It seems early to be thinking of Christmas gifts, doesn’t it? But it’s a good idea to purchase gifts now, owing to supply chain issues this year.
If you’re not sure what to give a child in the elementary or middle school age range, you’ve come to the right place. These thoughtful presents will nurture their faith, and be lots of fun, too!
Building
Wooden puzzles get a gorgeous upgrade with this stunning Mary’s Garden and Holy Trinity themed versions.
A LEGO Nativity set will keep kids busy building and teach them about the first Christmas. Another great LEGO set for learning about the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is Father Leopold Celebrates Mass.
What could be cuter or more fun than these saint-themed giant floor puzzles?
These beautiful patron saint blocks help kids learn about the saints while they build and play.
Learn about the Mass with the Order of the Mass floor puzzle, or about the saints with these sweet puzzles.
Arts & Crafts
Little artists will love these stained glass coloring books that turn into pretty art! Even better, they’re saint-themed and there’s one for every month of the liturgical year.
Kids love stickers, and these adorable saint stickers are perfect for tucking in their shoe on St. Nicholas’s Day or their Christmas stocking.
Older kids will appreciate these sturdy vinyl saint stickers (more options here and here) that can be used to decorate water bottles, tablets, or any other special item.
Or sign up for the Catholic Sticker Club and your kiddo will receive liturgically-themed stickers in the mail every month!
Kids who love to color will enjoy coloring books for Feasts of Our Lord and Lady, saints and Catholic items, and Mysteries of the Rosary.
Keep little hands busy with a Future Saint Water Reveal book or these reusable dry-erase cards designed to help kids follow along with the Mass.
Kids often do their best thinking (and praying!) when their hands are occupied, and this Adoration coloring book can help them enter more fully into prayer and learning about Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
Pretend Play
Dozens of beloved saints come as peg dolls, so kids can play with them again and again, getting to know these heavenly friends. (You can find even more options by searching “saint peg dolls” on Etsy.) Don’t forget the perfect play set for saint peg dolls, a darling little church in a box just their size.
Kids will love their own Holy Family dolls, like these soft Mary, Jesus, and Joseph dolls. You can use them to practice the Mary on the Mantel custom too!
Honor your child’s patron saint with an impossibly cute plastic or soft plush doll from Shining Light Dolls, or these natural wooden saints from Saintly Heart.
Raise your hand if you played Mass as a kid! We sure did, and now your kids can too, even using the proper names and materials with this pop-out paper Mass kit.
For an even more durable (and classic!) version, check out wooden Mass kits on Etsy, like this one from Almond Rod Toys or Worthy of Agape.
Little ones who attend Catechesis of the Good Shepherd religious formation have a special devotion to Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Nurture that relationship with their own Good Shepherd play set, either paper or wooden.
Saint dolls are quick and easy to make at home with these lovely saint paper dolls that come as a printable instant download. Bookmark this page for an easy craft on future feast days!
If you’ve got any sewing ability, you can create your own soft and squishy saint dolls using these DIY sets.
Home Goods
School lunch gets an upgrade with this eye-catching saint-themed lunchbox (and check out the rest of the Blessed Friends Forever line, including a fanny pack, pencil pouch, and other useful accessories).
Kids can play teatime, or enjoy a cup of hot chocolate with you, in this beautiful mini tea cup or hand-thrown “future saints” tumbler.
Little explorers and kids doing nature study will enjoy this adventure bag and logbook for toting treasures and recording their favorite memories.
Little ones will feel safe and sound at bedtime with a saint-themed pillowcase or St. Michael the Archangel pillowcase.
A Catholic pennant is an inspiring addition to a little athlete’s wall. We especially like this saint goals banner to encourage kids to pursue greatness.
Media
The Saints and Heroes video series by CCC of America are Catholic kid classics, teaching the next generation all about the lives of the saints.
The Holy Heroes Glory Stories CDs are a great way for kids to get to know the saints and perfect for car rides (got a holiday road trip coming up?). Older kids can’t miss listening to the TAN Books Story of the Bible CDs.
Brother Francis movies are a great way to introduce younger kids to Catholic beliefs.
A subscription to Formed might just be the best media gift you can give. Kids can access movies, TV shows, audiobooks, CDs, and e-books about the faith.
