The Best Gifts for Harry Potter Fans
A few years ago, I started wondering when the right time to share Harry Potter with our son was. I remember that I was always pretty much exactly Harry’s age each time a new book came out, and it was a special experience to grow up along with the characters in the story. I knew that I wanted to do my best to set up a similar special experience for my kids, but I also knew there was just no way we were going to wait until they were 17 to finish all the books.
What we ended up doing is coming up with our own system for introducing the books, and we settled on the beautiful illustrated editions by Jim Kay to start. We slowly read through the first book together, and at first it seemed like maybe we could read one book a year after all, and put off some of the darker and spookier things that happen in later books until the kids are older.
It turns out that was pretty naive of me, and I vastly underestimated how addicting these stories are. Soon my wife and son were blazing through all of the books together late into the night. It didn’t take long until they got through all of the books Jim Kay has illustrated (4 so far) and transitioned to the original editions. And sometimes our 8-year-old son simply couldn’t wait for read aloud time, and plowed through portions of the books on his own.
Suffice it to say our son didn’t grow up one school year at a time with Harry, but our system was special nevertheless. We had certain tasks to complete after every book, and it’s been a lot of fun. First, we would watch the next movie together. Then, we would play the next level in the amazing board game Hogwarts Battle. And, finally, we would play through the next stage in the LEGO Harry Potter video games.
Harry Potter truly is an amazing story, and an incredible example of world-building. I’m very happy that our son fell in love with it the way that he did, and the way that I remember doing. I have many special memories about the story and I vividly remember the imagination it’s capable of nurturing. So it’s been great to go on that adventure with him.
As you can imagine, ever since he’s jumped head first into the world of Harry Potter, many of our recent Christmas gifts and birthday gifts have featured a wizard theme. So I’m in a good place right now to talk about the best and most exciting things we’ve found so far - special to both my wife and I as well as our kids. I know there are still millions of kids out there falling in love with these stories for the first time, and many adults like myself full of nostalgia too. And I sincerely hope this list helps stoke the fires of lots of imaginations out there.
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The Illustrated Editions by Jim Kay
I wrote a featured article on the illustrated editions of Harry Potter - illustrated by Jim Kay - after the first 3 books were released. At this point The Goblet of Fire has been released too, and we’re patiently awaiting the release of The Order of the Phoenix. These books were our chosen way of introducing Harry Potter to our son during read alouds, and we’ll treasure them forever.
These books are beautiful works of art. It might be surprising to imagine collecting all 7 of the books all over again, but, I assure you, these books are special. Not only are the illustrated editions a great way to introduce the stories to kids for the first time - they’re also simply a collector’s dream. Simply flipping through the pages to see Kay’s interpretations of the characters and events is rewarding in itself.
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle
Chosen as our recent game of the month - and, honestly, probably game of the year - we’ve played Hogwarts Battle for more collective hours than any other board game in our collection. Along with my wife and my 8-year-old son, we’ve worked our way through this fantastic cooperative game and even went on to buy the two expansions that are now available.
Hogwarts Battle is a cooperative deck-building game that is split into 7 levels to match the 7 books. The game actually grows as you advance to the next level, adding new cards and even new mechanics along the way. You play as one of the main characters of the story and cooperatively try to defeat all of the villains. If you’re shopping for a Harry Potter fan and a game lover - this is the no-brainer on this list.
LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle
LEGO and Harry Potter have forged quite a nice relationship - and Hogwarts Castle is likely the Holy Grail for Harry Potter and LEGO fans. If you have a LEGO fan in your house, you’re probably well aware of how pricey their most elaborate sets can be - and that’s certainly the case with this beautiful and elaborate representation of Hogwarts Castle. But LEGO pros probably knew what they were getting into at this point.
This set is huge and extremely detailed, and will definitely take some time to complete. It has several Harry Potter characters (that also make for some great stop-motion animation props!) and many detailed areas of the castle - even the Whomping Willow and the Chamber of Secrets. Honestly, if you have a LEGO fan and a Harry Potter fan in your house, this one is probably already on your radar. So just trust me when I say that you won’t be disappointed.
