Welcome to our 2019 experience gift guide where we share many ways to give "fun you" to your child. 

Our kids want our attention ALL THE TIME and for EVERYTHING. They also want Grandma's attention and Uncle Joey's attention and Bob coworker's attention and best friend Phoebe's attention. Below, we've listed great ideas on how to give your attention - the gift of "you" - for the holidays. Each experience includes an optional wrapped gift as a way to introduce the activity and build up anticipation and excitement. 

As you already know, the best gift to give a child this season and every season is, the one and only, you.

The Party Experience: Party with Your Child

An interactive parent-child Rock Paper Sprinkles party.

The Holiday Party: Throw a Rock Paper Sprinkles’s “Reindeer Romp” holiday party for your child and best friends. This party transforms children into romping reindeer, as you, a pretend elf, train them for their big night with Santa.

Holiday Party Wrapped Gift: Rock Paper Sprinkles Reindeer Romp party box filled with party supplies, costumes, and a North Pole playscape toy. 

The Unbirthday Party: Throw a Rock Paper Sprinkles "unbirthday" party: a party that celebrates everyone. Transform your children into frisky felines, chomping dinos, mermaids, fairies, princesses or superheroes while leading them through a storybook script filled with two hours of games and activities.

Unbirthday Party Wrapped Gift: Rock Paper Sprinkles party box filled with party supplies and a themed toy playscape.

Family Sleepover Party: Throw a family-only sleepover party. Sleep on the floor in sleeping bags, play board games, watch movies, eat junk food, play with flashlights in the dark, pillow fight and stay up way too late.

Family Sleepover Party Wrapped Gift: matching pajamas, microwave popcorn, and reindeer slippers.

Puzzle Party: Get out every single kid puzzle in your house. Put on some music, light the fire, make hot tea and hot cocoa, serve a delicious party appetizer, and decorate the floor with completed puzzles.

Puzzle Party Wrapped Gift: more puzzles like Crocodile Creek's Beauty + the Beast puzzle, Mud Puppy's Ballerina Puzzle, or Janod's Life on the Ice Puzzle. These brands all have bright pictures, sturdy pieces, and solid containers to ensure multiple uses.

Craft Party: Pick a trio (or more) of craft and art projects to complete with your child. Buy a colorful reusable tablecloth for your crafting station. Add a special drink, like eggnog or hot apple cider, and a special treat, like apples and honey or cranberry bread.

The Traditional Date Experience: No Siblings Allowed!!!

Dinner Date: Get dressed up and treat your child to a night out at a fancy restaurant.

Lunch + Book Store Date: Peruse the children's section of a nearby bookstore. Let your child pick out a fixed dollar amount in new books. Follow up the date with lunch at a favorite nearby spot.

Lunch + Book Store Date Wrapped Gift: a cute library tote bag, a plush animal bookmark, and a printed menu from your favorite restaurant.

Hot Chocolate Date Wrapped Gift: a kitty cat travel mug, football travel mug or Catan Jr. board game.

Museum Date: Take your child to your favorite museum. A speed trip through the exhibits works! Get creative on how to share your interests in a fun way. Create a scavenger hunt beforehand and print out clues for your child such as "find a picture with a man sitting". Play "pick your favorite" and "pick your least favorite" piece of art / historical element / photograph.  Bring a funny hat, glasses, or suit jacket for your child so he/she can pretend to be a curator or docent and talk his/her way through a gallery or exhibit. Let your child hold the map and decide where to go and how to get there. End with a visit to the museum's gift store and a bite to eat.

Museum Date Wrapped Gift: beret and glasses or something from the museum's gift store.

Performing Arts Date: Dress up and attend a concert, play, puppet or musical theater show at the professional or amateur level. Eat a meal or get a special drink or dessert before or after the show to rehash the performance.

Performing Arts Date Wrapped Gift: soundtrack, book, or picture book related to the show.

Shopping Date: Take your child on a shopping date and lunch to his/her favorite store or mall - toy stores, book stores, clothing stores, American Girl doll stores, or art supply stores all work. Give your child a fixed dollar amount to spend.

Shopping Date Wrapped Gift: a card that explains the shopping date and options.

The Active Date Experience: No Siblings Preferred

An imaginary play date where you are the best friend that shows up with this toy to play with. 

Art Date: Paint ceramics at a "paint-a-bowl" business.

Art Date Wrapped Gift: ceramic tea set paint kit

 

Climbing Date: Visit a climbing gym and see who can reach the top first.

Climbing Date Wrapped Gift: A rainbow assortment of carabiner clips or a reusable stainless steel water bottle printed with fun kid graphics

Imaginary Play Date: Put your phone away, find your highest-most-absurd voice and do an imaginary play date with toys. Delve into a world of play with your child where miniature flying merpups hang out with dinosaurs and fairies.

Imaginary Play Date Wrapped Gift: Give an imaginary toy world like this Princess Valley Playscape, African Safari Playscape, Animal Clinic Playscape, Mermaid Lagoon Playscape, Superhero Metropolis Playscape, or Woodland Hillocks Playscape. 

Secret Garden Date: Help your child design and create his/her very own vegetable or floral garden. Together, pick out a special plot in your yard, special plants, and accessories. Create signs and labels. If it's winter, plan out your spring plantings. 

Secret Garden Wrapped Gift: plant labels, The Secret Garden classic chapter book, Curious Garden picture book, or an indoor plant.

The Family Fun Experience: The More the Merrier

A camping trip in the wilderness. The backyard works too. 

High Tea: Get dressed up and go to high tea at a local hotel.

Miniature Golf: Take your kids putt putting on a fun miniature golf course.

Miniature Golf Wrapped Gift: casino visor

RVing: Rent a Winnebago or RV and go on a trip. (I slept in one for five months as a five year old. It never went anywhere. It was just parked in our driveway. And to this day, I remember thinking it was the coolest thing ever.)

RVing Wrapped Gift: travel games, Labyrinth board game, cards, or bear camping chairs.

Ice Skating: You may spend more time talking about how much fun it will be, then actually skating around the rink. But that's ok. If you have little ones, check that your rink offers support "buckets" or "penguins" that kids can use to slide along the ice (so you make it more than half way around the rink).

Ice Skating Wrapped Gift: reindeer mittens or a knit hat 

Roller Skating: Find a rollerskating rink (bonus if it has a disco ball) and check it out! If you've never been, prep your child that "practice makes perfect" and remind them not to give up. 

Roller Skating Wrapped Gift: roller skates, guard pads, or retro knee socks

Bowling: Grab your family and friends for an afternoon of bowling. Reserve one lane with bumpers for the littles. Team shirts optional.

Bowling Wrapped Gift: a bowling set to play at home. Buy this brightly colored foam bowling set or this hilarious child-sized giant inflatable bowling game. 

Traveling: Set a budget and go on a trip nearby or far away. Get your child(ren) involved by letting them pick the place and/or plan a day.

Traveling Wrapped Gift: a Draw and Write Kids Journal, travel books, or Trunki ride-on suitcase

Rock Paper Sprinkles sells fully propped and planned kid parties and gifts – for holidays, birthdays or just because. They are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. If you buy something through these links, they may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. Rock Paper Sprinkles only recommends products they genuinely like.