Christmas Gifts for Kids Who Have Everything 2026

Every December I hear the same thing from parents: “Please, no more toys. There’s nowhere left to put them.” If you’re shopping for a child like that, the best Christmas gifts for kids who have everything are days out they can look forward to. A theme park ticket, a morning at the aquarium, or a first indoor skydiving flight fits in a card and still gets opened on Christmas morning.

Below are the experiences I’d pick, sorted by type and by city, with prices and ages for each. Near the end, you’ll find a few non-toy gifts to wrap, for when you still want something under the tree.

Merry Christmas

• 18,000+ experiences to choose from
• Redeemable in 100+ countries
• $111.20 gift value
• Rated 4.9/5 from 210 reviews
• Free digital delivery, or printed box
• Recipient picks their own experience

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Happy Holiday

• 14,000+ experiences to choose from
• Redeemable in 100+ countries
• $263.20 gift value
• Rated 4.8/5 from 246 reviews
• Free digital delivery, or printed box
• Recipient picks their own experience

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Merry & Bright

• 11,000+ experiences to choose from
• Redeemable in 100+ countries
• $351.20 gift value
• Rated 4.9/5 from 95 reviews
• Free digital delivery, or printed box
• Recipient picks their own experience

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Why Experiences Work for Kids Who Have Everything

A kid with a full shelf already knows what a new toy feels like. A day at LEGOLAND or a first lesson on a surfboard is new, and it comes with a countdown and time with the people who matter to them.

There’s research behind this too. In a 2017 study in the Journal of Consumer Research, Chan and Mogilner found that experience gifts bring giver and recipient closer than material gifts, even when the giver doesn’t go along. For a grandparent or an aunt who lives far away, it’s a nice way to stay part of the year. If you’d like more ideas by age, our guide to experience gifts for kids has a wider list.

Experience Gifts That Work Anywhere in the US

Start here if you don’t live near the child, or you’re not sure where the family will spend the spring.

• A family movie day. The AMC Family Movie Package costs $95 and covers four tickets, four fountain drinks, and two popcorns to share. The tickets work for any standard 2D film at AMC theaters across the US, while 3D and premium formats like IMAX cost extra. It suits any age, as long as you pick the right film and the whole family goes. For a smaller gift, a single AMC movie ticket is $19, and two tickets with drinks and popcorn cost $59. The second one makes a nice parent-and-kid date.
• Stories for the car and bedtime. The Audiobook Treasury costs $30 and lets the child pick two audiobooks from more than 600,000 titles on Libro.fm. The files play on any phone or tablet, and the credits never expire. It’s a good fit for readers aged 6 and up, and for long road trips.
• Let them choose. A Tinggly gift card lets the family spend it on any experience on the site, in $50, $100, or $150 amounts. The child browses with a parent and decides, which suits a teenager who’d rather choose than be surprised.

Theme Park and Attraction Tickets

A theme park ticket in a Christmas card gets a bigger reaction than most boxes under the tree. These are grouped by area, so start with the one closest to the child.

• If they live in or near Southern California. The LEGOLAND California 1-day ticket costs $109. The Carlsbad park has more than 60 rides and shows for kids aged 2 to 12. The ticket covers the main park only, so the Water Park and SEA LIFE Aquarium cost extra, as does parking. For tweens and teens who’ve outgrown LEGO, a Universal Studios Hollywood ticket costs $144 and includes the Studio Tour and every ride in the park. Parking and Express passes aren’t included.
• If they live in or near Orlando. LEGOLAND Florida in Winter Haven, about 45 minutes from Orlando, is $95 for a day, with parking paid on-site. Younger artists will love the Crayola Experience Orlando at the Florida Mall. For $33, they get a full day of melting crayons into shapes and mixing their own colors, and they can leave and come back the same day with a wristband. Kids 15 and under need an adult with them. The Museum of Illusions Orlando at ICON Park is also $33, with more than 50 interactive exhibits that make great photos.
• If they live in or near New York. The LEGOLAND New York ticket costs $80. The park is in Goshen, about an hour north of the city, with seven themed lands and The Dragon Coaster. In Manhattan, SPYSCAPE costs $39 and turns a museum visit into a spy test. Kids break codes and dodge lasers, then get a profile of their spy type. It works best for curious 9- to 15-year-olds.
• If they live in or near Chicago. The LEGOLAND Discovery Center Chicago in Schaumburg is an indoor LEGO attraction best for kids aged 3 to 12, and tickets cost $28. Older kids who like taking things apart will get more from the Museum of Science and Industry, one of the largest science museums in the world. A ticket with an audio tour costs $54.
• If they live in or near Miami. The Frost Science Museum downtown costs $36 and includes the aquarium and a planetarium show, subject to availability. It works for every age, from toddlers to teens.

