Experiences as gifts

[ILOVEALLCAKES]

Apologies if there has been a thread like this previously.
We are looking at buying experiences for our DD9 & DD11 to avoid them having more ‘stuff’ for Xmas that they rarely get time to play with.
So far, have come up with surf lessons, longleat package.
Any ideas would be great. We’re in the South West but happy to travel.

Harry Potter studio tour
Go Ape
Ice skating
Gravity trampoline type vouchers
Cinema passes
Paddle boarding, surfing

Top London show? Mine still talk about going on a London bus and seeing the lion king!

Merlin passes

My brother usually gets 'experience' gifts for my boys (10yrs) either for Christmas or birthday (also in Dec). Not sure how 'adventurous' your girls are but last year he bought iFly ( www.iflyworld.co.uk/) vouchers for us as a family; the previous year a one night Bush Camp experience. Both went down incredibly well.

Concert tickets, age appropriate pampering (maybe nail file and varnish), Segway session, skiing lessons, cinema passes, cookery / baking lesson, be a Zookeeper for a day experience, sleepover at the Natural History Museum, London Eye

Ds12 has mentioned I-fly vouchers
Ds15 - I’m looking at a parent/child army tank driving experience

Depending how West you are, DS has had a couple of experiences at the hawk conservancy at Andover which have gone down well - handling owls, vultures etc.

He also loves any zookeeper/animal handling, but I guess you've got that covered through Longleat.

Wolf sanctuary
Kite flying
Rent some metal detectors after scattering chocolate coins over a field?
Go karting

@Karmagician

My brother usually gets 'experience' gifts for my boys (10yrs) either for Christmas or birthday (also in Dec). Not sure how 'adventurous' your girls are but last year he bought iFly ( www.iflyworld.co.uk/) vouchers for us as a family; the previous year a one night Bush Camp experience. Both went down incredibly well.

Thank you! This is a great idea - they’d love this.

Zookeeper
cookery/bakery course
Young Driver for the older one
Zipline or GoApe
Baking subscription like Bakedin
Theatre or concert tickets
Overnight stay somewhere with a day out
Pampering session if you have anywhere you does teen treatments

My ds is getting a flight simulator experience at our local airport.

Try virgin experiences or red letter days.co.uk

For their birthdays this year, I took my DC to London and we did various museum visits and then went to see Hamilton.

For Christmas we are going to Manchester and doing a couple of things, including The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe at the Lowry.

We always go for experiences over stuff if we can. We do theatre, art galleries, days out, short breaks, National Trust, English Heritage etc.

I am getting dd a red panda experience at Longleat for her birthday, I think it’s £80 per person for half an hour in the red panda enclosure. I’m also getting dd2 a super car driving experience for her birthday. Both there birthdays are close to Christmas (after) and I never know what to get as they get too much for Christmas.

Go ape would be a good one, there’s several in the SW?

I was coming on here to look for the same thing!

Just bought the ifly experience for my 2 boys ages 10 and 12.

I know someone who gives each of her children a "quality 1on 1 mum time" gift every year. So for example she'll take one to the theatre, one on a big shopping spree with overnight stay to spend Christmas money etc. I think it's a lovely idea and am planning on doing the same when mine are old enough

@Lovemusic33

I am getting dd a red panda experience at Longleat for her birthday, I think it’s £80 per person for half an hour in the red panda enclosure. I’m also getting dd2 a super car driving experience for her birthday. Both there birthdays are close to Christmas (after) and I never know what to get as they get too much for Christmas.

Go ape would be a good one, there’s several in the SW?

We did the Red Panda one, it was soooo good, I plan to go again.

@Incywinceyspider

I know someone who gives each of her children a "quality 1on 1 mum time" gift every year. So for example she'll take one to the theatre, one on a big shopping spree with overnight stay to spend Christmas money etc. I think it's a lovely idea and am planning on doing the same when mine are old enough

This is a really lovely idea. Thanks 😊

@Lovemusic33 - Great idea but we’ve got Go Ape booked for next weekend.