21 Experience Gifts for Kids (That Aren't Toys)

Shila:  Cameo is one of a few online services where you can purchase personalized video messages from a number of celebrities, athletes, reality TV stars, musicians, comedians, YouTubers and more. You name the person, Cameo is likely to offer a keepsake message for you! Video messages can take up to a week, or be ready in as little as a day. With Cameo Live, you can also schedule a live call with your celebrity of choice.

Shila:  Memento (formerly VidHug) is a free app that allows you to send a link for people to upload a video message for a person of honor. It's very simple to upload and it only takes a minute to record a message, which the platform compiles into a special collage of personalized messages.

My kids have recorded a few messages not only for friends' virtual birthday parties, but for family who live across the country, too. These videos also make unique classroom teacher gifts.

Kelly R:  My kids have gotten magazine subscriptions as experience gifts, and they love receiving them in the mail each month! It's nice to give one issue of the magazine as a physical gift so they can start enjoying it right away.

Kelly R:  My kids have had a blast at local kid-friendly escape rooms, and they would love to receive gift cards to these places as fun experience gifts! Use one for an outing with your family, or invite a few of their friends along. Just call ahead to confirm that your local spot is kid-friendly.

Kelly R:  A cooking class (or a series of them!) at a local kid-friendly cooking school is a great gift for kids who like to cook, or just want to get more comfortable in the kitchen.

Kelly R:  Thrill seeking kids will love the chance to defy gravity at a local indoor skydiving place, where they can suit up and enter a vertical wind tunnel that lets them experience the feeling of skydiving without the heights!

Kelly R:  This annual pass gives the gift of a year of adventure, granting access to the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands. It's an especially fun family gift idea when paired with a scratch-off National Parks poster so you can track all of the parks that you visit together.

Kelly R:  Kids experience gifts don't need to cost a lot of money. A gift card that covers a trip or two to a local scoop shop will go over big, especially if they get to pick whatever day they want to use it!

Kelly R:  Consider a membership to a museum that your family would enjoy visiting at least a few times over the course of a year. If you have a local children's museum, this is an especially great experience gift for kids who are young enough to take advantage of their cool indoor play spaces.

Kelly R:  I would have loved passes to any of our local indoor play places as experience gifts when my kids were preschoolers! Such a fun way to kill time on the weekdays before they were in school, and those individual visits can really add up.

Kelly R:  Sporty kids will love receiving tickets to see their favorite team play. Even better if you wrap up the tickets with a new team t-shirt or hat!

Kelly R:  If you already have a membership to your favorite museum or zoo, consider any special add-ons they offer as fun experience gift ideas for kids! Most offer extras that regular admission doesn't grant access too, like sleepover events, animal encounters and behind-the-scenes tours.

Kelly R:  My kids have enjoyed going to the zoo at every age, and I think zoo memberships are the perfect experience gifts for kids who don't have one yet!

Kelly R:  Outings to special themed restaurants that you wouldn't normally hit up for a family dinner make such fun kid experience gifts! Consider places like Medieval Times, board game cafes, or even train-themed restaurants that offer entertainment along with your meal.

Kelly R:  There are so many different subscription boxes for kids, and many are free of toys and focus more on clutter-free consumables like science experiments, craft supplies and cooking kits. Whether you give a couple months or an entire year, it's an experience gift that kids will love looking forward to for a while!