12 Days of Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids They’ll Have Fun With

Whether you are trying to create a new family tradition or treating wonderfully deserving little ones, I hope you use my 12 days of Christmas gift ideas for kids. There’s something in here they will absolutely love and appreciate!

These ideas follow the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ song so each gift has a theme to the corresponding day!

I’ll explain more in a bit but, for now, if you enjoy giving gifts to kids, I have a few ideas for you like these kids boo basket ideas and Christmas gifts for students.

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12 days of Christmas song

For a refresher, the lyrics for the beginning of the song go like this:

“On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me: a partridge in a pear tree.

On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me: two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.

On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me: three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.”

For the fifth through twelfth day, the following are added:

• five gold rings
• six geese a-laying
• seven swans a-swimming
• eight maids a-milking
• nine ladies dancing
• ten lords a-leaping
• eleven pipers piping
• twelve drummers drumming

12 days of Christmas gift ideas for kids

Using the song, you can give Christmas gifts that take things literally or metaphorically. Or consider brands with similar names too! You can get really creative here and have a grand time coming up with presents the kids would truly enjoy.

Let’s get into my ideas for each day.

1. Partridge in a pear tree

Partridges aren’t common birds anymore but pears are definitely popular fruits. So, you can be literal and give the kid some pears for the first day. Or get them pear flavored food and drinks like pear juice, soda, jelly beans, diced fruit, and even freeze-dried fruit crisps.

Another literal take on the theme would be this cotton ‘partridge in a pear tree’ tshirt. The graphic is fun and cartoony and there are a bunch of tshirt colors to choose from.

Besides food-related pear gifts, you can also get toys and other treats for the kids. This small pear plushie is perfect for babies, toddlers and young children who love cute, kawaii stuffed toys.

For older kids, this silicone pear night light is pretty cute and something they’ll definitely appreciate around bed time.

2. Turtle doves

Turtle doves are more popular compared to partridges, thanks to the movie, ‘Home Alone.’ The movie is such a huge part of pop culture and Christmas. And replicas of the turtle doves in the movie can be great gifts, even for kids. Here’s a lovely set.

If you’re interested in an actual turtle dove gift, I did find a plushie that’s pretty realistic.

But, if you want to get more creative, you can try gifting sea turtle toys and maybe even a couple products from Dove, the brands.

You can go for Dove chocolates or Dove soaps and shampoo. I’m a fan of the baby wash for sensitive skin. That could be a nice option for kids (more like moms but shh!).

As for turtle gifts, if the kids love crafting, you can get them this easy beginner crochet set, where they can knit their very own adorable sea turtles. This can be such a memorable and bonding holiday activity for the kids to do with parents, grandparents and all their cousins. And the final turtles are the cutest! They can even gift them to their friends when school restarts.

3. French hens

There’s so much creativity you can bring in with a hen and chicken theme. You can repurpose empty Easter eggs for Christmas and fill them with candy and peppermint sweets.

There are also many storybooks about chickens from ‘Chicken Little’ and ‘Henny Penny’ to ‘Little Red Hen.’ For a unique, feel good story, check out ‘One Hen’ – a story about a boy from Ghana who starts with a single hen and creates an empire.

Miniature hen house toys are also a great idea for this theme. You can get a doll house inspired henhouse for little girls or get this Lego set that would be a great Christmas gift for everyone.

Besides toys and books, you can also find lots of clothing options with chicks, chickens and rooster prints on them. From onesies to pajamas, tees, sweaters and dresses, you are sure to find something fun and adorable to gift. I am just in love with this baby doll dress!

4. Calling birds

While today’s song has calling birds, the old version has colly birds, which are European blackbirds. I’m not sure how to take a blackbird theme into fun-land, so I focused more on calling. What’s synonymous with calling? Phones!

For the younger kids under 3, this Ms. Rachel phone would be great to encourage talking and conversational skills. For older kids, you can look into a Bluey phone like this one.

And for the under 11s, you can get them a smart phone toy. This one features a selfie camera, voice recorder, flashlight, games and more.

5. Golden rings

Here’s where you can go literal with the gifts! You can look for real gold jewelry like small rings, bands, or necklaces. Gold plated, silver and stainless steel jewelry would also work well and be appropriate too!