Books
This year’s must-have new release for children is Saints Around the World, which features lesser known saints with amazing stories.
Every family needs a Bible, and you won’t find a better one for kids than the Great Adventure Kids Catholic Bible Chronicles. It’s designed to show how everything in Scripture is part of the bigger story of salvation, and the role each of us can play in that story.
Saint Joseph: Watch over My Family is a sweet little picture book all about the story of St. Joseph. It’s the perfect gift in this Year of St. Joseph!
My First Interactive Mass Book is a sturdy board book that invites children to understand the beauty of the Mass through hands-on activities like flaps, wheels and tracing. It’s great for busy preschoolers or older kids who benefit from something to keep their hands busy!
The Catholic Mass Quiet Book is another delightful book for children with a need to fidget.
For older kids, The Sacred That Surrounds Usexplains with clarity the symbolism and history behind the sacred items we see in every Catholic church.
Reluctant readers will love these Catholic comic books about a brave, friendly little boy who was friends with St. Francis of Assisi. There are 6 volumes in the totally endearing (and genuinely inspiring) Loupio series.
Good books help form a person’s character, and a novel about a Catholic family is a gift to last a lifetime. We recommend Hilda Van Stockum’s wonderful Mitchells series: The Mitchells: Five for Victory, Canadian Summer, and Friendly Gables. And every Catholic kid should read the thrilling classic Outlaws of Ravenhurst. You can find lots of other great ideas over at Good Books for Catholic Kids and Bethlehem Books.
Learn about the 7 Sacraments with this Catechism in LEGO (and a note of caution: do not buy a similar-looking book called The Brick Bible, which is not at all suitable for children).
Show kids how they can be saints with the delightful new picture book I’m a Saint in the Making, and introduce the concept of saintly intercession with My Little Book of Patrons.
Wiggly little ones can understand the Mass better through the story of Sam the Guardian Angel, or through Katie Warner’s beautiful picture books that illuminate different aspects of the faith.
Older kids can follow along on Catholic time-travel adventures in the Chime Travelers series.
Revel in the joy of the Christmas season with this elegant new work, A Child’s Christmas ABC Book: Angels in the Air Arrayed, and these beloved Christmas classic picture books.
Does your family have a new sibling on the way? Help your children bond with the baby before he or she is even born with this book, I Can Hear Music.
Kids will appreciate having their own prayer books, especially these fun superhero, forest, and fairy tale themed ones, with traditional Catholic prayers.
Made especially for children ages 8-12, the Rise Up devotional is “designed to plant the seeds of a prayer life and guide it to blossom.”
This child’s Adoration prayer journal is written to help children encounter the Lord while praying in Adoration.
Prayer Items
An icon or image of a child’s patron saint is a meaningful gift (we like the images of saints from Light Bearer Designs), especially when paired with an engaging biography of the saint for children.
Encourage a child’s growing prayer life with the Holy Heroes spiritual journal or a Mass journal designed to help kids engage with Scripture and spend time in prayer.
This Catholic growth mindset journal helps kids face life head-on, while the Be Yourself! journals (one for girls and one for boys) help children understand their identity and purpose as children of God.
Kids can learn about the saints in a hands-on, playful way with these Super Saints Cards.
St. Therese was known to use “sacrifice beads” to find little opportunities of serving others. Kids can imitate her example with their own beads set.
These sturdy rosaries and prayer card sets encourage kids to follow the examples of the shepherd children of Fatima in loving Our Lady.
Family Gifts
A subscription to Catholic Family Crate is the gift that lasts all year, giving lots of opportunities to grow in faith and create special family memories.
A subscription to Wanderlust Catholic is sure to awaken wonder and inspire adventure, all while nurturing appreciation for our Catholic faith.
Sign up your budding chef for age-appropriate online cooking classes with Kids Cook Real Food.
Add a fun Catholic twist to family game night with the Alleluia card game, the hilarious Catholic card game, Road to Bethlehem game, or FeastDay game that helps kids learn about the liturgical year.
The Christmas Cabinet is an Advent Calendar that creates a Nativity scene, a gift for the whole family to enjoy.
The whole family will be singing along with the delightful music from Making Music, Praying Twice and Roundabout Folk (made by Catholic sisters!).
And today we celebrate...