Playful Presents: A Gift Guide for Creatives of all Ages
Looking for gifts that spark joy, inspire creativity, and transform learning? Whether you’re shopping for a curious toddler, a budding artist, a beloved teacher, or yourself, this guide is packed with thoughtful, open-ended materials that invite endless possibilities for art and play.
From tried-and-true open-ended favorites to delightful surprises from our Merch Shop, these gifts honor the belief that creativity is for everyone—and the best gifts are the ones that grow with us. We’ve included free ideas, eco-friendly options, and even access to some of our favorite printables to keep things fun and sustainable. Without further ado, all of our best ideas for creative gift giving await.
For toddlers
Paint sticks are a slick, lipstick-like color tube used for scribbling and mark making, much easier to use than crayons.
Butcher paper is essential for spreading out and encouraging physicality in art making.
A plastic utility tub is not only handy for storing cardboard and recyclables but can also be used for bigger and messier sensory play like shaving cream and kinetic sand.
Big colorful dot label stickers for decorating cardboard boxes or anything else.
A Creative Genius t-shirt to wear as a smock is much more comfortable!
DIY these Art & PLAY KIT ideas for FREE! Decorate an oatmeal or coffee canister and fill it with pom poms or pinecones, or large lids to put in and take out. Take the canister (and toddler) out for a nature walk to collect and discover, using the natural loose parts for play. Or drop the loose parts through a paper towel tube into the canister. You can place all of these repurposed materials into one of our new totes!
For preschoolers
A water painting board for exploration and experimentation.
Magnetic Tiles for building, balancing, and imagining! These tiles are great for developing spatial awareness and creativity.
Neon binger daubers look amazing on cardboard, Butcher paper, and more, and can be used for hopping around the paper to make dots or dragged to create lines and scribbles. These aren’t totally washable, so don’t forget your Play Expert t-shirt to use as a smock!
Make our favorite playdough recipe together and add some favorite colors and scents.
Put together a Painting Kit with tempera paints, no-spill cups, our favorite brushes, and a Creative Genius t-shirt to wear instead of a smock.
Make an easy collage kit with real scissors, colored glue in a squeezy condiment bottle (which doubles as an amazing bath toy or in a sensory bin), and a collection of colorful paper scraps (save cool shopping bags, wrapping paper, tissue paper, and more this season).
DIY these Art & PLAY KIT ideas for FREE! Grab a large cardboard box, cut out windows and a door, and decorate together with dot stickers and colorful masking tape. Play hide and seek or pretend it’s a castle, a spaceship, or anything your preschooler can imagine! Or use one of our new totes to assemble a collection of cleaned, safe recyclables with a few rolls of our favorite colorful masking tape.
For school-agers and beyond
Find a repurposed mirror or picture frame and use a mini hot glue gun to add small trinkets and treasures from birthday parties, trick-or-treating, and everyday accumulation. That mini hot glue gun will inspire endless creativity through the season when offered with cardboard and recyclables, bottle caps, natural materials, and other loose parts.
Posca markers are amazing for doodling and adding color to all sorts of surfaces, especially cardboard. Use them to revive tired sneakers, decorate notebooks, and more!
Don’t forget about sensory play. Grab wool roving and some smooth tocks and package it all together in an Art is Play unbreakable mug that can be filled with warm soapy water and used in the process. Here is our free tutorial for wet felted stones.
This indigo dye kit paired with our Play Expert t-shirt is a total zing!
DIY this UPCYCLED ART KIT for FREE! Fill a beautiful divided box (think candy box or other gift box) with buttons, thread spools, bottle caps, and other small recyclables for creating sculptures, collages, or inventions. Include a mini hot glue gun and some cardboard and fit it all into one of our new totes!
For an amazing teacher
Tuck a favorite coffee shop gift card into our If Joy Matters notebook, and pair it with a mug filled with great pens or markers. Our favorites are Le Pen, Gelly Rollers, and PaperMate fine-tip pens.
Or how about a Creativity Belongs In Classrooms tote bag filled with amazing cardboard pieces and recyclables and with a game-changing cardboard cutter?
If your teacher already has magnetic tiles or other building materials for play, add battery-powered tealights for regulating, cozy winter play, or grab a couple of cordless rechargeable lamps for the classroom so they can turn off the overhead lights.
For the teacher who loves to learn, consider gifting our Materials Matter course, which is self-paced and emphasizes using what’s already on hand. The course now includes a Makerspace Makeover Transformation video that will inspire any teacher.
DIY this HANDMADE GIFT IDEA! Use unclaimed watercolor paintings, drawings, or scraps of beautiful patterned paper to make a garland for the classroom. It will add so much warmth, color, and joy.
For YOU!
Our most popular items so far from our new merch shop are these cozy sweatshirts! Choose the message that is meaningful to you.
Give yourself something that sends your own creative sparks flying. A geometric shape stamp set, some colorful yarn for pom-pom making, or a collection of beautiful papers for collage.
For creating on the go, what about a travel water color set? Fill one of our enamel mugs with water for inspired painting and experimenting.
FREE GIFT IDEA! Spend a few minutes unwinding every day with your sketchbook and favorite materials in hand, using our one-word prompts printable as a creative spark!
Do you need help reimagining your classroom as a hub of creativity where children share ideas and feel seen, known, and celebrated? Learn more about our Materials Matters course and Professional Learning Workshops and transform your creative practice today. Creativity belongs in classrooms!