Eco-friendly Gifts for Kids

It's that time of year when the shopping list for loved ones seems to spiral out of control. It can be hard to find sustainable gifts for kids and to keep thinking of new gift ideas. With plastic seemingly everywhere, you want to get something that they'll love and use, but that doesn't linger in a landfill. Let's face it; we know that kids grow out of their toys as quickly as they grow out of clothes (we've all seen Toy Story), so we've put together some gorgeous, fun, awesome environmentally friendly gifts for kids that the little people in your life will love.

If you want environmentally friendly toy options, look for organic, natural presents made from organic cotton or other zero plastic ranges that are made from recycled plastic or are from ethical, green sources.

Bamboo Cutlery Set  

This set of kids' bamboo utensils is not only adorable but sustainable! Say goodbye to plastic cutlery packed into lunchboxes; this too-cute-for-words set is made entirely of sustainably sourced bamboo. Bamboo is fantastic as it is quick growing, so even when it's cut to purpose, it is restored into the environment at a good pace. Also, by using natural, non-toxic products like bamboo, you create presents that are good for the planet and children alike.

Probably more a gift for parents than kids…this gorgeous set is also perfect for the picky eater of the family - who could resist a delicious meal when it's served on a giraffe spoon?

Gardening Gift Set for Kids 

With everything that's happened this year, we're all looking for ways to entertain the kids at home. This gardening kit from Helpful Kids is a great stocking filler and is the perfect way to get the kids outside, even in colder weather. You can personalise this kit for the mini-Gertrude Jekyll in your life too, for that extra special touch - especially if you can't give the gift in person. Ideal for children who love to be outside and ideal for grandparents with green fingers! These gifts for kids offer a brilliant excuse to get into the garden and enjoy the natural world! This kit includes:

A Scavenger Hunt - which is ideal for any weather condition and includes an orange measuring ribbon.

A Race Activity - complete with wooden dice and pegs. A competition to see who can make it to the garden first!

A Drawing Activity - with four, UK made, non-toxic crayons

2 x Wooden 'Love Tokens' - the cutest reminder that you are loved!

Seeds Packets - complete with beautiful, fragrant Spring sweetpea seeds.

Biodegradable Colouring Stickers.

Instructions 

Junior Wormery 

We all know a child that loves nothing more than getting muddy and playing with worms! And why wouldn't they? Worms are awesome! Get the kids involved in composting (and with the household chores…) with this junior wormery. 

Not exactly a traditional gift, but definitely a cool one for the worm obsessed kids in your life. Your young composter will need adult help getting this gift up and running, but the instructions are simple and easy to follow. 

Engage the older kids in your life in the incredible world of eco-living and set them up with habits to last a lifetime. 

Save the Forest PlayMat 

Perfect for the future eco-warriors amongst your pack. This colourful and zip-able playmat is comfortable for bag-laden parents to carry around and makes a fantastic game with an eco-friendly toy. 

On the playmat are lovely squidgy toys - some of them are friendly animals and all the good things that we should be able to find in the forest, but some sneaky naughty things have slipped in there like plastic bags and bottles. The naughty items have a hidden magnet, and with the rod, your best little ones can fish them out for hours of fun. 

This game is made of 100% cotton and is fully machine washable.

Solar Hydraulic Construction Kit 

Harness the power of the sun and water with, what we think is, the coolest gift on our list! This construction kit gives the future engineers in your life everything that they need to build up to 12 projects and eco-friendly toys including; robotic dinosaurs, vehicles, and cyborgs! 

Not only are these projects incredibly fun to make, but they are a fantastic learning tool. Each robot is powered by solar and hydraulic energy - with no batteries required at all (Mum and Dad's across the world cheer!). This engineering kit teaches kids that sustainable energy sources are powerful, easy to harness and will hopefully, raise the next generation of sustainable energy superheroes.

Little People, BIG DREAMS

We love the Little People, Big Dreams series. From Anne Frank and Mahatma Gandhi to Emmeline Pankhurst and Frida Kahlo - these books tell the stories of the some of the most world-changing figures in human history with beautiful illustration and easy to digest story-telling. 

There are some fantastic books that you can pre-order. The Black Voices Gift Set is on our order list with the incredible true stories of Maya Angelou, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr all telling their inspiring journeys of standing up for justice and fighting for a better world.

Or if your little person has dreams so big they can't sit still, how about the sticker activity book? Children will love these activity kits, especially the craft-loving kids!

You can buy and pre-order the entire Little People, Big Dream series directly from their online shop or you can support your local independent bookshop buy going direct or using Hive.

Love From Aunty

Love From Aunty is the sassiest aunty gift service - offering personal gifts for your nieces and nephews that arrives in an airmail stamped box with Love From Aunty on it - so they'll know straight away that it's from their favourite Aunt.

There are so many things that we adore about Love From Aunty - from their sustainable gifts and eco-friendly toys to the range of options that they give. But we love the way that the brilliant people at Love From Aunty have categorised their gifts. Gone are the divisions by gender (because everyone loves dinosaurs) but instead, you can pick by age and the interests of the children you are buying for. From Eco-Warriors, Tractor Mad, Farmer, Craft Lovers and Foodie, you'll find the perfect gift. 

The majority of Love From Aunty's gifts are organic, handmade, made of natural materials like organic cotton and will keep your kids happy while making the planet smile too. 

Love From Aunty will even hand-write a card of your choice for that personal touch. 

Obviously, we're crazy for the Eco-Warrior Gift Box which comes complete with our favourite book series - Little People, Big Dreams - all about David Attenborough, a world puzzle and yummy sweet treats. 

That's a Wrap

No gift is complete without the wrapping! As it's the festive season, we're sure your little cubs will love our Pawfect Present print. Our brilliant sustainable wrapping paper will cover your eco-friendly gifts - we use recycled, FSC approved, plastic-free gift wrap with gorgeous designs. Our wrapping paper is made in the UK and allows your presents to be enjoyed before Christmas while sat tantalisingly under the tree.

You can also see our other gorgeous, characterful and stylish, sustainable and fully recyclable wrapping options for Christmas here or go straight to our shop.

If you want to make one more sustainable swap this Christmas, we’ve just launched our range of organic cotton twine that can go straight in a compost bin or you can reuse it, and our Eco Craft Tape which is non-toxic and completely vegan.