A niece or nephew’s Christmas gift should suit their age, fit whatever they’re into right now, and be clearly from you. For children aged 0 to 9, a book about them, picked for what they love and with your message printed in the front, covers all three. So does a day out with you, promised on a card.
The tricky part for an auntie or uncle is that you’re not the parent. You might not see them every week, so you don’t always know what they’ve already got or what they’re obsessed with this month. That’s normal, and one message to their parents sorts most of it. If you’ve got grandchildren or godchildren on the list too, our guide to personalised Christmas gifts for kids has ideas by who’s giving.
The short version
- Ask their parents one question: what are they into right now?
- Pick by age first, then by that interest.
- Make it yours, with a message signed with the name they call you.
- Add something you’ll do together, even if it’s on a video call.
- Buying for more than one? Give each of them the same kind of gift, with their own name on it.
Ask their parents one question first
Ask what they’re into at the moment, not what they need. A favourite thing can change completely between the summer holidays and December, and their parents will know which dinosaur, which pony or which superhero it is this week.
Then find out two more things. What have they already got two of? And does the family use a gift rule, like want, need, wear and read? If they do, ask which slot is still free, so yours isn’t the third thing to wear.
Gift ideas by age
Age narrows it down fast, so it’s where we’d start. These are the stages we think in, all inside the 0 to 9 our books are made for.
Ages 0 to 2
At this age the present is partly for their parents, so ask them before you buy. We’d pair a keepsake that has their name on it with something they can play with right now, like a set of stacking cups or a shape sorter. If it’s their very first Christmas, our guide to first Christmas gifts for a baby has keepsake ideas and help with writing to a child too young to read it.
Ages 3 to 5
Three to five year olds love dressing up, play dough, big-piece jigsaws and anything they can count. Pretend play is huge. A box of dressing-up bits you’ve put together yourself can beat a shop-bought costume. For a counting fan aged five or under, More Than I Can Count is a counting adventure with numbers, colours, shapes and tyrannosaurs to tickle.
Ages 6 to 9
By six, most children like working something out on their own, and anything that feels a bit grown-up. Building sets, code-breaking kits, puzzle books and a first diary with a lock all go down well. My Incredible Name suits a puzzle fan up to eight: it’s an adventure about how incredible they are, with puzzles to decode and incredible people to discover.
Gift ideas by what they love
Once you know the age, the interest does the rest. Here’s what we’d look at for some of the big ones.
- Horses, ponies and unicorns. A model stable, a pony fact book, or a riding lesson if the parents are happy. In My Secret Unicorn, they rescue a hurt unicorn and find out their own horse is magical, and you choose from eight children and six horses or ponies. It was inspired by Missy, a real horse in Colin’s care.
- Dinosaurs. A dinosaur fact book, a trip to see the skeletons at a museum, or the tyrannosaurs in More Than I Can Count for children up to five.
- Maps, travel and family far away. A globe, or a map with a pin in your town and one in theirs. My Way Home takes them around the world and back to their own home town and country. It comes in versions for Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, Singapore and the USA, so pick the one for where they live.
- Puzzles and codes. A puzzle book, a secret-message kit, or a treasure hunt round your house for the next visit.
- Making things. A craft kit, a box of junk-modelling bits, or an afternoon baking with you.
- Animals and the outdoors. A bug hotel to put together, a pair of children’s binoculars or a bird spotting book.
- Bedtime stories. A book series to collect, or a recording of you reading their favourite story.
How to make sure they know it’s from you
Put your words in it and sign it with the name they call you. That’s what turns a present into Auntie Jo’s present.
A few ways to do it:
- Write a message they’ll find again. On a card it gets lost by Boxing Day. In the front of a book, it stays.
- Use the same wrapping every year. One colour of ribbon, every Christmas, and they’ll spot yours under the tree.
- Add a promise card. ‘Good for one day out with Uncle Dev. You choose.’ It gives them something to look forward to after Christmas, too.
- Read it together on a video call. Teddy hides on every page of our books, so finding him makes an easy game when you’re not in the same room.
Here are three messages an auntie or uncle might write:
- ‘For Kit, who knows every dinosaur’s name. You’re the cleverest person I know. Love, Auntie Jo. Christmas 2026.’
- ‘Maisie, this one’s about you, so of course it’s brilliant. Save me a pony ride next summer. Uncle Dev x’
- ‘For Sami in Toronto, from Auntie Lou in Glasgow. One day we’ll do this trip together.’
If they live in another country
You can order online and send it straight to them. We ship anywhere in the world, and the book can go to a different country from your billing address. So an auntie in Glasgow can send one to Toronto without queuing at the Post Office. For posting a present yourself, our guide to sending a Christmas present to Australia covers customs forms and what you can’t send.
My Way Home suits a child who lives a long way off, as their version finishes where they live. Write where you’re sending it from in your message, and the book does a bit of the missing you.
Buying for more than one niece or nephew
Give them the same kind of gift, each with their own name on it. It saves anyone feeling the other one got the better present. The same book with two different names and two different messages works, and so do two different books from the same shelf.
If the budget’s tight, a shared gift helps: a board game for them all, or one day out together, plus something small with each child’s name on it. We reckon the free personalised digital edition is worth a look too, and every one of our titles has one.
How The Kids Book Company helps
You can add a personal message to any of our books, and we print it into the front for free, so your name is in there for good. We print every book to order, just for that child.
Every title also has a free personalised digital edition through the Free Book Project. It’s a PDF to read on a tablet, phone or computer, made in under five minutes with no credit card. You create an account with your email so we can send the file.
Create their free book.
Related questions
What can I get my nephew for Christmas?
Start with his age and the thing he’s into right now, then ask his parents what he’s already got. A building set, a puzzle book or a book about him with your message inside all suit a child of six to nine. For a toddler, pair a keepsake with something to play with now.
What’s a thoughtful but inexpensive gift for a niece or nephew?
Something with you in it. A recording of you reading their favourite story costs nothing, and nor does a free personalised digital book with their name in it. Making a promise card for a day out together costs very little, too. What makes them thoughtful is that they’re clearly from you.
What’s a unique and special present for a niece?
A gift that could only be for her, built around her name, her interests and where she lives. One way is a personalised book with your message printed in the front. Another is a day out planned around the thing she loves.
What’s a meaningful gift for a nephew?
One he’ll keep after the toys are gone. Put your words in it, put the date on it, and sign it with the name he calls you. A book with a printed message is a good choice, because it’s still on the shelf years later.
