Unique Christmas Gifts for Kids: This Year’s Favorites

We see every day how the right object can spark lifelong curiosity. This season, our favorite Christmas gifts for children combine play with discovery, beautifully made pieces that invite kids to look closer, ask questions, and make something of their own. Here are five standout categories we love for thoughtful, art-forward giving:

MOVA Globes: Little Worlds that Move on Their Own

Few gifts capture a child’s imagination like a globe that spins continually without batteries or cords. MOVA globes use ambient light and the Earth’s magnetic field to rotate silently on their bases, an elegant bit of science that doubles as a mesmerizing art object. For young minds, they deliver two lessons at once: the wonder of planetary motion and the joy of beautiful design.

Why we love them for kids:

• Hands-off movement: The gentle, constant rotation is calming for study nooks and bedtime shelves, and it encourages kids to return and observe details over time—oceans, mountain ranges, borders, and even star charts on celestial versions.
  
  
• STEM + Art synergy: A MOVA globe is an ideal bridge between science and art.
  
  
• Grows with them: A globe is timeless. What begins as an enchanting object for a six-year-old becomes a research companion for a twelve-year-old and a decor piece for a teen’s room.
  

Whether you are looking for a unique Christmas gift for a budding elementary-age astronomer or teenager interested in the arts, MOVA globes make a thoughtful and interesting gift.

Miffy the Bunny: Design, Comfort, and Character

Miffy, the minimalist bunny created by Dutch illustrator Dick Bruna, is a masterclass in visual clarity. The bold lines, gentle expressions, and primary color palette are the kinds of design choices that resonate with all ages.

Plush Miffy toys, lamps, and accessories become instant companions while quietly training the eye to see shape, proportion, and mood.

Why we love Miffy:

• Iconic design language: Miffy is a perfect introduction to how artists reduce forms to essentials. Children begin to notice how a single line can imply movement or emotion.
  
  
• Soothing presence: The softness and friendly silhouette make Miffy a reassuring bedtime anchor, especially paired with a small reading light for story hour.

Art Supplies: Tools that Invite Bravery

At the MFA we believe every child is an artist; the difference is the tools and the encouragement they receive. High-quality supplies help kids experience pigment, texture, and control in a way bargain sets simply can’t.

Here in our museum gift store, we have a wide range of child-friendly art supplies that can help kids refine their skills or simply have fun.

Art Puzzles: Patience, Pattern, and the Pleasure of Looking

Puzzles are quiet collaborators in art appreciation. As children hunt for edge pieces and color clusters, they’re practicing the same observational skills docents teach: spotting brushwork, matching patterns, and reconstructing composition.

Why puzzles work so well:

• Close looking: Kids learn to decode color families, textures, and directional strokes—“This blue is slightly greener; this line is more curved.”
  
  
• Shared discovery: Puzzles invite multigenerational participation. Caregivers can narrate art terms (“foreground,” “horizon,” “contrast”) while working side by side.
  
  
• Completion joy: Finishing a puzzle mirrors the satisfaction of completing a drawing or a sculpture, an accomplishment that builds creative confidence.

Make it extra meaningful: frame the finished puzzle and hang it near your child’s work table. Art puzzles like the ones we carry here in our store offer the perfect blend of hands-on activity and educational value, perfect for gifting!

Art-Themed Building Sets: Architecture for Small Hands

Building sets inspired by art give kids a tactile introduction to structure and design. Art-themed LEGO® sets: replicate famous works or important artistic themes. These colorful connectable blocks have been a favorite for decades, and for good reason. Add in some art themes and you have a gift that is fun, thoughtful, and educational.

Why These Make Great Gifts

Our mission is to connect people, especially children, to art and ideas. These gifts do more than entertain; they nurture observation, patience, imagination, and care for the made world. A child who learns to notice the tilt of a brushstroke or the curve of a bunny’s ear is practicing the same attention they’ll bring to reading, science, friendships, and community. That’s the quiet power of an artful present.

As you choose for the young artists, builders, and dreamers in your life, look for objects that invite making, not just having, pieces that ask a gentle question and offer room for a child to answer with their hands.

From MOVA’s turning globes to Miffy’s serene lines, from richly pigmented supplies to puzzles and building kits that reward curiosity, each gift can become a small doorway into a larger, more imaginative world.