What kind of present can you give to your friend who’s naturally driven by curiosity? For the kind of person who enjoys seeking knowledge and learning new things? This year, not everyone will be able to spend the holiday together, so this gift guide will mainly focus on digital gifts for people who want to expand their mind and add more mindfulness into their lives.
Online courses gift cards
Unfortunately, most of the biggest online learning platforms such as Coursera, Udemy, Udacity, and edX do not offer gift cards at the moment. For some of them—such as Coursera—the learner explicitly needs to make the payment themselves. However, there are still a few interesting options if you want to give the gift of learning this holiday season.
- Masterclass Annual Membership. For $180, you can give an annual membership to learn from more than 80 experts around topics as wide-ranging as design, gaming, science, writing, cooking, and more. They also have a 2-for-1 holiday offer, so you may want to grab a membership for yourself.
- Continuing Education Gift Voucher. The Institute of Continuing Education at the University of Cambridge offers many online courses. You don’t need to live in the UK to take them and get access to world-class education from one of the best universities in the world. Courses range from astronomy, creative writing, life coaching, psychology, science communication, finance, forensic science, archaeology, and many more exciting topics. Vouchers range from £20 to £300 ($25 to $400).
The gift of mindfulness
Help your friends and family take care of their mind in 2021 by giving them free access to some of the best mindfulness tools and ways to create a more mindful living/working environment. Less stressed and more resilient, they’ll be grateful for the gift!
- Calm Gift Card. Purchase a one-year subscription and you will get a beautiful voucher to print at home or to send to the recipient.
- Headspace Gift Card. You can purchase a subscription voucher for one year or one month. The yearly subscription is currently 30% off.
- Horti & Bloombox Club. Give an indoor plant subscription to help them brighten their home. These two links are for the US. and the UK but most countries have companies offering such subscriptions.
Book clubs
Let them know about the concept of the antilibrary, and treat your friend’s shelf to a book subscription. It’s a great way to support their learning journey.
- Book of the Month. Each month, subscribers can pick one book out of five from the staff picks. You can choose from several subscription options: $49.99 for 3 months, $89.99 for 6 months, or $169.99 for 12 months.
- Rebel Book Club. For people outside of the US, this book club focused on non-fiction has now more than 1,000 active members from London to Berlin to Barcelona. You can get a £54 (€60) gift card good for 3 months of non-fiction books and virtual meetups.
Learning communities
It’s more fun to learn together. If you are part of a paid learning community, consider inviting your friend. And if you aren’t yet, it may be the opportunity to join with them and learn together.
- Ness Labs. A community of 1,500+ curious minds discussing mindful productivity, creativity, and mental health, with weekly virtual meetups and workshops. Click here to give a yearly membership.
- Makerpad. Is your friend interested in building a business in 2021, but doesn’t know how to code? A subscription to a no-code learning community may be the perfect gift.
- Visualize Value. A learning community for people who want to generate an income online. Includes a library of templates and weekly Q&A calls.
There are many more paid learning communities you can invite your friend too—just make sure it’s aligned with their interests. And again, it’s more fun if you join together.
Other gift ideas for learners and creators
Want more ideas? There are dozens of options to please a curious mind. If these are not available in your country, just do a quick online search for local alternatives.
- Encourage them to learn a new language with a Babbel gift card
- Surprise them with a Cameo from their favourite author
- Get them a vinyl subscription box to discover new music
- If they like audiobooks, consider an Audible gift card
- Get an Etsy gift card for friends and family who are into crafts
- Subscribe them to receive a monthly wellness planner
- Check your local museum for a museum membership
- Same with your local library!
Have fun finding the perfect gift for your friends and family. But be careful: you may end up getting a few of these for yourself as well!