LEGO Harry Potter Video Games
Our son’s love for LEGO and Harry Potter definitely led him to fall in love with these video games as well. There are 2 of them out there to play (they split the games into books 1-4 and books 5-7), but you can also buy them together now. Our platform of choice is typically the Switch, but you can find them on almost any system you want. You could even check out a used game store and probably find both of them for a steal. And they have couch co-op as well so it’s great to play together.
The funny thing is that the LEGO Harry Potter video games became part of our ritual as we were reading through all the books. Our son didn’t want any spoilers, so he always stopping playing the video games when he reached the next book that we hadn’t read yet. After we read the book, we’d watch the movie together, play the board game together, and play through the next story in the video games as well.
A Pop-Up Guide to Hogwarts
The two pop-up books on this list (the other one is Diagon Alley) are designed by Matthew Reinhart and illustrated by Kevin Wilson. They were both Christmas gifts for our son, and he is still amazed by them both. He often takes them off the shelf to play with them, to open all of the intricate flaps, and to read all of the details inside.
I don’t know how to express how cool these books are. I’ve never seen pop-up books anything like this. The detail and the scale of this product is spectacular. The Hogwarts edition includes not only Hogwarts Castle, but also the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade. And the hidden elements and surprises all over the place are an absolute delight. Just take a look at some of the pictures of these pop ups to get a good idea of how incredible it really is.
A Pop-Up Guide to Diagon Alley and Beyond
Diagon Alley is the newer pop-up book from Matthew Reinhart and Kevin Wilson, and the companion to the Hogwarts edition. This one also includes the Hogwarts Express, Gringotts, and the Ministry of Magic as well. When put together, these books cover many of the main settings of the books, and include so many fun details to discover and read about.
One thing that is an engineering miracle about these books is that you can read them page by page, doing one pop up at a time, or you can somehow unfold the entire thing at once into a beautiful papercraft diorama. It’s just so incredibly impressive and beautiful and our son is in love.
The Illustrated Edition from MinaLima
I know what you’re thinking. I have the originals and Jim Kay’s illustrated editions - do I really need a third copy of all the Harry Potter books? Well I can’t answer that for you. But the actual design studio behind the graphic props of the Harry Potter movies has put out their beautiful creation of the first book - the second book comes out later in 2021 - and it’s stunning.
This is not merely an illustrated edition of Harry Potter. There are also several intricate and beautiful papercraft surprises inside this book. It’s a work of art and I’m left with no doubts about whether or not we need to collect all 7 of the books again. The answer is a resounding yes! The MinaLima editions will make an amazing addition to any collection and definitely fill a niche of their own.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard
There are a few different versions of The Tales of Beedle the Bard to choose from out there, and you can’t really go wrong. It’s a fun concept to have a real copy of an imaginary book that was introduced inside of another book. It’s a collection of short stories that families in the wizarding world would read to their children, and it’s a great book to move on to and share with your kids after finishing Harry Potter.
Long ago I bought the first printed edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, but I think I’d actually recommend this illustrated edition more - merely because it seems to fit the idea that this is a famous collection of stories that people would share with their kids. And it has commentary from Albus Dumbledore! The highlight for us is definitely The Tale of the Three Brothers - which introduces the deathly hallows. We’ll be reading that one for a long time and it fits in quite nicely with the likes of the Brothers Grimm.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Adult Harry Potter fans are no-doubt familiar with the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. It’s being performed in several cities around the world, and hopefully coming to a city near you in the not-so-distant future. Honestly, the most amazing gift for a Harry Potter fan might be snagging some tickets to the two-night production and making a memorable vacation out of it.
On the other hand, plenty of kids are probably unaware that The Cursed Child exists - and it’s really basically an 8th book in the series. Even though it reads like a play, which complicates read alouds a little bit, it’s pretty much everything anyone looking for a sequel could ask for. It features the children of our beloved main characters when they themselves are old enough to attend Hogwarts - and it’s just a spectacular followup.
Harry Potter House Cup Competition
The OP have made yet another fantastic Harry Potter board game, and this one is a competitive one for up to 4 players. Each player chooses which Hogwarts house they are going to represent, and competes to win the House Cup just like in the books. The OP is really making your shopping job easy if you have a board game lover and Harry Potter fan in mind.