For cheaper options, these adjustable, adorable rings are perfect for little girlies that love to play dress up and have tea parties. They’re a great set!

You can also get fidget rings too! These are wonderful sensory rings that any kid can play with while in class or at home. I think this would actually be fun for the whole family!

Another fun option would be taking it to the candy aisle with ring pops! How hilarious would that be?

6. Geese a-laying

There are a few great options for goose related gifts. ‘Silly goose‘ is one of those fun phrases when someone you love is being adorable and silly. How cute is this tee? It’s beyond precious for little girls!

Here’s another that’s a little less on the nose and great for both boys and girls.

There’s also Mother Goose! You can pick up this Mother Goose nursery rhymes book that has all the classics. This gift would be more suitable for younger kids.

7. Swans a-swimming

Swans and swimming! You can take this in any direction you like. Swans are such elegant creatures so trinkets and figurines would be beautiful gifts for little girls. How about a swan-shaped jewelry box? This one would be perfect for keeping some of those rings from #5 (golden rings). It’s such a beautiful, grown-up gift!

You can also go completely left field and get origami paper! You can sit together with the kids and follow online tutorials to make origami swans. It’ll be a fun exercise for the entire family over the Christmas holidays.

Then, there’s the a-swimming part. Here’s where you can introduce pool toys, floaties, boogie boards, inflatable hammocks and so much more. The gifts here are more suitable for summer and tropical getaways. And, some of these pool toys can definitely be packed for the next trip!

8. Maids a-milking

The old maid card game would be a unique option for the 8th day of Christmas. There are a few tutorials on Youtube explaining how to play and this Santa Clause card version is pretty fun. The kiddies are sure to have a great time playing this!

When it comes to milk, you can gift just about any food and drink that contains dairy. Chocolate milk, hot cocoa, yogurt, and ice cream can all be options. You can also take it a step further with their favorite cereal, chocolates, and other treats.

For kids that are lactose intolerant, you can find so many dairy-free options that use plant based milk. You can also bake some delicious treats too!

9. Ladies dancing

Happy kids dancing and having fun is always the goal, especially around Christmas time! Dance costumes and tutus are both fun and functional. And dance mats are sure to get any kid excited! This unicorn one guarantees absolute fun for girls – though the entire family can play too! Glow sticks would be perfect accessories here, just saying!

You can always choose the viral dancing cactus as a Christmas gift for this theme. It mimics all the sounds around it and can be such fun for all age groups including babies and fur babies. Ha!

10. Lord a-leaping

Royalty meets jumping here! Paper crowns and tiaras can fit the royalty aspects of this theme.

For jumping, you can go super simple with a jump rope or broader with anything from pogo sticks, trampolines, skateboards, skates and basketballs to equipment for just about any sport.

This trampoline is my fave for young kids!

Another take on this theme could be Disney’s ‘The Princess and the Frog.’ There definitely is a leaping lord in the movie. Ha! You can get Tiana merch or an adorable frog plushie with a crown.

11. Pipers piping

Anyone remembers the pied piper story? That’ll be a good book to get for the eleventh day. For more whimsy, the Piper Green and the Fairy Tree books would be such fun gifts.

If the kids are crafty or enjoy building things, then this pipe cleaner kit is a pretty cheap but fun present. The entire family can get in on the crafting action. Pipe building toys are also unique ideas!

These sensory pop tubes would also fit the piping concept while complimenting the sensory, fidget rings I mentioned in #5 (golden rings).

For a literal gift, I think an instrument that relies on air would work well here. A flute immediately comes to mind but a harmonica would also be pretty fun!

12. Drummers drumming

Okay, I think it’s pretty safe to go very literal here. Be sure to ask the parents before getting the kids a drum set though. It’s their sanity that would be affected by this gift!

Here’s a wonderful drum set that is perfect for kids under 5. But, for a more classic one, this wooden drum works for all ages.

And, for a unique option, you can also look into getting a steel tongue drum. It has such a soothing, interesting sound!

There they are! All my 12 days of Christmas gift ideas for kids. The little ones definitely deserve the best after being such good, kind kids.

If you are looking for more Christmas gift ideas, I have you covered with so much more here.