Fun Gift Ideas for the Simple-Living Family
I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. My grandma always said time goes faster the older you get, and I have to admit that she was right. I think yesterday it was spring.
But it isn't spring, it's time for the holidays already. And while I love giving gifts and the opportunity to bless someone I love with something they can use, sometimes it's hard to come up with ideas.
Updated 11/5/25
Since you're reading this post, I'm guessing that your gift-ees are interested in simple living. Working with their hands, whether it's quilting or building things. Cooking from scratch. Investing time in their family relationships and living a simpler, healthier life.
Maybe that simple-living or homesteading family is your own?
Here are some suggestions for gifts that will bring a homesteading family together.
Family game night
How about starting a family game night tradition?
A Minnesota family invented this Life on the Farm board game, available on Amazon. This "fast moo-ving" game about dairy farming should appeal to children and grandparents alike, according to the reviews.
For variations on the classic Monopoly game, you can find Farm-Opoly and Horse-Opoly.
If your family prefers puzzles to board games, take a look at this Down on the Farm 100-piece puzzle, or this Melissa and Doug set of four wooden farm animal puzzles for younger children, both from Amazon.
Or look here on Amazon for more farm life jigsaw puzzle scenes, where you'll find lots of tractors and barns.
A puzzle mat lets you stow the family's puzzle-in-progress to work on another day.
Keep reading for even more family-friendly ideas.
You might also enjoy these carefully-curated gift guides:
Gifts for Chicken Lovers
Quick and Simple Gifts from the Homestead
Thoughtful Gifts for Gardeners
Combining science and fun
I love gifts that entertain and educate at the same time.
Years ago we bought a butterfly habitat kit for our children and our whole family loved watching the painted lady caterpillars transform into butterflies.
Then, a couple of summers ago I found some monarch caterpillars on a milkweed plant in the pasture while our granddaughter was visiting, and we raised them to butterflies too.
That's a total of three generations of excitement and awe! Because the Chief and I were just as excited as the children!
You can order a butterfly kit here from Nature Gifts with a certificate for the caterpillars to be sent later, when it's warmer.
Amazon has a refill kit with more caterpillars if you want to do it again. (And trust me, you will!)
Family-favorite books
Chances are, the books you read as a child helped to shape the adult you are now. Money and time are never wasted on quality books.
Our family recommends the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, as well as My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George, all available at Amazon.
We loved them all; and many are still on my bookshelves even though our children now have children of their own.
If you'd like more recommendations for books that will inspire your children or grandchildren take a look at this post, full of books that my children loved and have shared with their own children.
“How to Make Vinegar at Home for Pennies.”
Feeding the birds
Bird feeders are fun for the whole family. Feeders not only help the birds through the cold winter, but are also entertaining and educational.
Whether you choose a hanging feeder or a feeder on a pole like the one above (we have two of these and love them), or a hummingbird feeder or finch feeder to use next spring, you might be launching your gift recipient on a whole new hobby: bird watching.
And don't forget hummingbird feeders - watching these tiny little birds is a great family pastime too! While most hummingbirds are only here in the US in the warm months of the year, I've learned recently that there is at least one variety that winters in the Pacific Northwest.
Tip: I fill my songbird feeders with chicken scratch feed from the feed store. The birds love it and it costs less than wild bird seed.
Mugs and cocoa
Give your simple-living, homesteading family a delicious gift: include some popcorn and mugs of hot chocolate to enjoy while watching a family movie.
Specialty-flavored hot cocoa mixes make it easy to whip up a snack in minutes. Choose from this canister of candy cane flavored cocoa mix - or try a variety of flavors including Rocky Road, Cookies Butter, Pumpkin Pie and more in this delightfully-packaged holiday animals hot cocoa gift box. Both are from Amazon.
A bit of whipped cream and caramel ice cream topping will turn your hot cocoa into an extra-special treat.
Wrap it all up with the family's favorite movie and enjoy the evening!
You might even include a set of mugs - or a mug chosen especially for each member of the family, reflecting their own interests.
Tip: I often tucked a couple of those individual hot cocoa packets in my children's Christmas stockings too. They're fun and delicious. (My favorite is Land O'Lakes' raspberry flavored hot cocoa.)
Family activities in the kitchen
As well as being fun - and producing yummy treats to eat - baking with children is definitely educational. Recipes are full of math activities, and the science of baking is interesting too.
I've ordered these barnyard cookie cutters so I can make cookies with my grandchildren. Amazon has two choices: this 7-piece cookie cutter set with a cow, tractor, sheep, barn, rooster, horse, and pig - or this 7-piece set that includes a duck, chicken, cow, dog, pig, lamb, and a barn cat.
I had such a hard time deciding which set to order that I just ordered both.
Cookie cutters can also be used with "craft clay" or homemade "play dough."
What's on your family's wish list this year?
Gifts for Chicken Lovers
Quick and Simple Gifts from the Homestead
Thoughtful Gifts for Gardeners
You can read my full disclosure here.
Kathi Rodgers is the gardener and writer behind Oak Hill Homestead (est. 2006) and the host of HOMEGROWN: Your Backyard Garden Podcast. With over 30 years of gardening experience in a variety of climates and soils, she helps new and aspiring gardeners grow healthy, organic food right in their own backyards.
A passionate advocate for simple, self-reliant living, Kathi is the author of multiple ebooks, a published magazine contributor, and shares practical advice with readers who want real-life solutions they can trust.
Kathi lives in Oklahoma, where she grows more cherry tomatoes than she can count and keeps a watchful eye on tornado season. A proud grandma and great-grandma, she believes that wisdom - like a bountiful garden harvest - should be shared.
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