Holiday shopping for children is more difficult than it might seem. Sure, they’ll happily give you their lists, but upon review, everything requires batteries, results in more screen time, or will cost you more Benjamins than you’ve got in your bifold.

Fear not: We’ve rounded up great gift ideas that are perfect for Colorado kids, because these products were dreamed up by companies with home bases in the Centennial State. Best of all, many of our picks promote family bonding time, which we know is the best present of all this holiday season.

Modular Robotics Cubelets

Photo courtesy of Modular Robotics

Toys that teach are a win-win for kids and parents. Enter Cubelets, the interlocking, modular blocks that children ages four and up can use to build their own robots. Youngsters will love snapping the pieces into place; preteens will get a kick out of constructing their own moving, blinking, and/or drivable creations; and parents will appreciate the computational thinking skills their progeny will pick up along the way. We recommend starting with the basic Discovery Set ($225) from Boulder-based maker Modular Robotics. Available online

Deuter Wash Bag

Small panda bag
Photo courtesy of Deuter

Deuter, whose U.S. headquarters are in Boulder, is best-known for gear—backpacks, sleeping bags, tents—to help grownups snooze under the stars. The brand’s newly released Wash Bag ($18), however, is designed for a different kind of overnight adventure: kids’ sleepovers. The one-liter packs are small enough for your littles to carry on their own but still hold away-from-home essentials like a toothbrush and a pair of pajamas. There’s probably even room for your tyke’s favorite stuffy, but they may not need it, since the bags themselves have snuggly animal likenesses (a black-and-white panda or pink bunny). Available online

Tiny Tents Tiny Tent

Small green tent
Photo courtesy of Tiny Tents

Babies, puppies, mini donuts: Shrink something to a fraction of its actual size and our brains are hardwired to find it cute. Turns out, this phenomenon applies to camping equipment as well. Measuring just 12 inches tall, the signature Tiny Tent ($25) from Front Range–based Tiny Tents uses the same technical features you’d find in a quality human habitat—ventilating mesh windows, durable tarpaulin floor, removable rainfly—but is far more awww-inducing. Wrap this little number up for your favorite kiddo, and their dolls and figurines can save the tea parties and world-saving for another day. Elsa, Anna, and Spiderman are going camping. Available online

Little Kitchen Academy Cooking Classes

A young girl grates a carrot into a bowl
Photo courtesy of Little Kitchen Academy

Know a budding Top Chef? Since Little Kitchen Academy opened in Denver’s Hale neighborhood in June 2024, kids from three to 18 have been honing their chopping, seasoning, and baking skills in the Montessori-inspired concept’s three-hour classes. (Toddler’s First Taste courses, for caregiver-accompanied two- and three-year-olds, last 75 minutes.) All gift cards and memberships (most drop-ins cost $150) include lessons in recipe-making and dining etiquette: At the end of each session, attendees set a community table and sit down to enjoy the dishes they’ve created together. Book online or at Little Kitchen Academy Cherry Creek (4064 E. Eighth Place, Denver)

Crescent Moon Snowshoes

Photo courtesy of Crescent Moon

Fill a Thermos to the brim with hot cocoa while the kids bundle up in mittens and snow pants. Exchange good-natured banter as everyone straps on their snowshoes. Then head out as a family into an expanse of white through lightly falling flakes. It might sound like Hallmark movie magic, but if you place a pair of Crescent Moon’s kid’s snowshoes ($90) under the tree, it doesn’t have to be. The Englewood-based company uses foam and a Velcro-like material to create a snowshoe that’s easy for young adventurers to put on themselves and blissfully silent underfoot. Available online

OtterBox X Topo Designs Case for AirPods

Green Airpods case with paracord and a carabiner
Photo courtesy of OtterBox x Topo Designs

If you’ve ever watched your teenager drop their AirPods case—and then held your breath as the not-inexpensive earbuds popped out and skidded across the ground toward a crack, or rushing traffic, or the pool—this is a gift for you, too. Colorado’s OtterBox, whose phone shells are basically bomb proof, teamed up with RiNo-born Topo Designs to create this soft-touch container ($35) with a secure latch. Bonus: The oh-so-Colorado paracord and carabiner make it cool enough that your kid might actually attach it to their backpack and use it in public. Available online

Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance Membership

Woman takes a photo of a man and a child with a wallaby in the. background
Photo courtesy of the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance

Experiential gifts have gotten popular in recent years for good reason: Not only do they facilitate lasting memories, but they also mean less stuff in your house. One of our favorite places in the city to leave only footprints and take only pictures is the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance. The City Park institution is constantly adding to its roster of impressive exhibits: Since 2021, visitors have been able to watch veterinarians at work in the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Animal Hospital, and as of summer 2024, you can walk with wallabies (no fences!) in the Down Under habitat. Family memberships start at $220 per year and include vouchers for the carousel and train rides, guest passes, and—crucially—early entry. This perk lets members in at 9 a.m. (a full hour before the general public) from March to October. Not only do you get to experience the exhibits sans crowds, but also many animals are at their most active early in the day. Plus, members can show up whenever they want—no timed-entry reservation required. Available online