Zoo, Aquarium, and Animal Experiences

Kids who sleep under a pile of stuffed animals usually want to meet the real ones. These work for every age, so the whole family can go, grandparents included.

The San Diego Zoo and Safari Park 2-visit pass costs $130 and covers two visits: one day at the Zoo and one at the Safari Park, or two days at either. It includes the guided bus tour and the Zoo’s Skyfari aerial tram, plus the Safari Park’s Africa Tram. The ticket is valid for a year, so you can save the second visit for summer. Parking costs extra at both parks.

In Boston, the New England Aquarium costs $40. Plan on about two hours for the penguin colony and the Giant Ocean Tank. Strollers are fine inside.

Near Los Angeles, a ticket to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach costs $52. Show the voucher at the gate on your phone or printed, and budget for parking.

On Florida’s Gulf Coast, a dolphin sightseeing cruise from Tampa costs $31 for 90 minutes on the bay. A guide talks through what you’re seeing; water and soda are included, and the boat leaves from behind the Tampa Bay History Center. Children need an adult with them, and strollers can come on board.

Adventure Gifts for Older Kids and Teens

Older kids are the hardest to buy for, and they’re also the ones most likely to brag about a gift at school on Monday.

• Indoor skydiving. It’s my favorite pick for a kid who has done everything. The child flies in a vertical wind tunnel with an instructor right beside them, so there’s no plane and no jump. The minimum age is 3, and parents or guardians must sign the waiver for anyone under 18. Each package includes training and gear plus two flights, and they leave with a personalized flight certificate. It’s $115 in Denver, $118 in Fort Lauderdale, $119 in Phoenix, $121 near Philadelphia in King of Prussia, and $130 in Dallas. There are more cities on the indoor skydiving page.
• Escape rooms. For puzzle lovers in Orlando, The Escape Effect on International Drive runs two rooms worth gifting. Sherlock Studies is a 75-minute game rated 8 out of 10 for difficulty, at $50 per player with at least 2 players. A Knight to Escape runs two hours and is rated 10 out of 10, at $70 per player with at least 4 players. The staff can adjust either game to the team’s level, so it works for a family with a 10-year-old and a teenager. Other cities are on the escape room page.
• Go-karts. Andretti Indoor Karting in Orlando has what it calls the world’s longest multi-level indoor track. A $32 ticket covers a 6- to 7-minute race with a helmet and safety briefing. In Las Vegas, an outdoor go-kart race costs $35 for an 8-minute race of about 8 to 10 laps. More tracks are on the karting page.
• Gators and a zipline. The Gatorland and Screamin’ Gator Zipline combo in Orlando costs $75. It pairs park entry with a zipline course above the park, which takes up to 90 minutes with all the gear included.

For teens specifically, our list of Christmas gifts for teens goes further.

Classes and Lessons for Kids Who Like to Try Things

A class gives a child something a toy can’t: a new skill, and something they made or did themselves.

