Our Hanukkah Gift By Category Guide shares some tried and true fun and meaningful gifts for each of our gift categories AND a few gifts we are planning to give this Hanukkah!
Wonder what gift categories I’m talking about? Check out my Hanukkah Gift Strategy post to learn all about how we try to make sure each of the eight gifts we give our four kiddos have a special meaning.
We try to gift in a very intentional way and choose gifts that are meaningful to their physical, emotional, and mental development and to our dynamic as a family.
We are also still shopping for this year’s gifts and would love any suggestions you have of items that have worked for your kiddos based on our family’s gift categories. Send me an email or comment below and let me know your favorites!!
Take a peek at our Hanukkah Gift By Category Guide below!
1. Tzedakah
Tzedakah is such an important Jewish value and one we talk a lot about in our house. We have discussions with each of our kids about where they would like to give tzedakah to before Hanukkah starts.
To guide in these discussions, you can ask your child:
- What are you interested in?
- How would you like to help the world this Hanukkah?
- What are some of your favorite things?
Based off their answers, there will be tons of agencies that you can give tzedakah to. Here are some ideas:
- If your child loves animals you can give to you local animal shelter, your local animal hospital, your local homeless shelter if they assist with clients’ pets, the ASPCA, your local zoo, or local wildlife refuge.
- For children interested in helping people who have food insecurity you can donate to your local food bank, local shelter, or Oxfam.
- Environmentally-conscious children (interested in the environment, forests, beaches, etc.) this article lists a bunch of environmental-focused charities. You could also donate to your local tree planting organization, arboretum, or the Jewish National Fund and have them plant a tree in your child’s name.
2. An Experience
For this category, we think of a special experience we can do as a family or one-on-one with each child.
In the past we’ve made gift certificates for a day at the zoo (as well as a zoo membership), frozen yogurt, family hike to one of our favorite hiking locations, and one-on-one special meal of the kid’s choice.
What would your child love to experience with you?
3. Something to Read
In my Hanukkah Gift Strategy post, I shared that we are huge Julia Donaldson fans and often gift her books during Hanukkah.
This category has so many options! Choose a book from your child’s favorite author, make a plan to diversify your bookshelf, or choose something that you think you will all enjoy reading together.
I suggest checking out the following book reviewers. I’ve found they provide many awesome recommendations and they also focus on diverse children’s literature:
Which new Julia Donaldson books should we try? If you have any favorites, shoot me an email and let me know!!
I’m planning to see which options my local bookstore has and buy from there then order any others from Amazon.
If you want to buy Jewish books for Hanukkah, I’ve shared our favorites on our Favorite Resources & Supplies page!
4. Something to Create
We usually gift something related to arts and crafts in this category, to encourage our kids to continue their love of creating things. But this category can have so many interpretations! Does your child like working with their hands? Tools could totally be a fun and meaningful gift. Or gifting a bunch of loose parts and let their imagination go wild!
There are also multiple Jewish activity and subscription boxes that would be a wonderful addition to your house! Check out these, they look great!
Any new arts and crafts or materials we should look at getting this Hanukkah? I have no idea what to get the older kids this year!
For my preschooler, I plan to make a wall felt board and buy some felt stories and songs to go with it. I want to supplement what his Zoom preschool is doing and thought I could do some of the same songs and encourage a connection that way. Do you have a favorite Etsy seller for felt stories? Please share!
This year I’d like to get my youngest some wooden playdough tools and stampers. We love creating with playdough and I think this would be something all the kids could enjoy manipulating. When I search on Etsy there are so many options! If any of you have any leads, I would greatly appreciate it–send me an email or comment below!
5. Something to encourage moving your body
We always want to encourage our kids to move their bodies and make healthy choices. We got a mini trampoline for inside years ago and it gets so much use from all the kids. Recently we bought a stomp rocket for some distanced park play and it’s amazing. All the kids (and parents too!) love stomping and watching the rockets fly.
Bean bags, small balls, a jump rope … so many inexpensive and fun ideas to try for all ages!
This year I’m thinking about a sensory swing and a doorjam gym set. Have you tried either of these before? Would love to know your thoughts!
6. Something to play with
You know your kiddo best here! My kids’ play interests have followed obsessions with all things vehicles, dolls, Paw Patrol, Hatchimals and so much more!
Some of our tried and true toys that have been well-loved by all four for years are our wooden doll house, our wooden barn, and wooden train tracks.
7. Something to build
Nowadays we usually buy legos for our three bigs for our something to build with category. But wooden blocks, big cardboard blocks, and magnatiles have survived years of play in our house and are still enjoyed by all four kids!
8. Family games
We’ve invested in many Peaceable Kingdom games to encourage cooperative, strategic, and fun play among all family members. Check out some of our favorites here.
This year I’m thinking of buying Feed the Woozle, Cauldron Qyest, Stone Soup and Zingo. What do you think? Have you played any of these before?
Has your family discovered any amazing games we should check out?
Bonus category: Judaica
Some years we gift special Judaica to our kiddos. Every first Hanukkah we give our new baby a special Hanukkiah. This year we are getting mezuzot for each kid since they have their own bedrooms in our new house.
There are so many wonderful shops that have beautiful works of Judaica. Here are some of our favorites:
So many options…
There are are so many creative, fun, and meaningful options to gift for Hanukkah. These gifts in our Hanukkah Gift By Category Guide are what has worked for our family, following the Hanukkah Gift Strategy that we’ve felt works best for us.
I would love to hear what your gift list looks like this year! And if you have any leads for the items I’m thinking about purchasing, please let me know … Hanukkah is quickly approaching!
If you’d like help planning your children’s gifts by these categories, check out the free gift planner here!
For Hanukkah 2020 resources, crafts and activities, check out our Hanukkah Round Up 2020 page!
Chag Sameach!!
*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link!*
