Ultimate Chinese Gift Guide for Kids: Cultural, Educational, & Fun Toys
If you’re planning present ideas for the holidays, birthdays, or special occasions, my family’s Chinese gift guide can help! This list is based on what my kids have loved plus a few favorites from friends.
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Gift guide for kids learning Chinese
I first published this Chinese gift guide in November 2017. Each year, I update the list to include only gifts that have stood the test of time. Due to popular request, I’ve added suggested ages, but you know your child best! For reference, my children are currently in elementary school.
Chinese gifts can spark a child’s interest in language and culture! When you gift a book, toy, or artwork with Chinese characters, we send the message that culture is important. And if you’re raising bilingual kids, Chinese gifts can remind parents, teachers, and caregivers to speak Chinese consistently.
Bookish Chinese gifts
Chinese books
For: All ages
Books are our favorite gifts for all ages, especially for bilingual kids! But no matter what language your family speaks, books are a wonderful way to introduce new characters, concepts and cultures. Books are one of the best ways to bring diversity and inclusion to your home and school.
Luka Reading Companion
For: Ages 3-10 years
Reading experts agree that audiobooks can significantly improve fluency and literacy. Luka Reading Companion can read over 70,000 simplified Chinese picture books to children and is at the top of my gift-giving recommendation list! My kids adore Luka and have read hundreds of Chinese books with him over the past year.
Use coupon code CHALK_LUKA for extra $10 off orders at JoJo Learning.
Youdao Dictionary Reading Pen
For: Age 7 to adults
The Youdao Dictionary Pen has been a great help for us to learn new Chinese characters while reading various books. My daughter also uses it to learn new English words and translate them to Chinese. Use coupon code CHALK_PEN for $5 off orders at JoJo Learning.
Explore this: How I Taught My Child 1000+ Chinese Characters as a Non-Fluent Speaker
Chinese bookstand
For: Age 5 years to adults
This beautiful engraved bamboo bookstand features a Chinese poem.
The bookstand is 13 inches wide and 9.4 inches tall, which makes it large enough to hold large picture books and cookbooks.
The large size of the bookstand also makes it helpful for holding an iPad for online classes or watching Chinese shows!
Educational Chinese language learning gifts
Magic Water Calligraphy Cloth
For: Age 5 years to adults
This reusable water calligraphy cloth is definitely one of our favorite resources for children of all ages as well as adults! Water is the magic “ink” for painting Chinese characters!
If you’re looking a real calligraphy brush set with ink, this option has hundreds of 5 star reviews.
Buddha Board Water Calligraphy
For: Age 5 years to adults
The Buddha Board can be used for painting and writing practice. Dip the bamboo brush in water to create soft, beautiful images and Chinese calligraphy. When the water evaporates, the images fades, and then it’s time to create another masterpiece!
We gifted this to our Chinese teacher, and she said her husband and 10-year-old son find it very relaxing!
Chinese motivational stamps
For: Age 4 years to adults
These Chinese stamps come in simplified and traditional Chinese! They would be a great gift for Chinese teachers or kids who use reward charts. The following phrases are included:
- 你真棒！(Nǐ zhēn bang! / You are awesome!)
- 赞 / 讚！ (Zàn! / Awesome!)
- 棒棒噠！(Bàng bàng da! / Amazing!)
- 你进步了 / 你進步了！(Nǐ jìnbù le! / Big Improvement!)
- 极了 / 好極了 (Hǎo jí le! / Excellent!)
- 太棒了！(Tài bàng le / Fantastic!)
- 太好了！(Tài hǎo le! / Superb Work!)
- 加油！ (Jiā yóu / Add Fuel!)
- 再努力！(Zài nǔlì! / Keep it Up!)
- 再试一次 / 再試一次！(Zài shì yí cì! / Try again!)
- 请改正 / 請改正 (Qǐng gǎi zhèng / Please correct)
- 请完成 / 請完成 (Qǐng wánchéng / Please complete)
Wood Chinese numbers board
For: Age 3 to 5 years
My daughter loved the 1-10 reversible Chinese numbers board when she was younger.
One side is for tracing and the other is for fine motor counting practice.
The wood is sanded smoothly and has no rough edges or sharp corners.
