by Peter Chiykowski
Creative kids are tricky to shop for. I'd know—I was one, and I was always a challenge when my parents, friends and relatives were tracking down gifts.
When you're shopping for a creative kid, it's more complicated than just "this child likes XYZ." Kids who think, play, and create divergently may have a broad and hard-to-shop-for hobby (like writing), or a niche interest (like Dungeons & Dragons), or a rotating library of interests that change frequently as they explore different ways of being creative.
The trick to shopping for a creative child is to look for games, toys, and activities that encourage open-ended play. An activity that offers multiple ways to use it will not only let them exercise their creative gifts, but it will also keep up with their changing interests as your child discovers new ways to play with it.
So here are some suggestions for gifts for your creative kid.
For the kid who loves writing, drawing characters, or playing D&D: The Story Engine Deck
🥇 Featured in Forbes Magazine
🏆 Named a top gift for writers by Reedsy
Age: 12+ for solo play, 9+ for supervised play
I grew from being a creative kid into being a designer of creative games, and I tried to design exactly the kind of activity I wish I'd had as a kid: The Story Engine Deck.
The Story Engine Deck is a set of cards that kids (and adults) can use to build their own story prompts, card by card. For kids who like to write, or who spend time dreaming up or drawing original characters, the deck is a ton of fun and endlessly remixable.
Also, for kids who are getting into Dungeons & Dragons or other tabletop RPGs, the deck is an excellent way to create player characters and NPCs, plan campaigns, and even play solo RPGs with the cards serving as the Dungeon Master.
I've gotten countless emails from parents who have seen their creative kids pick up the deck and finally discover a fun way to focus their creative energy (something I know I struggled with). I've been especially pleased to hear that a lot of neurodivergent kids, especially autistic children and fellow ADHDers, click with the deck on a special level.
If your kids like to write or tell stories, create characters, or play Dungeons & Dragons, definitely take a look at The Story Engine Deck.
“I'm constantly using it while talking to young writers..."
New York Times-bestselling YA author Kwame Mbalia
For the kid who loves games: Cranium
Age: 8+ (family version) or 16+ (adult version)
While they can't play it on their own, Cranium has been a go-to board game for families with creative kids since it was first released in 1998.
Described as "The Game for Your Whole Brain", Cranium is a party game featuring a wide variety of activities, including singing, miming, puzzle-solving, drawing, sculpting, and more.
Creative kids will love the different categories of challenges and ways to express themselves through the game.
For the young neurodivergent child who loves storytelling: Nomventure Role-Playing Game
Age: 5+
Nomventure is a child-focused tabletop role-playing game designed specifically for children—especially neurodivergent children. Think of it as Dungeons & Dragons, but the characters are adorable and adventurous dinosaurs, and there are optional rules designed to help kids with dyslexia, ADHD, and/or autism. It can even be used as a tool for teaching emotional intelligence, problem-solving, and collaboration skills.
It was designed by Derek Cheung, a mental health professional. Check his company Nomnivore Games for more neurodivergent-friendly children's games.
Special shoutout: the artwork from Derek's tabletop RPG EMBERWIND is featured in the fantasy expansion for The Story Engine, as well as our unique items expansion, mythology booster, and steampunk booster.
For the kid who loves dreaming up fantasy worlds: Deck of Worlds
🥇 Featured in Forbes Magazine
Age: 12+ for solo play, 9+ for supervised play
Does your creative kid spend a lot of time dreaming up fictional worlds or drawing maps of places they invented? Your child is going to love Deck of Worlds!
Deck of Worlds is a set of cards I designed to make a fun activity out of worldbuilding: the art of creating a fictional world.
You draw one card at a time, choosing prompts and assembling them into a setting. As you create different settings, you think about the stories that connect them. Eventually your child will have created a complete world map full of secrets, details, and places to explore through their writing, tabletop roleplaying game, or artwork.
You can read about how author Seth Ring used Deck of Worlds to worldbuild a fictional setting with his 9-year-old daughter in this blog article.
"As the cards continued to land, a theme began to appear, and I could see her making the connections between the different landmarks: a town founded by a secret society, farms inhabited by refugees, a dangerous abandoned mine that was home to an outlaw, and a windswept lake where a now extinct animal once lived."
Seth Ring, author and podcaster
Good luck shopping, and remember to look for open-ended gifts
Again, the best way to help a creative kid express themselves is to pick a gift that offers multiple ways to play with it. Things like art sets and musical instruments (followed with lessons if possible) are also great for this.
A gift, toy, or game that only does one thing might be fun to play with on Christmas morning, but it'll be forgotten about by boxing day. Look for a gift that can keep up with your child's creative energy and interests by offering multiple ways to play!