Research has shown for awhile that people value having experiences over material things, and this is true for older kids too (and younger kids, if you can help them remember it - more on that later). My own house would be Exhibit A in a case for "why parents of younger kids do not NEED more stuff." Experiences are more memorable, foster relationships, and are special things to get excited about -- which in a Wisconsin winter can be particularly helpful if the experience is in that post holidays/pre-spring time.
So think about giving experiences for your kids or family this year, and check out a few categories and ideas for great experiences in the Madison area and listen to our conversation about these ideas and more on a recent CityCast Madison podcast.
Tickets to a show or event, or gift certificates (homemade - I love Canva for DIY) can be lots of fun either for kids, parents, the whole family, or any combination. Check out:
- Shows. The Overture Center (and their free Kids in the Rotunda shows), Children's Theater of Madison, and community or high school shows (especially for kids, seeing peers and getting to be close to the action is more exciting than the original Broadway cast), and you can always have a fun night with David Landau at the Harmony Bar or free concerts on the UW campus.
- Local sports:
- UW Sports - Basketball is great, and the women's team, hockey, and other sports often have fun promotions and side activities for kids.
- The Madison Mallards baseball, Radicals Ultimate Frisbee, and Forward FC Soccer all are super kid-friendly and have tons of promotions and games in addition to the actual sports.
- You can always combine a gift - a ticket to a game next year and some team swag for now!
- Ice Skating. Madison Parks have great spots Tenney Park, plus rinks at Elver and the new Goodman Park Rink (with rentals) among others, or go fancier in Monona or the Edgewater
- Kid-friendly food. While lots of places have kid-menus, not as many have kid activities while you wait/eat. However, Madison Sourdough has toys/books (and you can watch the bakers), Crema Cafe has a chalk wall, Java Cat and Yola's Cafe have play areas, and though they already have the most kid-friendly product, the Chocolate Shoppe in Fitchburg has a play area with a pretend ice cream shop.
- Look ahead to summer. Rent a boat at Wingra, Brittingham, the Edgewater, or take a tour at Sassy Cow Creamery, and stay for food/drinks.
- Date nights. Creando Learning at Hilldale does drop-off nights, as do several gymnastics places - or offer to take your friends' kids for a night to one of the other experiences!
- Area libraries offer special arts/craft time, game nights, movies, and other kids activities that are almost always free. Add a fun food/treat stop before or afterwards
Memberships are the gifts that keep on giving! Consider a membership or pack of tickets. Here are some ideas for places that may offer annual memberships or season passes that are great fun for the whole family:
- The Madison Children's Museum is full of regular special events, and the reciprocity in other places is a huge perk. There's also a great kids museum in Black Earth and Sun Prairie
- Olbrich Gardens - support a great place, and get discounts for special events like their holiday train show, GLEAM art, summer concerts, classes and more.
- The Zoo also has special membership activities like behind-the-scenes tours and animal encounters, their Zoo Lights, summer programs, and carousel/mini train rides
- Activity centers like the Sensory Zone (also full of great craft and other inclusive activities), PlayN Wisconsin, along with Boulder's Climbing Gym, and trampoline parks at Skyzone and Urban Air are great ways to keep moving throughout the winter - they also have ticket packages, family night deals, and toddler times, and many gymnastics places have open gym times.
Experience gifts are a great way to encourage quality family time - adding a few embellishments can help turn routine activities into special and memorable family experience.
- Movie night. Try making a new recipe (maybe based on the movie theme), get costumes, special blankets, tickets (again, see Canva)
- Send them on a scavenger hunt. Create a scavenger hunt in your home or community and have a fun prize at the end. It won't matter what the prize is -- the gift is in the fun of the hunt!
- Plant a garden. Wrap seeds and offer the gift of helping them create a backyard garden next summer.
- Take a hike. Plenty of parks and nature centers offer easy trails, and many have candlelight hikes in the winter (see early December in DeForest and January at Aldo Leopold, for example). Pick your favorite warm-up spot afterwards!
- Monthly subscription boxes. You can find family-friendly subscription boxes for crafting, cooking, reading, at this point there are are subscription boxes for almost any interest your family shares.
- Add to the routine. Take a trip to a Farmer's Market with a list to make a feast at home -or add a scavenger hunt with a prize. Or my kids still take baths - so a bus ride downtown to wander State Street and pick out special soap or bath bombs was a BIG adventure (or do a spa day, and get yourself something too).
Lessons, classes, and other clubs or one-time events make great gifts for kids (and adults)! Of course, think about a kid's potential interest, the long-term commitment and other costs or timing. They can be swimming, art, music, cooking, dance, coding, yoga, sports, or any number of other hobbies.
- MSCR's winter guide has a wide list of ongoing and one-day activities (plus they'll have more in Spring/summer)
- Area rec departments in Middleton, Sun Prairie, Deforest, Monona, and others offer additional options. City programs are generally affordable, and offer discounts for residents.
- Little Om big m yoga and KEVA Sports can build both fitness and team spirit.
- Music together, and Kindermusic have really fun classes for kids with parents
- Art classes at places like our new favorite the Curious Crafter or Monroe Street Arts have special events, take-and-make kits.
You can also add to these experiences to help kids remember and enjoy the experience with:
- Gratitude/experience journals. Give one to each member of your family and encourage daily entries with prompts and ideas and write down memories from an activity.
- Photo albums. Plenty of sites make the layout and printing easy - and my kids love scrolling through old pictures (and especially videos) to remember family activities and trips. We use BackThen, but there are plenty of options.
- More family and friends! If you live near family, encourage them to participate in the experience gift with kids - this can also have a bonus effect of offering parents some time off to have their own experience #twobirds, or parenting at scale to allow for some adult times in the mix.
Hopefully these ideas help - this is by no means an exhaustive list so don't hesitate to tell us what we missed. Also check out our toy ideas, be sure to subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and check out all the family-friendly events on our calendar -- any of which would make a great experience gift, most of which are low-cost or free!
