a far more reasonable – and likely to happen – family adventure to a local museum.

The thing is, experience gifts have a lot of benefits longer term. They offer a way to create lasting memories while supporting their learning, curiosity, and connection. Experience gifts are clutter-free and focus on growth and togetherness and can also align with family values, whether it’s education, fitness, adventure or creativity.

Plus, for long distance families, these gifts can be easy to make happen. If you go online to the actual company and buy an e gift card, you can often get it emailed directly to the parents.

Perfect for all you last minute shoppers out there!

What do your grandchildren think about experience gifts?

Remember, even if kids aren’t jumping up and down with excitement right away, these gifts are the ones they’ll look back on with fondness—and parents will thank you for them, too.

And I should clarify that experience gifts can be the ones your grandchildren love the most.

For instance, I suggested to my uncle this year that he buy my son a gift card for an indoor play place that he loves for his birthday – and he gave him enough to bring a friend with him.

Not only is this the perfect gift because he loves this place, but it also really matches where my 10 year old is at developmentally right now, in that his friends are noticeably more important in his life than even last year.

If you have a budget that is much higher than the gift they are requesting, ask the parents if you can send a contribution to an education fund.  Contributions to an education fund will be more than appreciated one day when they aren’t as saddled with student loans in their 20s! We have family that does this for us, and I can tell you it is greatly appreciated.

Or to a ballet or sports class. I promise, you would spit out your coffee if I told you how much I spend monthly on my children’s soccer training.

You can also do what my children’s grandpa did one year.

He purchased a gift card for my son so he could purchase something he really wanted at Walmart. But he included another gift card for my son to pick out a gift for a toy drive.

Of course, check with the parents to see if that would be okay, but I loved taking my son to both shop for the gift and drop it off. He still brings it up and that was about 4 years ago.

At the time, I wasn’t working full-time with 2 kids though so always best to check!

In our family, we give the grandparents the glory. This year my MIL is getting the coveted soccer jerseys for my boys.

But not everyone feels this way, there are parents who want to be the ones to give the most wanted present.

So again, I know I sound like a broken record, but a quick text to a parent to double check, takes very little time and can make all the difference.

How to UP the connection factor to your gift

Over the years,  grandparents have shared with me that these gifts can feel lackluster. It almost feels too easy, and you want to give them something meaningful.

If that’s the case, here are a few ways to up the connection factor – and thus the meaning – of your experience gift.

• Include a fun, weird or interesting fact related to the experience. For instance, provide a world record related to the activity or a piece of historical knowledge. For instance,

Fun Fact: Giraffes have black tongues that can grow up to 18 inches long! This helps them reach high branches without getting sunburned. Make sure you check out the giraffes tongue while you are at the zoo!

• Or just make it a fun fact about something they are into right now and to share with a friend. This says, ‘hey, I know you and what you like’. Check out this list of random fun facts from the blog Mommy Poppins.

• Write a note on fancy paper with fancy/colorful pens to include with your gift. Check out this blog for some top tips about writing letters to grandchildren of various ages. Add the experience gift card to the letter (or ask the parents to if you emailed it).

• Add a picture of you with your grandchild in a simple plastic frame. Tuck the experience gift card in there with a short note about the photo and how much you love spending time with them.

• Or create a photo of you holding up a sign that says something like Nana loves you!. Put it in a frame or turn it into a fridge magnet.

There are so many benefits to experience gifts and truly they are just such an easy way to show the parents you are listening to their requests to not buy a ton of gifts.

And by adding a personal touch and presenting the gift creatively, you have made it into a top notch connection gift.

Here is a list of possible experiences to purchase because it’s always appreciated by parents if you have a few options for them to choose from (while also letting them know if they have something better suited, please share!).

The Ultimate List of 29 Experience Gifts for Grandchildren 

Trampoline park play passes
Arcade gift card
Escape Room passes
Laser tag gift card

Cooking or baking class
Pottery or sculpture class
Art class
Archery class
Movie passes
Theatre or ballet tickets
Bowling gift card
Mini-golf or driving range passes
Paintball place gift card

Nerf gun place gift card
Go-kart place gift card
Rock climbing gift card
Theme park tickets
Outdoor waterpark passes
Ninja Warrior gym passes
Tickets to a sports event
Hot chocolate gift card
Restaurant gift card
Kid mani-pedi with a parent (or you!)
Themed gift card  (e.g.,Mani gift card with hot chocolate gift card)

Aquarium membership/day passes
Zoo membership/day passes
Children’s museum membership/day passes
Transportation museum tickets
National park pass