• Pottery. The beginner pottery class in Los Angeles or Miami costs $95 per person and is open to ages 3 and up. In two hours, an instructor helps them shape a piece by hand or on the wheel. The studio provides clay, tools, and an apron, and fires one finished piece for them to take home. Classes top out at 10 people, so a parent and child can book side by side. The studio depends on the date you pick. You’ll find classes in other cities on the pottery class page.
• Surfing. A kids’ surf lesson in Venice Beach costs $140 for a two-hour private lesson, with the board and wetsuit included. Anyone under 18 is taught one-on-one, and the school confirms the exact beach after you book to match the waves. Surfing lessons also run in Hawaii and other coastal spots.

If your child already has a hobby, search the cooking class and horseback riding pages for their area. Many listings say on the page whether kids can join.

Christmas Gift Boxes When You Can’t Choose

If you can’t guess what a nine-year-old will want in April, let them choose. A Tinggly gift box covers one experience from a themed list, and the child picks it with a parent. It comes as a physical box to unwrap, or as an eVoucher you can print and tuck into a card. The voucher doesn’t expire, and they can swap to a different experience for free any time before booking.

• The Merry Christmas gift box costs $139 and covers 18,800+ experiences in 116 countries, from Christmas lights tours to observation decks.
• The Merry Christmas Limited Edition costs $239 and covers 29,400+ experiences, so there’s more room for the bigger days out.
• The Adventure Awaits gift box costs $69 and covers 17,600+ experiences. It’s the lowest price here and a good stocking-sized gift for an active kid.
• The Fun Together gift box costs $199 and covers 28,400+ experiences picked for doing something together, a good choice when the gift is really for the whole family.

Gifts to Wrap for Kids Who Have Everything

Most kids still want something to rip open on Christmas morning, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The trick is picking gifts that get used up or used often, or that keep showing up through the year.

• A monthly project box. KiwiCo sends a hands-on building or science project every month, with separate crate lines for babies through teens. Most lines start at $24 a month, and the longer plans cost less per crate. For a kid who likes being in the kitchen, Raddish Kids sends three illustrated recipe guides and a real kitchen tool each month, plus an email shopping list. The food isn’t included. A month-to-month plan costs $27.95, or $23.95 a month on a 12-month plan, and the kits suit ages 4 to 14, with younger kids cooking alongside an adult.
• A magazine with their name on it. Getting mail is still exciting at seven. Ranger Rick, from the National Wildlife Federation, costs $15 a year in the US for 10 issues and targets ages 7 to 12. Ranger Rick Jr. covers ages 4 to 7. National Geographic Kids is another good choice for animal and science fans.
• A personalized storybook. A book where the child is the main character, with their name and a look-alike drawing, is something no one else on the list will give them. It’s also one of the few books that stays on the shelf after they’ve outgrown it.
• Things made to be used up. Big rolls of drawing paper, good markers, a paint set, a crystal-growing kit, or a box of geodes to crack open. None of these adds to the clutter for long, and a creative kid will get through them by February.
• A 529 contribution. For grandparents especially, a gift to the child’s 529 college savings plan is quiet but useful. Money in a 529 grows tax-free when it’s spent on qualified education costs, and most state plans let relatives contribute directly. Pair it with a small card that says what it’s for, so the child knows about it.
• My favorite move: wrap the experience inside a small gift. Hide the LEGOLAND ticket inside a small LEGO set, tuck the aquarium voucher into a stuffed penguin’s scarf, or roll the indoor skydiving certificate inside a pair of goggles. The child still gets a box to open, and the real gift is the surprise inside.

If you’re shopping for the grown-ups too, try our Christmas gifts for adults who have everything, or our list of the most practical Christmas gifts.

Give Them Something to Look Forward To

A kid who has everything doesn’t need more stuff. What they’ll remember is the day they flew in a wind tunnel or saw a penguin up close. If you know the place they’d love, pick a single ticket. If you’d rather they choose, a gift box does that for you. Browse more ideas in our Christmas experience gifts for kids, and give them a story instead of something to store.