• Put a smile on your child's face with a cool Christmas gift.christmas in florida image by sonya etchison from Fotolia.com
  
  Providing a kid with a cool Christmas gift means shopping for more than the latest doll or video game. Cool gifts inspire young minds, encourage curiosity and provide opportunities to grow and develop. Focus on your child's special interests and then go searching for that out-of-the-ordinary something to make Christmas morning, and many mornings to come, exciting and entertaining.
  
  

High-Tech Fun

• A personal planetarium can inspire big dreams.planets image by CraterValley Photo from Fotolia.com
  
  Delight the mischievous elves in your home with a night vision camcorder, perfect for kids 6 and up. Your kids will have high-tech fun during sleepovers, ghost hunts and just prowling around waiting for Santa. They will get excited to see all those things that go bump in the night. Made to be kid-tough, sellers like the Discovery Channel Store offer a selection that will fit nicely under the tree.
  
  Stick with the "nighttime" theme by gifting a personal planetarium experience in your little stargazer's room. Especially helpful for kids who need time to wind down before bed, a motorized planetarium projector can beam planets, stars and constellations onto any ceiling and includes interactive modes to teach during time cuddling together. Offered by the Discovery Channel store, this Ultimate Star Planetarium will thrill the curious child for years to come.
  
  

Musical Prodigies

• Inspire a musical career with a cool instrument gift.guitar image by max blain from Fotolia.com
  
  Inspire your little "American Idol" contestant with a music-related Christmas gift. From a child-friendly karaoke machine and microphone to a video game rock band set up, any gift that encourages interaction, team work and self-esteem makes for a gift that keeps on giving. Consider play space, accessory requirements and age recommendations before purchasing and be sure to consider siblings who will want to participate as well.
  
  For an older child that has expressed an interest, gift some actual music lessons. Whether he wants to try his hand at guitar, piano or harmonica, there is a teacher and a rentable instrument for him to experiment with.
  
  

Nature Gifts

• Nature-related gifts get cool kids out of the house to play.butterfly image by pearlguy from Fotolia.com
  
  Nature gifts can encourage a green thumb or a child's interest in hiking or wildlife that can last a lifetime. Butterfly nets can open a child's eyes to the miracles of life while a pet frog or lizard will teach responsibility in a fun way.
  
  For an older child, purchase a personal Global Positioning System or GPS and explore the treasure hunting thrills of Geocaching together. Geocaching is a sport that marries the thrill of the hunt with the opportunity to explore new, outdoor areas. Use nationwide websites to find locations and clues, then plan to explore together.
  
  

Adventures

• Inspire a lifetime sport with a cool gift of sports lessons.kid climbing 2 image by Pierrette Guertin from Fotolia.com
  
  A child has endless energy and curiosity, so plan to explore her interests on a Christmas holiday adventure. Big budgets may want to take her to the Valley of the Kings in Egypt so she can play at being an archaeologist, while smaller budgets may decide some snowboarding lessons in Colorado are more in order.
  
  For those who celebrate Christmas in warmer regions of the U.S., a trip to a ropes course or some rock-climbing lessons will be a more memorable gift and will outlast the newest Barbie doll or Nerf gun. An experiential gift for Christmas means growth and memories to last a lifetime.