Books, Crafts, and Plush Dolls! 20+ Unique Birthday Gifts That Kids Love

Let’s be honest: Normally, birthday gift shopping can be a pain. You can spend hours browsing the Internet or meandering through the mall, only to end up with a gift that feels uncreative or cliché. What’s more, you’re usually doing this at the last minute, because with this crazy balancing act called parenting, it can be so easy to forget that your niece’s or your best friend’s daughter’s birthday is coming up. 

That’s why we created this one-stop birthday gift guide for you, filled with creative, meaningful gifts that kids will remember for years to come. With prices ranging from $6.95 to $24.99, you can stock up, and always have one on hand! It includes Klutz activity kits (which I love because they help my 7-year-old learn new things while she crafts), memorable books, and plush dolls based on kids’ favorite literary characters. 

You’ll find a wide range of gifts here for ages 3 to 8, but if you’re looking for toddler-specific presents, also be sure to check out this list of great book sets for little ones. You can also find more birthday gifts for all ages here at The Scholastic Store Online.

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Activity Kits That Get Kids Excited! 

One of my friends recently texted me to say how excited her 8-year-old was to get home from his birthday party, just so he could get started on the Klutz Lego kit we had gifted him! Klutz kits are pretty much the best. Each one generally includes a number of projects to try, so kids don’t get bored after 10 minutes, and they lend themselves well to sharing (perfect for birthday parties!). 

Klutz kits include a broad range of engaging projects that appeal to both boys and girls. These 10 Klutz kits make great gifts, and result in instant smiles and delight. 

Birthday Gift Activity Kits for Ages 4-6

Klutz Jr. My Squishy Soap Dough

Kids can’t help but to go head-over-heels for bathtime when it involves mixing up their very own berry-scented, squishy soap dough, and then using it to create a cast of colorful characters! This is the perfect gift for kids who love experimenting with simple science concepts, and the squishy, scented dough is also a fabulous new texture for children who enjoy sensory play.

Klutz Jr. My Fun & Fuzzy Headband Salon

A crafting kit with the potential to inspire pretend play makes a great gift for imaginative kids. With three different animal designs to make — a cat, bear, and unicorn — mini makers will love these bright and colorful hair accessories. Animal-inspired headbands are super trendy with kids right now, and with these, they’ll have the chance to rock their own wild style! 

Klutz Jr. My Peppa Pig Clay Pals

Keep little fingers busy as they practice important fine motor skills with this kit! It allows kids to create Peppa Pig, brother George, and their gang of animal pals out of air-dry clay. Fans of the series can learn all about shapes, sizes, and colors as they sculpt each character. They’ll even have the chance to make Peppa her very own muddy puddle! 

Klutz Jr. My Fairy Wish Kit

With 10 magical fairy projects to complete, this kit is so much more than just a craft. It’s designed to give kids a boost of confidence and an arsenal of fairy-approved wishes! This kit comes with a 28-page book, a wooden fairy doll with a tutu, a mini fairy wand, and much more. 

Birthday Gift Activity Kits for Ages 6-8

Klutz LEGO® Chain Reactions

Kids will learn all about the science of physical forces with this fun collection of Lego machines that spin, swing, pivot, roll, lift, and drop. As they engineer the projects in the LEGO® Chain Reactions kit, kids will also develop essential skills including problem solving and experimenting with trial and error. 

Klutz Maker Lab Rocks, Gems & Geodes

With this awesome collection of rocks, gems, and geodes, children can learn more about the world beneath their feet. Perfect for mini scientists, this kit outlines a number of experiments to test the properties of rocks, plus instructions for making a rock tumbler and supplies to grow their very own geode! Kids who love this kit will also love the Klutz: Grow Your Own Mini Crystal Worlds. 

Klutz Nail Art

A fun introduction to nail art, this kit explains how to paint everything from mini apples to starfish, flowers, ladybugs, and more. Featuring more than 30 designs, six bright peel-off polishes, and a fine-tipped brush for adding the tiniest of details, kids will enjoy creating awe-worthy wearable art to show off to their friends and family. (Older kids love the Klutz: Metallic Glam Nail Studio!)

Klutz Maker Lab Candy Science

What kid wouldn’t love to explore the science of making their very own jelly beans (in four different flavors!)? This fun candy science lab is sure to thrill children of all ages — although those under age 8 may require some assistance — with yummy science-backed recipes for using ingredients from home to make marshmallows, lollipops, fudge, and more. You can pre-order this new kit ahead of the 9/1 release now.

Klutz Mini Grocery Store

Kids can fill their own DIY shopping basket with more than 20 cute mini grocery items made from colorful, no-bake play clay. Included are plenty of suggestions for creative kids to customize their sweet grocery haul with cool ideas for food labels and packaging. This is the perfect crafting project for kids who love to play pretend. (Similarly, they might love this Klutz: Mini Bake Shop kit!) You can pre-order this new kit ahead of the 9/3 release now. 

Klutz Maker Lab Air Blast Cannon

Inspire an interest in mechanical engineering while giving the birthday kid a chance to create a cool cannon that can be raised, lowered, moved from side to side, and fired through the power of air pressure. Kids will learn the basics of physics as they experiment with launching the cannon in different directions. (Children younger than age 8 may require assistance to assemble the cannon.)

Book Birthday Gifts Kids Love 

Baby Shark

This book gives little readers the chance to explore the seas with their favorite shark and his fishy family! One day, the child you give this book to will look back on it as a special relic of the times, and for the time being, will get a laugh out of its funny, eye-popping illustrations. For double the fun, pair it with Bedtime for Baby Shark or Hide-and-Seek, Baby Shark! 

Find and Point Birthday

In this adorable board book, toddlers will have the chance to find birthday items ranging from silly hats to sweet cupcakes. The tabs on this book make it easy for little hands to hold and turn pages, and the simple text and big illustrations and photographs will keep any little one happily entertained on their birthday. 

The Wonky Donkey

The donkey who was a little stinky, winky, and hanky panky went uncontrollably viral last year, after a video of a Scottish grandmother reading the book to her grandchild (and cracking up while doing it) surfaced on the Internet. Give the same giddy joy to the little ones in your life with this modern classic, and you’ll be giving them years of laughter and smiles. 

Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas

From Aaron Blabey, the author of Pig the Pug, this eye-catching book will add giggles and glee to any little one’s birthday — and throughout the rest of the year, too! In this rhyming tale, Brian tries to get his fellow piranhas to try his fruit and vegetable platter, but they all just want to nibble on those toes dangling in the water. This is a great bedtime read-aloud for picky little eaters.

How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Birthday?

Even dinos understand how special a birthday is, but like all kids out there, they must learn the very best birthday behavior. Does a dinosaur hog all the cake, snatch up all the presents, or pin the tail on the dinosaur too hard? No, they find just the right amount of silliness and sharing! This special birthday gift is a wonderful way to say “Happy Birthday!” to little readers, in a way their parents totally appreciate, too. 

Belle the Birthday Fairy

It’s the job of Belle to make birthdays the very special days they are — but one day, icy Jack Frost steals her magical presents, and the magic of birthday bashes around the world is threatened! The perfect gift for fairy fans, this book about friendship and helping others is perfect for evoking the magic of this special day. 

Plush Perfect for a Party 

Most kids will squeal with excitement upon seeing a plush buddy that is all theirs to play with, hug, and read with! Book-inspired plushes make the perfect birthday gift, because you can pick one based on the child’s favorite book character, or even pair it with a book they haven’t read yet. It’s a powerful way to inspire a love of reading and make books all the more engaging for young learners. (Here are more book sets that come with hug buddies!)