Please note: wood balls are a choking hazard for kids under age 3 years and those who are still mouthing objects.
Chinese cultural gifts
Wood Chinese calendar
For: All ages
Growing up, I remember my parents bringing home a Chinese calendar from Chinese restaurants. Instead of getting a new one each year, I’m grateful for this beautiful wood perpetual calendar that we can use year after year!
This is definitely one of my top gift recommendations because you can use it forever. The company translates products in many languages, too!
Chopsticks
In Chinese culture, a pair of chopsticks is considered a lucky gift, because 筷子 (kuàizi) sounds like 快乐 / 快樂 (kuàilè / happy).
For older kids and adults, these have high ratings:
For little kids, my children used these when they were younger:
Chinese lanterns
For: All ages
These colorful paper lanterns are a bright way to bring Chinese culture into the home.
My kids liked walking around at night with these lanterns for Mid-Autumn Festival.
Lanterns are also pretty decorations for Chinese Lunar New Year.
Chinese moon cake molds and character stencils
For: Age 4 years to adults
Want to make Chinese moon cakes at home? Or do your kids want to have fun making play dough mooncakes? These gorgeous mooncake molds have Chinese characters!
For more cooking fun, these Chinese character stencils are great for baking! We have used them with powdered sugar to add Chinese characters to pancakes.
Chinese toys for kids
Pretend Chinese play food
For: Ages 3 to 10 years
Who else is craving dim sum?!
For years, my kids have been playing with these realistic Chinese food toys made of felt.
These dim sum toys have also been fun for their friends to learn about Chinese culture through pretend restaurant and cooking play.
Chinese festivals Legos
For: Age 4 to 18+ years
LEGO bricks are among the most timeless toys! Did you know that LEGO offers tons of sets dedicated to Chinese festivals and cultural icons?
Asian dolls
For: Age 1 to 10 years
If your kids love dolls, there are many realistic and diverse options these days!
- Hape Asian Family doll set: This is a cute set of mini Asian dolls with grandparents included. My daughter used them in her book diorama project for The Fall of Freddie the Leaf 一片叶子落下来.
- Miniland doll girl and Miniland doll boy: These anatomically correct dolls are popular among Montessori parents. Note that it has a vanilla scent.
- American Girl: This popular brand has high-quality collectible dolls with a story about finding success in the face of challenges today.
- Barbie: These Asian Barbie dolls can move and do yoga. (Note that many experts are concerned about the association between Barbie dolls and negative body image.)
- JC Toys: This is a highly-rated baby doll that we used to have when my kids were younger. We ended up donating it since we have too many toys, but it was well-made.
Wood Chinese blocks
For: Age 1 to 4 years
Uncle Goose has a variety of educational wood blocks, including languages such as Chinese.
These are some of the first Chinese toys that I bought for my kids!
Talking toy microscope (multilingual)
For: Age 5 to 8 years
Although we usually avoid talking plastic toys, we couldn’t resist this highly-rated toy microscope. What’s unique is that the talking microscope teaches science in English, Mandarin Chinese, Korean, and Japanese!
We bought it 4 years ago, and my kids continue to explore it every few months.
If your kids like the microscope, check out the highly-rated Asian language telescope.
Chinese music gifts
The BaoBao Learns Chinese Nursery Rhymes Music Books are so incredibly fun for little kids! With a press of a button, kids can instantly hear popular Chinese songs like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
Lyrics are in Simplified Chinese and Pinyin with English translations.
Also check out these 100+ popular Chinese songs on iTunes and Google Play.
For older kids, check out Popular Chinese Music: Mandopop, Rock, Hip Hop Songs.
The most timeless Chinese gift: red envelopes!
If you’re not sure what to give and don’t want to add clutter, the most useful gift is….(drumroll please)…Chinese red envelopes!
Chinese red envelopes with cash can be gifted to older kids so they learn how to save, spend wisely, and donate to good causes. Red envelopes are also the best gift to give Chinese teachers.
Which Chinese gift is your favorite?
I’d love to hear what gifts were most enjoyed by your family, friends, and teachers! Please tell me in the comments below!
And if you found these recommendations helpful, please share it with a friend!
Holiday shopping guide for kids
If you’re shopping for holiday gifts, check out our educational gift guides!