If you have a high-energy extrovert in your life and you are NOT one, it can be difficult to find them the perfect gift. But don’t worry! We’ve asked the extroverts and we have the inside scoop on what they would love most as a gift. Here are our top picks for gifts for your extroverted family member this holiday season.

(SPOILERS: They love experiences!!):

Wondering which of the 8 awesome personality animals you or your child is? Take our free personality quiz for kids here!

Without further adieu here are our top 5 gift ideas for the extrovert personality in your house or school.

(note: page contains affiliate links.. you buying this cool stuff helps keep our personality quiz FREE!)

#1: A Road Trip

A road trip is a great gift idea for the extrovert who wants to see all the cool stuff there is in life. Having someone along on an adventure makes them feel more alive and fulfilled, so planning out a road trip is the best thing for their outgoing personality type. Spending the day exploring somewhere new (WITH YOU!) will be an unforgettable experience they’ll treasure forever. Not sure where they want to go? Try asking in a creative way so they don’t find out!

#2: A Trip to the Local Arcade

An arcade is a great place for an extrovert. All the noise and excitement will have them feeling excited and they’ll love meeting new people while playing their favorite games! It’s also a super fun way to spend time with friends or family, making it an ideal gift choice this holiday season. It’s fun for everyone when your kids beat you at air hockey! Or maybe just fun for them?

#3: A New Outfit

A new outfit is a perfect gift for an extrovert. Everyone loves shopping, especially when they’re buying something that shows their personality off to everyone! You can either pick out a fun outfit for your extroverted friend, or you can get them a gift card and plan a shopping date with them. They’ll love the quality time and the chance to get new clothes!

#4 : A Scooter

A scooter is the ideal present for a kiddo with an outgoing personality who enjoys speeding around their block. With all of the speed and power you could ever want, this will make them feel like they’re flying through city streets!

Our kid’s have so many scooters but this one has been my favorite so far:

#5: A Camera

A camera is a great gift for the extrovert in your life who loves to capture memories. This way, they can photograph all of their adventures and share them with everyone! They’ll love sharing these photos with you when they get home from trips or parties throughout the year. Or they could even use it to get their friends together and make a fun movie! Kids of all personality types can love that activity!

Depending on your budget, here are a few options I would suggest:

Low Budget:

Mid Budget:

Big Budget (I actually bought this one and can attest that its great for kids. Easy to use and gives really stable footage):

The above comic is a true story! If you parent a Beaver, Meerkat, or Panda it’s no surprise that they can be hard on themselves.

(Not sure what those animals mean? Find our your kiddo’s personality at knowandlove.com!)

They may say things like, “I’m so stupid!” or “I’m such a bad kid!”

Introverted sensitive kiddos don’t need much to make themselves feel like the worst kid ever when they mess up.

They often feel emotions much more intensely than other personalities.

It can be hard for us parents to know how to respond to such statements and help them move past the feelings of guilt and shame that they’re experiencing.

But don’t worry! We want to give you 5 ways to help your kiddo navigate through their big emotions after making a mistake that is effective for them and their sensitive natures. Ready?

#1 : Stay calm and connected

The last thing a kiddo who naturally beats themselves up needs is a parent yelling at them.

Yelling causes disconnection and their already-sensitive emotions to go haywire when there’s disconnection.

This makes it even more difficult for them to recover from what they did wrong.

It’s easier said than done right?! But it’s vital.

One of my favorite quotes is, “Between stimulus and response there is space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” – Vikto Frankl 

If you need a minute to calm down, tell your kiddo, “I need a minute to think about my words before I say them. I’m going to go in my room to think and when I come back, we’ll talk through this together.”

Take a few minutes to breathe and CHOOSE how you want to respond.

Think about how you want your kiddos to feel after they’ve listened to your words and tone of voice.

How do you want them to feel? Connected? or Disconnected? Safe or unsafe? Valued or shamed?

These will help you determine your response.

If you make their mess bigger with your own overreaction, your kiddo now has TWO problems to process through – the disconnection they feel from you + their mistake.

But if you remain calm and use words that keep you connected, two things will most likely happen; first, you’ll be successful in helping them learn from their mistake rather than beating themselves up for not being perfect.

Secondly, you are keeping the connection between you and building trust. This will help them feel more comfortable coming back to you the next time they make a mistake.

#2 : Use empathy, not guilt

Guilt (NOT shame!) can be an effective tool to help kiddos understand that their actions have consequences for themselves and those around them.

However, when working with an introverted child who is sensitive by nature – be aware that this emotion is already something they feel consistently.

These kiddos probably feel guilty about things they have thought about doing but haven’t actually done. (Seriously! Ask them!)

Generally, these kiddos genuinely want to do the right thing and can be really hard on themselves.

So while it is important to make sure they understand the consequences of their actions, be gentle and come alongside them as best as you can. Avoid using shame language.

#3 : Walk them through it

Depending on the situation, your sensitive kiddo’s brain is likely flooded each time they make a mistake.

As their parent, you are their primary educator and get to walk them through the steps of how-to-make-it-right after a mistake is made.

Recently, our 7-year-old sensitive Meerkat son was feeling really ashamed about accidentally breaking our neighbor’s window with a baseball bat.

Right after it had happened, all he wanted to do was hide because he felt so ashamed.

The thought of walking over to apologize was incredibly scary to him.

So I told him we would go together and I would help him find the right words to say.

His brown eyes were cloudy with tears until they softened by our neighbor’s calm, comfort, and forgiveness.

When our sensitive kiddos are flooded by emotion, the best thing you can do is allow them to borrow your calm.

Which means you have to be calm first.

#4 : Hugs + Love 

Hugs, hugs, and more hugs while repeating these magical words: “Mistakes are just mistakes. I will always love you.”

Help them view mistakes as a way to learn.

This kind of posture is essential to helping them navigate through feelings of guilt and shame.

It reaffirms that they have a safe person in their corner who can handle it when they feel scared.

#5 : Combating Shame  

They need to learn the skill of how to give themselves grace, which starts with how you respond to them as their caregiver.

Model and teach them the difference between making a “bad choice” (guilt) and being a “bad kid” (shame).

So when they say…

“I’m so stupid!” you say…”Making mistakes is a part of learning. All of us make mistakes!”

“I am a bad kid!” you say…”Sounds like you may be feeling angry at yourself. Can I help you forgive yourself?” (I make our Meerkat kiddo apologize to himself out loud in a 3rd person voice so he can hear the words, “I forgive you, [insert child’s name]“)

His brain is able to hear it better when it’s said in 3rd person!

Don’t leave your child’s emotional growth up to chance. Teach them that mistakes are an important part of life, and you’re always there for support especially when flooded with big feelings!

Every kiddo is worthy of love – even when they make mistakes!