Kids & Allergy Friendly Crafty Gift Ideas (Series)
The first post in our Complete Crafty Gift Ideas Series is geared toward young children. These kids craft kits are great for kids who are either too young for standard art activities or have allergies prohibiting conventional art supplies. They are also the perfect solution for folks who need low(er) mess or travel friendly activities to feed the creative mind. Some of these toys/activities aren’t your typical go-to arts & crafts, but they still tap into the creative mind and encourage lots of open ended play.
Links included above are affiliate links and may support DFW Craft Shows at no additional cost to you. DFWCS participates in the Amazon affiliate program, but DFWCS is in no way associated with Amazon or the items above. The opinions stated within are my own, and I have not received any sponsorship or free products from the aforementioned manufacturers.
Inclusive and enduring
One of the things I love most about the crafty gift ideas in The Kids & Allergy Friendly Crafty Gift Guide (other than how inclusive they are) is their longevity. Most of these toys are loved by both my toddler and my 8 year old–who has been playing with many of them since she was 1. My favorite activities are the ones that they can play together.
There is no way I can cover all my kids craft ideas here, so be sure to check out the full list on amazon for additional ideas. If you are looking for more conventional kids arts & crafts gift ideas (involving crayons, markers, etc), I have added many additional gift ideas to a separate list that you can find at the bottom of this article.
Melissa & Doug Water Wows
Melissa & Doug Water Wows are reusable books that magically pictures when you brush on them with the water pen. I think these books have almost single-handedly provided peace and entertainment for our family for over 8 years. From car rides to restaurants, doctor appointments to weddings, and everything in between, I RARELY leave home without these reusable, resilient gems. These are the crafty gift for toddlers and kids that keeps giving and giving.
The booklets themselves cover a range of skill sets and creative exercises that my kids have loved pretty much from 1.5 to 8 years old. We own every. single. one… or so I thought! But kids never stop, and neither does Melissa & Doug. They have come out with awesome NEW Water Wows for older kids, and I am EXCITED. These new products include:
- animal mismatch flip books
- connect the dots
- mazes
- deluxe versions complete with a red lens for a whole new level of play
- writing pads for letters and numbers
Are they all in my cart now? Yup. You can browse the entire collection of Melissa & Doug Water Wows here.
eWriters and Light Pads
The Boogie Board LCD eWriter is a well constructed, fun to use blank slate for hours of creative fun. We like to take turns drawing pictures, playing charades, building picture stories, playing tic tac toe, practicing letters, writing words, and more! The boogie board takes up very little space and is great for travel. I even used the included magnets to attach one to my fridge as a mess free alternative to dry erase. They have pads with a larger stylus for younger kids, the pad pictured here, and even a newer version with replaceable batteries.
For what it’s worth, we have had the Boogie Board pictured above for over 5 years and the battery is still going strong. Also worth mentioning, Boogie Board also offers tracing pads both for younger and older kids.
One of my son’s favorite creative toys over the last few years has been the My First Touch Lights Pad by Crayola. It was one of his first crafty gifts, received on his first birthday during a time when he had so many food allergies that conventional arts & crafts were not an option. The backlighting color changes over time and there is an optional musical setting that he loves. This is still a big favorite around here.
Magnets
If you had told me that a lot of my child’s early creative play would be facilitated by magnets, I’m not sure I would have believed you–but it’s true. This genre has been a huge source of creativity and entertainment in our house. Obviously, you will need to supervise younger children and use your own discretion on whether or not you feel these suggestions are yet age appropriate for your little.
From magnet dolls to magnetic activity boards and magnetic blocks, there are so many creative gifts and open-ended play to be found with these magnet sets! And, as I mentioned before, these toys were an especially wonderful when we were navigating food allergies and limited on more conventional supplies.
There are a LOT of options available for magnetic construction (Magnatiles, Magformers, Tegu), and they are ALL fun. But my personal favorite crafty gift in this category are Magnatiles. They come in a lot of different designs (including glow in the dark!), and their translucency is perfect for incorporating into light tables and light exploration. It’s easily one of those toys that you want to buy more of just for your own enjoyment.
Mess Free Glitter
I know you just reached up to slap me across the face for even saying it, but IT IS A REAL THING, so stand down! My kids have a blast designing these mess free glitter stickers. They use them to decorate art projects, cards, gifts, and, you know, our Kleenex boxes. The Christmas ones are a fun holiday activity that they can use to put an extra special touch on presents. Pair it with some kraft wrapping paper and BAM! personalized DIY gift wrap. This is a true crafty gift idea that kids of all ages can enjoy.
Building the basics
When your child is ready for some very beginners level crafting kits, these books are the perfect way to start developing basic skills such as cutting, pasting, tracing, taping and more.
The Kumon Let’s Cut Paper Series has lots of fun designs and simple activities that are perfect for scissor skills and self confidence building. My daughter LOVED them. The First Steps Series features various difficulty levels for each skill set so they can level up and find new ways to use theirs crafting tools. Consider these Baby’s First Crafting Kit.
When your kiddo is ready to focus on placement and precision, these first sticker books are a lot of fun. The My First Stickers by Numbers Book is solely sticker matching and making pictures, whereas My Super Duper Coloring Activity Book has coloring pages with one or two stickers to be found and matched up on the top of the page.
Cutting, pasting, coloring, matching, precision–these are all fundamental skills they can start implementing with any kind of arts and crafts project. Not only are they having a blast with these crafty gifts, you are laying the foundation of all future crafting here!
Craft Kits for Everyone!
Finally, we have arrived at some amazing art kits to set their imaginations free! It is not hard to find a good crafting kit. It can be really hard, however, to find one that doesn’t include crayons, markers, paint, etc, which can be difficult to use with little ones who are still mouthing everything. Those traditional art supplies can also contain common allergens.
The craft kits I have selected for our Kids & Allergy Friendly Crafty Gift Ideas have all of the fun and very little of the aforementioned conventional art supplies. Having said that, I do want to mention that most of these are going to involve some kind of tape or glue.
Seen here:
My Pom Pom Pets by Klutz
Pops Craft and Paper Tube Ocean by Alex
You can find all these art kits, everything else in this article, and SO MANY MORE crafty gift ideas (lacing beads, jewelry kits, sticker pads, terrariums, and more) by visiting the FULL Kids & Allergy Friendly List on Amazon!
Conventional Crafty Gifts and More
If you’re looking for gift ideas incorporating the more conventional arts and crafts supplies (crayons, markers, paints, etc) for younger children, pop on over to our Kids Conventional Arts and Craft Kits and Crafty Gift Ideas List instead!
Missed the mark?
If you feel like this guide was below the skill level or age range you were looking for, be sure to check out the Tweens and Teens Crafty Gift Ideas Guide for some next level creative and crafty gift ideas! Though they aren’t separated out to their own list like this one, there are still quite a few allergy friendly gift ideas throughout all the guides in the The Complete Crafty Gift Guide Series.
Originally posted on November 22, 2018.
share
Hi, I'm Tania!
Thanks for stopping by DFW Craft Shows! Our blog is home to tons of creative inspiration, gift guides, tutorials, featured artists, and tips for small businesses trying to make their mark in the arts & crafts world.
