Gift guide: Christmas gifts for children

Welcome to the second gift guide in my Christmas gifts series.  This time I’m looking at gifts for children who love nature and the outdoors.

I know my two children have no problem reeling off a long list of toys they’ve seen on adverts and want to put on their Christmas list, and of course there is a place for these gifts in a family Christmas.  But in this gift guide I’m focusing on some less obvious gift ideas that tap into children’s natural urge to explore, discover and experiment.  I’ve also tried to find gift ideas that can be enjoyed as a family too, giving you an opportunity to turn a gift into a great family experience.

‘A Year of Nature Craft and Play’ is filled with fun crafts, gardening, games, art and science activities that inspire kids to get creative with nature and explore the amazing natural world.  There are 52 budget-friendly activities, one for every week of the year, all with easy-to-follow instructions and colourful photos. It’s a perfect gift for a nature-loving child, and a great source of inspiration for your next nature adventure.

Encourage little green fingers with a Personalised garden toolkit, £16.99 from Born Gifted.  This handy gardening tool pouch fastens around the waist with velcro fasteners and includes a child-size fork and trowel personalised with your child’s name on the handles, and gardening gloves.  Available in pink or blue.

Spark their imagination with the beginnings of a magical fairy tale.  The Irish Fairy Door, £19.99, provides a lovely way for adult and child to interact and play through the power of belief.  The fairy doors are handmade in Ireland, can be used indoors or outdoors and are available in a variety of colours.  Each door comes with a magic key in a bottle, three stepping stones, the Family / Fairy Lease Agreement, a notepad for your fairy and the Fairy Welcome Guide – all you need to help settle your fairy into their new human home.  Brilliant for imaginative play.

Tool up for an adventure with the Rex London Nature Trail range, from £2.95.  A nature trail is a great family activity that really captures imaginations, and these child-size accessories will make your little ones feel like expert explorers.  The range includes binoculars, compass, insect viewer, torch, water bottle, magnifying glass and the all-important scrapbook for recording your adventures.

Preserve their treasures with this gorgeous wooden Flower Press, £9.95 from Wild & Wolf’s Little Thoughtful Gardener range.  Great for nature craft activities, children can make beautifully pressed flowers, create lovely greetings cards or start a collection.  Comes complete with instructions.

Involve toddlers in the adventure with the Mini 2 Go scooter, £99.95 from micro scooters.  Designed to be practical and versatile, the Mini 2 Go is suitable for children aged 18 months to 5 years.  Attach the comfortable and robust seat (which includes a storage drawer) to the scooter and your child can enjoy the Mini2Go as a ride on model.  When your child feels confident enough to ride standing, the seat can be easily removed and the Mini 2 Go can be ridden like a Mini Micro Scooter.  Clever!

Nurture their inner scientist with the DIY Thirsty plant kit, £20.  This clever kit teaches you how to make your own solar-panel moisture sensor, which lets you know when your plant needs watering.  A great kit for crafty kids who love using technology to problem solve.

Teach them to grow their own lunch with the Plant n Grow Plantalicious Edible Garden Kit, £13.95 and Edible Mini Garden Grow Tubs, £9.99.  Children love growing things, and encouraging them to understand where their food comes from by growing their own is a brilliant way to get hands-on.  The Plantalicious Edible Garden Kit includes easy to grow seeds, mini-greenhouse, compost discs, markers, pencil, instructions and activity card, plus a child-friendly instruction card which guides children through the growing process in a fun and educational way.  The Edible Mini Garden Grow Tubs are perfect little grow your own packs with fun varieties of speedy germinating seeds, compost, mini-greenhouse, instructions, plant marker and sticker.  Each tub contains three growing kits so they’re great for use by more than one child or can be used for three separate crops.

Protect little hands with these lovely gardening gloves, £7.95 from Wild & Wolf’s Little Thoughtful Gardener range.  Perfectly sized for little hands and featuring a colourful design, these hard-wearing gloves will make them feel just like the grown-ups.

Encourage a love of wildlife with the Wildlife Trusts Adopt a Species scheme.  You can adopt a range of animals such as an otter, dormouse, barn owl or hedgehog, prices vary per animal with the average around £20.  Money raised goes to help local wildlife conservation work such as managing nature reserves and creating new wildlife habitat.

Combine construction with gardening with the Tri-Gro Planter, £9.99 from Suttons seeds.  Brilliant for children who love building things, this kit includes everything you need to construct your own planter, plus the seeds to plant in it when you’re done.  The structure also acts as a support for the plants as they grow.

I hope my Christmas gift guide has inspired you, do let me know if you’ll be choosing any of my suggestions for children who love nature and the outdoors this Christmas.

All prices are correct at time of publication.