St Nicholas Day Gifts for Kids: Creative Ideas (Not Just Toys)

In Poland, St Nicholas Day (Mikołajki) falls on 6 December – this year a Sunday – and children wake up to small gifts in their shoes or boots. It's a lovely tradition, but many parents face the same dilemma: another toy is quickly forgotten, and plenty more will arrive at Christmas. So we've gathered ideas that give a child something more – time to create, a new skill, or moments together as a family.

We run an art studio in Wilanów, Warsaw, and every day we see which materials and projects really draw children in. Here are our favourites.

Photo: Marina Abrosimova / Unsplash

Small gifts for the boot (up to about 50 zł)

1. Air-dry clay and simple tools

Clay jewellery dishes from a party at our studio.

A block of air-dry clay and a few modelling tools give many afternoons of making. No kiln needed: pieces harden at home in a few days and can then be painted. At our parties children make jewellery dishes, animals and little houses – and don't want to stop.
Best for: ages 7+.

2. A sketchbook and watercolour pencils

Photo: Washington Oliveira / Unsplash

A thick sketchbook and pencils that turn into watercolour with a wet brush. A small set, and your child discovers two techniques at once.
Best for: ages 6+.

3. A free printable Christmas colouring book

For St Nicholas Day we've made two winter colouring books, each with a short story: Christmas and Winter Colouring Book: Nutcracker Adventures (Clara and the Nutcracker) and The Gingerbread Boy and the Hungry Wolf (a chase through the Christmas market). Print them, staple them into a little book and tuck them into the boot with new crayons.
👉 Download the free colouring books
Best for: ages 4–9.

4. A marbling kit

Ebru – painting on water at our studio.

Shaving foam, a few bottles of paint and a tray make a home version of Ebru, the Turkish art of painting on water. Every print comes out different, and children love the "wow" moment. Just pack the ingredients with a note: "Spread the foam, drip the paint, swirl a pattern with a stick, press the paper."
Best for: ages 4+ (with a grown-up).

Gifts that last (about 50–150 zł)

5. A first "real" artist's set

Photo: Alexander von Schulz / Unsplash

Acrylic paints in tubes, a few brushes of different sizes and two small canvases. For many children it's the first time they paint "like artists" – on a canvas that can hang in their room. Choose the primary colours plus white: they'll learn to mix the rest themselves.
Best for: ages 7+.

6. A children's book about art

Books that show famous artists' paintings and invite children to try for themselves are a great way to combine reading and making. After reading, suggest: "let's paint our own Starry Night".
Best for: ages 6–12.

7. A creative kit for a winter evening

Put together your own kit in a box: milk cartons, paint, glue, cotton wool and a small battery light. The note says: "Build a winter town". The cartons become townhouses, and with a light inside they look like a real town at night.
Best for: ages 5–10.

A gift that's an experience (over 150 zł)

8. An art workshop voucher

Instead of another thing – time and a memory. At our studio in Wilanów you can give:

• a family workshop for up to 5 people – a parent and child (or grandparents and grandchildren) make a holiday-themed project together. 650 zł, or 520 zł if bought by 15 November. Valid for a year.
• an individual workshop – just for your children: 2 hours of creating with an artist, no other groups, with a theme built around your child's interests. 450 zł for 2 hours.

Print the voucher and tuck it into the boot – we set the date after the holidays.
👉 More about the voucher

9. A December outing together

A planned day out can be a gift too: a Christmas market, a walk among the festive lights and a family workshop. Find December events for children in Warsaw in our post Holiday and St Nicholas Day Workshops for Kids in Warsaw: December 2026.

10. An art birthday party – for later

If your child's birthday is in winter or early spring, St Nicholas Day is a lovely moment to "announce" the dream party. Print an invitation from our free invitation maker (try Winter Princess or Puppies & Kittens) and tuck it into the boot as a surprise: "In February we're having your party at an art studio!"
👉 See birthday parties at Art for Kids

How to choose: a quick guide

• Ages 4–6: simple, chunky materials – marbling, colouring books, thick crayons.
• Ages 7–9: air-dry clay, a first artist's set, watercolour pencils, "build something" projects.
• Ages 10–12: canvas and acrylics, a sketchbook, a workshop with a real technique (Ebru, a neon painting).
• For the whole family: a family workshop voucher – a gift everyone enjoys.

The best gift is time together

Whatever you choose, the most joy comes from creating together. Sit down at the table, spread out some newspaper and let your child make a mess. Those are the afternoons that stay in memory the longest.

Want to ask about a voucher or a workshop? Message us on WhatsApp, call +48 792 542 039, or use our contact form.

Art for Kids · ul. Branickiego 21A/U2, Wilanów, Warsaw