Christmas Gifts For Active Aussie Kids
If you’re racking your brain wondering what to give your deserving/undeserving (delete as appropriate) kids for Christmas, here are some of my ideas.
This is the first Christmas gift guide I’ve ever done and I’m adamantly promoting things that get kids out and about and moving. No plastic tat or general crap allowed.
You can call me boring but I loathe throwing discarded toys out and I hate wasting money… and I love seeing kids outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine!
How would your children like….
Torches and Head Torches
Whose child doesn’t love a good torch? And as they get older you’ll find kids go mad for a head torch. This means you can get the kids out of the house even on dark afternoons: try a torchlit walk or make a treasure hunt, or send them out to the trampoline if you have one.
Of course torches are also essential for camping!
Find head torches here, and hand torches here.
My tips: Don’t buy the most expensive ones. Do write your mobile number on the torch.
A Hardy Backpack
None of the plastic rubbishy ones, get the kids a cool and groovy packback that they can use for serious travels and for big days out.
Check out the Kathmandu backpack range here.
Packing Cubes
My daughter would love a set of packing cells. If your child enjoys packing their own bags for travel then this gift would be fab.
I have my eye on these coral coloured packing cells for my daughter – shhh don’t tell. The whole range is here.
In fact, my husband would like a black set of packing cells too- would yours?
Olympus Tough Camera
Now this is a pricey item, so maybe something to share amongst all the family as a special gift. Essential if you are planning a beach or seaside holiday for summer.
The kids and I got the red Olympus Tough just before our wonderful trip to the Great Barrier Reef on a yacht. The kids used it a LOT and they adore it. The Tough really is tough but it’s also simple to use. You can easily send photos to phones and iPads using the inbuilt wifi connection. It’s pretty cool.
Olympus TG-4 Red Digital Compact Camera w/Case costs $449 at Camera House, at Camera House.
My tip: use the floating wrist strap so it can’t sink out of reach.
The kids took these photos with the camera.
And I took this one – love it!
A Tent – For All The Family
Yes, every family needs one (my husband totally disagrees with me on this so we leave him at home!)
I’m no expert so I can only point you in the direction of a variety of them.
My tip: Don’t get a cheap one from a department store, they don’t last long. We learned to our cost that it’s best to chat to expert camper friends or get to a specialist shop and ask advice.
A really good raincoat
I know it’s totally unseasonal but once your kids have an excellent raincoast, then a week of rain will no longer be a disaster. Just get them used to enjoying a rain walk, and splashing in puddles.
Check out the girls rainwear section of my fave outdoor shop Kathmandu here. And the boys’ outdoor section is here.
My tip: Always buy a much bigger size so the kids can wear them for years.
Swimming Gear and Pool Toys
For stocking fillers, a spare set of swimming goggles can never go wrong. Also gear to play with in the pool is always a hit. We used to take these sorts of things along to our local pool before we moved to this house. Rebel has pool toys ideas here. Swimming goggles here.
Dress Ups For Imaginative Play
I’ve written a whole post here about great dress ups that promote active imaginative play here.
Sydney Wild Swimming Book
This is such an inspiring book. Buy it for the whole family then set off to explore Sydney’s best wild swimming spots. Read more about the book on this post. Buy the book from Booktopia here:
Wild Swimming Sydney Australia 250 best rock pools, beaches, rivers and waterholes by Sally Tertini and Steve Pollard
Or how about the gift of activities like these:
Pay for some riding lessons
Go indoor rocking climbing
Tickets for a high ropes course
Pay for some surfing lessons
An annual pass to Flip Out
Ice skating lessons
Annual pass to a water park – Jamberoo or Wet ‘n’ Wild
Here’s a Pinterest-friendly photo in case you’re pinning gift ideas.
Hope there are some ideas for you here.
Here’s to an active Christmas, with kids belting around and burning up heaps of energy and encouraging we adults to do the same!
Happy hunting!
The Brands Our Family Love
Some of the links on this page are affiliate links meaning the seller gives me a small percentage of the payment, at no cost to you.
I only have affiliate relationships with brands my family uses and loves. I do love Kathmandu and have bought many products from them over the years: travel clothes, sleeping bags and my best cases.
But Kathmandu is an expensive shop. so I always keep an eye out for the sales, both online and in the shop. Love a bargain.