Here in Southern California where I live, it seems like everyone is buzzing about the upcoming debut of the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge land at the Disneyland Resort later this month. Though I encourage my children to invent their own worlds through creative play rather than watch shows and buy branded toys from those programs, we also recognize that it’s not totally realistic where we live to exist in a cultural bubble. Nor do we want to. That said, it can be tough to find eco-friendly STAR WARS gift ideas like toys and other merchandise.

But my son LOVES this epic galactic saga, and to be honest, I do too.

So over the years, I’ve scoured the galaxy to find the best plastic-free STAR WARS presents to get him. And I’m sharing them here with you now so too can buy eco-conscious gifts for STAR WARS fans in your life. Please note that this post contains affiliate links. (Click here to learn more.)

 

Here are my top 5 picks for Eco-Friendly STAR WARS gift ideas:

 

#1 – Wooden Model Kit

What’s the fun in buying a pre-made R2-D2 model (made from un-recyclable plastic no less) when you can make it yourself from eco-friendly FSC certified wood? This wooden Millenium Falcon model kit is meant for ages 12+ but is a fun parent/child activity to do together. It doesn’t even require any glue or tools to put together.

Every model kit also comes with a 32-page book that is a great collectible for any STAR WARS fan. And once the wooden model is assembled, you can paint it!

There are myriad model designs you can make: The Death Star, BB-8 Droid, Tie Fighter, and more!

Seriously, how cool would it be to say you made your own 3D Death Star!

 

# 2 – Coloring Book

Both my kids love coloring. While I prefer to give them a blank sheet of paper and let their imagine run wild on the page, a STAR WARS coloring book satisfies their desire to directly interact with the branded characters. If you’ve got a child who is still a bit too young to watch the movies, this is a great way to introduce them to the galactic empire.

This STAR WARS coloring book is cool because it features younger versions of the iconic characters that are easier for small hands to color. This is a great screen-free way to entertain kids in the car or at restaurants too. I always carry crayons and coloring pages in my diaper bag for this purpose.

If you’re looking for an adult STAR WARS coloring book, here is my son’s pick.

He likes the detail in the drawings and can spend hours filling in the images with his colored pencils. There’s something very meditative about the sound of feel of a pencil scratching on thick paper. And the images you create, in whichever color combos you decide to use, become your own works of art.

The best part is, when you’re done with the book, it won’t become landfill waste for the next thousand years like a plastic STAR WARS item would.

 

# 3 – Crocheted Characters

My mom loves to knit and crochet. So a couple years back I got her this STAR WARS crochet kit. It includes an instruction booklet with 12 different characters to make plus some starter yarn to make a couple of the figurines with.

As you can see from the photo above, she has made every character in the book for my son! He loves these crocheted STAR WARS characters and plays with them like they’re plastic action figures. Best of all he knows his halmoni (Korean for “grandma”) made them with love.

This STAR WARS gift idea is a great way to use up extra bits of yarn!

The figurines are just big enough to fit in a child’s hand, so you can make them with yarn scraps that were destined for the garbage bin because they’re too short to make a set of baby booties.

Then, stuff the insides of these STAR WARS dolls with ripped or stained clothing, orphaned socks, or any other leftover textiles you were otherwise going to throw in the trash.

# 4 – Origami

It’s amazing what you can make with just paper. This STAR WARS Origami book allows STAR WARS lovers to make their own figurines by providing both the patterned paper and instructions. My son likes displaying his origami creations for a little while and then in the recycling bin they go. Another eco-friendly STAR WARS gift idea!

Origami is also great for developing fine motor skills, and cultivating patience and precision.

#5 – Jigsaw Puzzles

I’ve found some great kid-level jigsaw puzzles (like 50-100 pieces) at our local dollar store and Costco. If you’re looking for more of a challenging puzzle, perhaps these are the droids you’re looking for?

If you want a really excellent quality puzzle, I highly recommend Ravensburger puzzles. They’re made in Germany and fit together very smoothly. I mean seriously, how gorgeous does this one look?

This is a 1000 piece puzzle that is also on my personal puzzle wish list:

If you want to give your puzzle lover a real challenge, try this Boba Fett photomosaic puzzle! Though the box says It’s made up of thousands of images from the STAR WARS films, it actually uses a much smaller number of unique images and then repeats them dozens if not hundreds of times.

It stumped me for weeks until I realized the secret is to use the enclosed poster as your guide! It has more photo detail on the repeating image tiles than the box cover which makes it a bit easier to figure out where the pieces belong. That makes this a bonus two gifts in one since you can also hang the poster up as a decoration!

• Disney
• gift ideas
• Star Wars