Christmas, birthdays or Easter is coming and your kids’ toys lie piled in the middle of the room, hardly played with. (Ever notice how kid toys seem to cause anxiety, but you buy more thinking they will somehow bring peace and joy this time?) What if you purchased them gifts they would actually love and use every day? Here are 75 kids gifts to make helping fun (renovation and homestead based).
I may earn a small commission through your purchase through any Amazon Affiliate links on this post. This is at no additional cost to you. All recommendations are my own because I have used and like each product.
In This Article
Qualifications for This Kid Gift Guide List
We are in the middle of a massive farmhouse renovation and building our homestead farm. Our kids are 4 and 6 years old, and this is our third home renovation. Needless to say, we’ve had to come up with ways to involve them in our lifestyle. People often comment on what hard workers they are for their age. Read more about Renovating with Young Kids HERE.
Whether helping in the kitchen, with the farm animals or on a renovation project, I try to buy my kids their own tools so they can feel involved and learn a good work ethic. I choose the perfect gift based on the following favorite features:
- Does it actually work? Most of the time I’m not interested in fake, pretend toys…unless it makes more sense for their age. I want their help to be “real” and not fake.
- Is it safe but not dumbed down? Yes, I try to keep my kids safe, but I also am not going to make their lives bubble wrapped.
- Is it kid size? Yes. I can’t lift a sledgehammer to pound a nail. They shouldn’t have to lift an adult size tool.
Price for the 75 Kids’ Gifts to Make Helping Fun
For this kid gift ideas guide, I am very conscious of price. Other than a handful of “splurge” gifts, many of these items are under $30 and most often under $10.
Bonus: if you love to garage sale or estate sale, many of these items can be found second hand, especially the mini tools at estate sales. Make your mobile phone garage sale shopping list found here during the summer and keep your eyes open for some inexpensive functional gift ideas for your own children.
75 Kids’ Gifts to Make Helping Fun (Renovation and Homestead)
These great gift suggestions can be tailored up (bigger) for older kids or down (smaller) for babies and toddlers. The goal is to help our kids be involved in our work lives and feel like they’re contributing as a family member (even when their help is less than helpful).
Kitchen Kid Gift Guide to Make Helping Fun
I don’t know about you, but I like to quietly cook by myself, maybe with a podcast playing and ice tea in my glass. But my kids love to help, and I’ve come to the conclusion that if I shoo them away now, they won’t be helpers when it counts. So I usually have little hands stirring, cutting and rolling out dough right next to me.
Apron (We have these and love them.)
Stainless Steel Non Toxic Cookie Sheet
Whisk and Kitchen Utensils Set
Compost or Scrap Bucket with Snap Lid
5 Minute Edible Crafts Cookbook
Sprouting Kit and Seeds
Construction and Renovation Kid Gift Guide to Make Helping Fun
Read my post on 40 Tips for DIY Home Renovation with Kids here. We have had a major home renovation going on since our kids were babies. That means that we’ve had to come up with creative ways to get them involved. Turns out, kids of all ages are really good at house demolition!
Hammer (and optional golf pegs for pounding in dirt)
Work Gloves and Eye Protection Glasses
Animal Care Kid Gift Guide to Make Helping Fun
If you live on a homestead or farm, chances are you have at least one or two kinds of animals (or ten). Make sure your kids are set up to help out so they can come alongside you in different ways on this animal journey. Who knows, you might be raising a veterinarian or another self-sufficient homesteader!
Carhartt Overalls (great for winter in the barnyard)
Egg Gathering Basket (these are best found at garage or estate sales!)
Critter Habitat Box and Water/Food Bowl
Kitten Bottle and Formula (because feeding a kitten formula – one old enough to eat on its own – from a bottle is one of the BEST farm kid experiences).
Doll Stroller (Random, but have you ever pushed a patient cat in a stroller? Yet another must for farm kid memories!)
Gardening Kid Gift Guide to Make Helping Fun
What better way to teach kids about nature than to get them involved in the garden! If you’re really on top of things, you can give them their own plot of ground or container to grow seeds. Or if you’re like me and don’t get that far, simply let them help you plant, water and gather the family’s produce. My homestead kids absolutely love helping because…well, dirt and water.
Pruning Shears (Yes, my kids have been using these since they were 2, and cutting weeds is their favorite thing to do. Obviously, you need to know your child, keep an eye on them and teach knife safety.)
Flower Pots and Seeds
Produce Basket (find these cheaply at a garage sale or thrift store)
Kids Ride On Tractor and Trailer (Yes, this is a splurge, but talk about real help while having fun! My kids tote firewood and pick up trash around the yard with this.)
Cleaning and Household Kid Gift Guide to Make Helping Fun
“Teach them young,” is what my momma always says. Yes, they’re going to slow you down when they’re young. And other than basic chores, I don’t require them to do a lot of tasks. But the payoff of letting them help when they ask (which my kids always do) will be huge in a few years.
Scrub Brush and Spray Bottle (Practical gift for a toddler on a linoleum, tile or faux wood floor while you clean!)
Small Clothespins and Clothesline Bag (Read my mommy’s helper clothesline tutorial HERE.)
Sewing and Hand Craft Kids Gift Guide
The Guide to Woodworking with Kids Book
Outdoorsy Kids Gift Guide to Make Exploring Fun
Mud Kitchen (thrift stores are a great way to find inexpensive kitchen supplies!)
Backyard Bird Song Book (250 North American bird songs)
I trust this list of 75 kids’ gifts to make helping fun will be a great birthday or Christmas gift guide for involving your kids in your DIY home renovation or homesteading journey. While it’s easier now to do things by ourselves, this lifestyle calls for teaching our children so that someday they will be prepared for their own journey. And in the meantime, they can become great daddy’s helpers and mommy’s helpers while you make memories together!
Read More About Involving Kids In Our Daily Life
40 Tips for DIY Home Renovating with Young Kids
Mommy’s Helper Clothesline Tutorial
How to Shop Garage Sales with Young Kids
How to Mix Kids and Vintage Decor
31 Best Foods Kids Can Sell at a Garage Sale
Vintage Farmhouse Decor That’s Kid Proof
Real Fall Leaf Garland Craft for Kids
Pin for Later 75 Kids’ Gifts to Make Helping Fun (Renovation and Homestead)!
