If you’re looking for the best gift ideas for homeschooling families, look no further. As a longtime homeschool mom I can tell you exactly what we love, appreciate, and also dread. We tend to go light on “things” and lean more towards experiences and outings. Each year we give our kids four gifts and the rest of our funds go towards a trip, experience, or special night.

The four gift rule aside (something you: want, need; something to: wear, read) here are the five best ideas for homeschooling families.

Art Supplies

It’s just the truth of homeschooling. The kids run through art supplies like crazy. We go through stupid amounts of mechanical pencils and notepads. Check with the family first, but you can usually count on art supplies being a big hit.

Memberships

Homeschoolers love memberships to local museums, zoos, sanctuaries, and more. We’ve received these types of memberships and it is good for year round fun. Our kids love going almost weekly and it is great for rotating learning experiences.

Experiences

Some times a bigger event comes to town that makes for an awesome experience. Think plays, concerts, carnivals, state fairs, art shows, and more. We’ve done attended events like the Van Gogh Experience, The Trans-Siberian Orchestra, NBA games, The Nutcracker, and more. Check your city websites, theater schedules, stadium schedules, and Groupon for upcoming events in your area.

Gift Cards

It’s true. And I promise it isn’t lame. This gives a homeschooling family a wide array of opportunities for adventure on their terms. This can be for restaurants (we love trying new places), gas (hello, roadtrip!), Amazon (I can grab the exact thing I’ve been needing), homeschool co-ops (check in with them, we have one that offers gift cards!), and more. It can actually be quite exciting and adventurous to get a gift card towards a new adventure.

Classes

This branches off from an experience, but it tends to be more hands on plus educational. See if there are any classes that they could attend together or certain classes just for the kids. Think baking, cooking, art, dance, and more. I personally have taught private cake decorating classes for birthdays, it is definitely something that is a fun experience. It is definitely more personal than attending a concert and usually provides an educational benefit. If this feels like a lot to orchestrate, check online classes like coding, art, design, science, math, etc. They’re out there. I have lists and lists of them if you need them.

Subscriptions

This is similar to memberships but I wanted to add it as another idea stream. Subscriptions like Audible, KiwiCrate, Little Passports, Crunch Labs, and more are such a great gift for any age. They each have age ranges and some, like Audible, are good for any age. Some will offer a trial (Audible) and some will offer length-based subscriptions (3, 6, 12 month membership).

If you’re nervous about gifting something to a homeschooling family, try one of these ideas. I promise as a longtime homeschool family, we gravitate towards this type of gift giving and receiving so much more than toys or other “things.”

Want to see more of our daily adventures? Head over to our Instagram 🙂

Need travel or adventure inspiration? Check out our YouTube channel!