Experience Gifts That Build Memories, Skills, and Confidence: APH’s Holiday Picks for Families

The best gifts aren’t always the ones that come wrapped with a bow, they’re the moments we create together. This holiday season, APH invites families to think beyond traditional presents and explore “experience gifting” by pairing meaningful APH tools with activities that build connection, confidence, and joyful learning at home. 

Holiday Game Night with a Math Twist 

SlapStack Math (Free iOS App) 

Looking for a lively family game that brings everyone to the table? Try SlapStack Math, the fast-paced card-slapping game that builds number sense, mental math, and quick thinking.

Experience Gift Idea: 
Create a Family Game Night Box

• Family Favorite Games 
• Hot cocoa packets and snacks 
• A coupon for “pick-your-own-math-rule night” 

Make it a weekly tradition during winter break and celebrate small wins as your child strengthens foundational math skills. 

Math Robot (Free on iOS & Android) 

Keep math skills fresh during downtime with Math Robot, a self-voicing, fully accessible flashcard-style app featuring a smart “know-it-all” robot. Kids work through operations independently or alongside a family member who cheers them on. 

Experience Gift Idea: 
Develop a Winter Math Challenge as a family.
Set goals together (like mastering addition facts or trying new operations) and choose a small family reward for completing the challenge, such as: 

• A holiday movie night 
• A winter picnic indoors 
• A special “math-themed” baking session, measuring ingredients together 

It’s a fun, low-pressure way to keep learning moving through the holiday season. 

A Tactile Science Explorer’s Kit 

Tactile Periodic Table (Nemeth Version)  

Back by popular demand! This tactile, colorful, braille-labeled version of the periodic table empowers middle and high school students to study chemistry with confidence. With tactile indicators for metals, metalloids, and nonmetals, students can explore patterns and concepts just like their sighted peers. 

Experience Gift Idea: 
Create a Science Exploration Day at home. Pair the Tactile Periodic Table with a simple, safe chemistry activity, such as: 

• Making edible “atoms” with candy pieces 
• Element Scavenger Hunt: Try to identify the element(s) in everyday things: e.g., air (oxygen, nitrogen, argon), wood (mostly carbon, but also oxygen and hydrogen), soil (oxygen and silicon), etc. The answers can easily be   googled after they are guessed. Add it all to a “Chemistry-in-a-Box” gift and let curiosity lead the way. 

Match, Laugh, Learn: A Perfect Family Game 

Memory Puzzles: Shapes (English & Spanish) 

For ages 3 and up, this bright, tactile, waterproof matching game includes 26 braille-labeled shape pairs. Mix English and Spanish sets for fun bilingual play while strengthening memory, tactile exploration, and language skills. 

Experience Gift Idea: 
Turn the puzzle into a Family Shape Hunt Adventure. After matching pieces, search around your home for real items in each shape: 

• Circles in the kitchen 
• Squares in the living room 
• Triangles hiding in decorations 

End with a tactile “create your own shape” craft using household objects and store it all in a reusable “Shape Explorer Kit.” 

Experience Gifts That Inspire Braille Learning

Holidays are also a perfect time to teach other family members about braille. Set aside a little bit of time for your child to share their braille learning. Whether your child is brand-new to braille or well on their way, these three APH resources support exploration, confidence, and fun: 

Braille Brain: An online, self-paced learning tool for families, teachers, and students to explore braille reading, writing, and rules in a straightforward, friendly format. 

Braille Bug®: A playful website for younger learners that introduces braille through games, puzzles, and secret messages.  

Paige Braille: A modern platform that supports braille literacy activities, tutorials, and interactive tools aligned with APH’s braille technology ecosystem. 

Experience Gift Ideas for Braille Learning: 

• Start a Parent-Child Braille Journal: You both write in braille to share what happened throughout your day, exchanging short entries to read at the end of the night. 
• Write a Holiday Story Together: Use Paige Braille to create words, write simple sentences, or draft a family story in both print and braille. 
• Create a Braille Scavenger Hunt: 
  Provide your child with clues of things to find around the house by providing their clues in braille. Collect all the items needed to make something fun or enjoy a story together.  

These experience-based moments help build literacy, bonding, and confidence and fit beautifully into family traditions. 

Make This Holiday Season About Connection 

APH products do more than teach skills; they support shared moments that build your child’s independence while strengthening your family’s bonds. This holiday season, consider gifting experiences that bring joy, curiosity, and learning into your home. 

To explore more accessible, family-friendly products, visit aph.org.