Gift Ideas for Kids and Teens with Special Needs

by JoleneDec 16, 2013Holidays, Special Needs Parenting4 comments

Are you frantically Christmas shopping for the kids and teens with special needs in your life. These gift ideas can help you finish the job.

Okay, everybody stand up. Now, sit down if you’re done Christmas shopping. Remain standing if you’re still looking for presents for you teens with special needs or are shopping with a limited budget. If you’re still on your feet, this post is for you! If you’re sitting down, scroll down to the end to leave your gift recommendations in the comment box.

Devotional Books for Teens with Special Needs

Last month my friend Katie Wetherbee, who blogs about special needs education and special needs ministry at Diving for Pearls, uploaded a piece about devotionals for teens with special needs. Katie brainstormed with her colleague Kelly Norville, and together they created this fantastic list:

Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton, written by a real life surfer when she wasn’t much beyond her teen years. There’s a movie, too, if your teen is into that.
10 Minute Parables from Group Publishing. Katie says, “This series is designed specifically for teens, so those who have difficulty with comprehension, or who are functioning on a more concrete level.”
10 Minute Moments: The Basics, also from Group. This book makes the foundational truths from the book of John attainable for kids who are concrete thinkers.
What’s In the Bible Series from Jelly Fish Labs. This series was created for kids, but Wetherbee says the quick pace of the humor and language appeals to older kids and adults.
The Thirteen Most Important Bible Lessons for Teenagers from Group. These lessons offer drama and hands on material, too.
Believe it Or Not Bible Studies by Group. This will appeal to kids fascinated with the interesting and obscure.
God, Our Father by Friendship Ministries is an long time, solid standard for those with special needs.

You’ll find Katie’s list at Solutions: Finding Devotional Materials for Teens with Special Needs.

Gifts around $10 for Kids with Special Needs

Sylvia Phillips, a Different Dream guest blogger, has also published a list of gifts for kids with special needs. Every gift is around ten dollars, extra appeal if you’re on a budget. Her list includes:

Magnetic Wooden Bug Catching Game ($9.99)
How Do You Feel Facial Expression Puzzle Game ($9.99)
Echo Microphone (9.99)
Cascade Timer ($7.70)
Tangle Junior ($12.99)
Magnetic Mosaics ($11.90)
Tactile Atom Ball ($9.95)

What Are Your Best Special Needs Gift Recommendations?

Okay, if that helped you finish your Christmas shopping, sit down and put your feet up. For the rest of you, it’s now your turn. What gifts do you recommend for kids with special needs? Leave your ideas in the comment box. Merry Christmas!

Do you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the quarterly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email inbox. You can sign up for the first in the pop up box and the second at the bottom of this page.

Photo Credit: www.freedigitalphotos.net

By Jolene

Jolene Philo is the author of the Different Dream series for parents of kids with special needs. She speaks at parenting and special needs conferences around the country. She’s also the creator and host of the Different Dream website. Sharing Love Abundantly With Special Needs Families: The 5 Love Languages® for Parents Raising Children with Disabilities, which she co-authored with Dr. Gary Chapman, was released in August of 2019 and is available at local bookstores, their bookstore website, and at Amazon.

4 Comments

Jolene on December 19, 2013 at 6:57 pm

What a great idea, Correna! I’m glad the post gave you another gift suggestion, too.
Correna Bodea on December 18, 2013 at 4:44 am

I have a little one who’s very picky. Luckily we found out early on that he really enjoys video games – so we bought him a membership at http://www.jumpstart.com . It isn’t something you can put under the tree but I’m sure he’s going to really enjoy them. Now that I’ve seen the list, I think I might also look into buying the facial expression puzzle as well. Thank you for this!
Jolene on December 17, 2013 at 4:36 pm

Katie, thanks for that recommendation. At first, I thought you were Katie Wetherbee because she L-O-V-E-S Marbles. But your website indicates that your a different Katie, which means Marbles gets a double Katie endorsement!
Katie on December 17, 2013 at 8:44 am

Marbles – The Brain Store (http://www.marblesthebrainstore.com/) has so many great puzzles, games, and software to develop coordination, word skills, critical thinking and more. There’s even a section where you can filter your search based on (among other things) a specific disability your son or daughter may have. Have fun shopping!