These gross motor gift ideas are great for kids of all ages and there is something on this list for any budget! Happy shopping!
I have 3 VERY active kids and I want to encourage them to be active and stay active! I think encouraging this from a young age can help them to build skills that can help them as they get older. Plus, it keeps them off of screens, which is hard to do in today’s world. I wanted to think of great gift ideas for our kids that encourage gross motor activity (and decrease screen usage) and exercise that can be useful all times of the year.
I don’t know about you, but it drives me crazy when my kids want to watch TV! I try to keep the TV off as much as possible, and I try to encourage my kids to be as active as possible. Don’t get me wrong, I am by no means a perfect human and my kids watch their fair share of TV (but I try my best). To keep them away from the TV, I have to have things for them to do to keep them busy and things that keep their interest.
I don’t want to overschedule their activities, but I wanted to have things for them to do at home when they are “bored” that can help them to improve their skills. Over the years, I have found several items (that we have given our kids as gifts) that help improve gross motor skills and creativity.
My goal is the keep them active and learning, especially in the winter.
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Gross Motor Gift Ideas For Kids:
- Balance bikes are great gifts! They are useful and help encourage exercise and gross motor activity.
- They can really help your kid learn to ride a bike without training wheels much faster than your standard bike with training wheels.
- My oldest didn’t have a balance bike. She was 5 before she was able to ride a bike without training wheels. My middle and youngest both had a balance bike. They were both able to ride a bike without training wheels about a month before they turned 3! It was amazing the difference.
2. Tunnel
- This is a great space saver and it is budget-friendly! They fold up so small and can be used indoors for some winter activities. A standard tunnel (at the time of this post) runs about $20.
- We have this 4-way tunnel, but you can get a standard tunnel or get all sorts of add-on tents. You can keep it as simple or extravagant as you want! The 4-way tunnel still folds up into a small bag to save space.
- I was surprised with the creative ways that my children found to play with the tunnel. They have made various forts with it, used it as a “house” when playing house, used it in the dark with flashlights. We have gotten more than $20 worth out of this thing!
3. Trampoline
- This is something you can get very small for a smaller indoor space or you can get a larger trampoline (that is still a safe option for littles) for an outdoor area or a larger indoor area. They make a 7-foot trampoline that offers a little more space but still works great for toddlers and preschool-age kids.
- We bought a 7-foot trampoline with a swing attachment for the kids last Christmas. We have an extra garage stall. We set it up in our heated garage and the kids play on that all winter. It’s great to get them a change of scenery in the winter without going anywhere and they can get some of their energy out on cold days. In the summer we move it outside so they can play on it outside as well.
- This is just a nice option to get out some energy, yet you can still tailor it to what you want and what fits in your space.
- Now you might be wondering what the heck this even is… I know I was when I first heard about it… it’s the same idea as a pogo stick, but it is made for smaller kids and much safer! My kids have one and they love to have challenges to see who can do the most. I even like to join in.
- This is very small and budget-friendly, yet a great way to get energy out! At the time of this post, it runs about $17!
- But beware, it does make a squeak noise when you use it effectively… so as your kids get better at it, you might have to endure an annoying squeaking noise! But I tell myself they are having fun, they aren’t fighting, and they are burning some energy!
5. Balance Beam
- I love this balance beam! It is sturdy, but yet breaks down into smaller pieces and fits nicely into the carrying case. I also love the fact that you can set it up into different shapes.
- This is a great option that can be used both outdoors and indoors and it doesn’t take up a ton of storage space. It can work on both balance and creativity.
6. Animal Hopping Toy
- We have this cute little dino hopper. It’s not super large but it does take up some space.
- This is a heavy-duty toy and it has taken a lot of beatings and bouncing from my kids and it is still going strong!
- This is a nice toy to help kids work on bouncing/jumping skills. It wipes clean very easily and you can easily move it from outdoor to indoor.
7. Basketball hoop
- This is a toy that you can get in various sizes to fit both the size/age of your child and also to fit the space you are going to put it in. We have an over-the-door hoop for inside with plastic balls and a larger hoop with standard basketballs for outside.
8. Bilibo
- These are interesting things that can help with creativity. It is interesting all the things the kids will use them for. The kids love to play with them.
- If you get more than one, they stack nicely together taking up less space!
- This can help with gross motor skills, balancing, core strength, and/or creativity (depending on how your kids are using them).
9. Scooter
- This is another item you can get to fit your kid best… sitting or standing scooter.
- They tend to take up a little more space and can be a little more costly, but it’s still a great way to get out some energy and work on gross motor skills.
- I like this scooter because kids can use it for both sitting or standing.
- This is a fun game that I enjoy playing with the kids! It’s great for working on hand-eye coordination.
- The other benefit to this game, is the child can use it themselves by popping it and then catching it themselves, or they can play catch with others. I like to have some toys around that my kids can play with independently.
These next few items don’t necessarily encourage gross motor activity, but they do encourage creativity, allow kids to be busy (without any screens!), and some of them can be educational. So, here are a few other items my kids have gotten throughout the years that they still enjoy playing with and using:
- Legos or blocks
- Magna Tiles
- Marble Run– this is obviously better for a little older kids.
- Kids games such as Sorry, Trouble, Sequence, etc.
- Puzzles.
- Activity books. There are tons of great activity books for different ages
- Kiwi Co subscription
- Play Kitchen set- we have this play kitchen and it’s been going strong for almost 6 years now. My kids love this.
- Play tool set- This is another gift that can vary depending on the space and money you have available. There are some more involved tool sets with a tool bench, like this one, or there are just a set of tools, like this.
- Baseball mit, tee, whiffle balls, and bases. This is another gift that can be tailored to your child’s ability… you get get a tee, like this, for a toddler, or this awesome pitching machine (it uses plastic balls) for school age kids.
Some of the gifts might work better for your kids than others, depending on their age and interests, but these are gift that my kids have enjoyed over the years.
In addition to these items, I like to also give my kids (and our nieces and nephews) experience gifts instead of toys or “things”. Check out my post for experience gift ideas!
I am always looking for a way to keep my kids active, learning new skills, and away from screens! What other ideas do you have for gifts for kids to keep them active?