Data from Little Starts Gift Cards, a company offering access to over 20,000 activities from more than 200 brands for babies and toddlers up to age 5, highlights a growing trend. Increasingly, grandparents, uncles, and aunts are opting for activity-based gifts over traditional presents like plastic toys and tins of chocolates, making them the ideal Christmas gifts for their young loved ones.

Little Starts markets gift cards for between £10.00 and £200.00, through main high street outlets including Sainsburys, Currys, WH Smith, Asda and Boots, as well as online. Data from Little Starts aligns with other industry data pointing to a growing preference to encourage little ones into fun, group activities through established providers such as Water Babies, Tumble Tots, Baby Ballet and Rugby Tots. Activity Classes involving sport, dance, language, art and music have proven to be particularly attractive to this market.

The UK gift card industry is expected to reach US$10.8 billion in 2024. The gift card industry in the United Kingdom will continue to grow over the forecast period and is expected to record a CAGR of 6% during 2024-2028. The market is forecast to increase from US$10.1 billion in 2023 to reach US$13.7 billion by 2028. The segment for activity gift cards for toddlers is likely to follow this trend, driven by the increasing emphasis on early childhood development and the convenience of gift cards says the United Kingdom Gift Card and Incentive Card Market Report 2024.

The age group supported by Little Starts was particularly impacted by the Covid lock downs and many missed out on key social development skills in their formative years. Results of a survey conducted by the Institute of Financial Studies in conjunction with UCL Institute of Education concluded that nearly half of parents reported their childrens’ social and emotional skills had worsened during Covid, and the drive for gifts that seek to rebuild these skills is the result.

Juliette Savage, Commercial Director at Little Starts said, “The Little Starts data shows a rapidly growing trend for grandparents in particular to choose to gift social and sports activities rather than toys. The particular attraction of opting to use the Little Starts gift card to do so is that the little ones themselves can choose the actual activity they wish to participate in. We look forward to the day when Little Starts is the top Christmas Gift.”

Glenn Sizer, Head of Prepaid Partnerships said "At Currys, we're always looking to offer innovative and meaningful products that resonate with our customers’ changing needs. Partnering with Little Starts allows us to meet the growing demand for gifts that go beyond the material, offering unique experiences that contribute to a child's development. Little Starts Gift Cards are a great way to give little ones the opportunity to engage in fun and educational activities. It's a perfect fit for our mission to provide products that bring value, joy, and purpose during key moments like Christmas. We’re proud to work with Little Starts to offer these activity-based gifts, as they help create lasting memories while supporting early childhood development."