House Cup Competition is a worker-placement game, which means there are many rounds of you choosing where to put your characters. Do you want them to level up in potions? Do you want them to collect some new challenges for you? You have to decide. It’s a very well-designed and beautiful game - and our 8-year-old loves it just as much as my wife and I. And the vials that hold your colorful house points are certainly a very nice touch.
Golden Snitch Reading Light
This gift was the surprise hit of Christmas for our son. It was actually a gift for me, but our son’s eyes got quite big and he latched onto it immediately. It’s truly the perfect gift for him at the perfect time. He often stays up reading by himself late into the night these days, and he’s been experimenting with different book lights to attach to his books.
This golden snitch light is not only the best quality out of all of them - it also obviously comes along with the great Harry Potter theme that’s meaningful to him. It’s constructed very well and looks great too. It has a strong clamp and a durable bendy neck. But, best of all, this simple book light has somehow turned into one of our son’s treasured objects.
An Electronic Wizard’s Wand
You really have two directions you can take this wand idea. One is to get a toy wand that takes batteries and makes noises. Our kids have two of these electronic wands that are capable of dueling with each other and recognizing specific movements to cast certain spells. And of course that’s fantastic for our son who has seemed to have memorized the names of all the spells in Harry Potter.
This particular set of wands has four different ones to choose from, and we have Harry’s and Voldemort’s wands. At the end of the day, we mostly use them as accessories to playing make believe, as opposed to the actual electronic dueling capabilities. But we’ve been known to run around like we’re playing lazer tag as well.
A Replica Wizard’s Wand
The other wand idea you can pursue is to get your hands on a more realistic-looking wand that doesn’t light up or make any noises. I’d say that personally the replica route is the one that I prefer, but of course it depends on the fan that you’re shopping for.
You can buy a realistic replica of lots of different famous wizards’ wands through The Noble Collection - who are licensed by Warner Bros. to make beautiful prop-worthy gifts and collectibles. These wands even come in a nice replica of a real box from Ollivander’s. Simply pick your Harry Potter fan’s favorite character, and they’re sure to enjoy using it to play make believe - or even just displaying it proudly.
A Wizard-Themed Escape Room
We featured the escape rooms designed by Escape Kit in an article recently, and one of the escape rooms our family has tried actually has a wizard theme - and it’s clearly inspired by the world of Harry Potter, and certain to be enjoyed by young fans. We simply did it as a family, with our son leading the way, but it’d definitely make for a good small group or birthday activity as well.
After purchasing the escape room, you have to print out the materials and do a little setup around the house. I’d put the ideal age range at somewhere around 7-10 years old, because our 7-year-old son handled it perfectly well and absolutely adored it.
I personally really enjoyed being creative in choosing the rooms of the house for the different rooms of the castle, and our son was obsessed with it. He’s been begging to do more escape rooms ever since.
Hogwarts Battle: Defence Against the Dark Arts
My wife and I in particular are obsessed with this 2-player board game, and our 8-year-old is game to battle against us anytime too. I even recently added it to our list of our favorite 2-player games of all time (perfect for date night!) - and we’ve been dueling each other almost every night for a while now.
If you know the ins and outs of the cooperative Hogwarts Battle, learning Defence Against the Dark Arts will be easy. You’re still playing a deck-building game, but this time you’re using your cards to attack your opponent in a 1-on-1 duel. I absolutely love the strategy and balance in this game, and my wife and I love going back and forth outdueling each other in this one.
The Complete Collection of Harry Potter Films
Who am I kidding? The Harry Potter fan you’re shopping for probably already has all of the movies, don’t they? But, on the very off chance they don’t, this complete collection is a must. You can still buy them all in either blu-ray or DVD format, and they come with all sorts of special features that most people probably haven’t watched before.
We recently read through all of the books with our son, and watched each movie after finishing each book. It was a really fun way to introduce him to the stories. But I was surprised to realize that we only had the first 5 films on DVD for some reason. So this is the complete collection we ended up buying. For some reason, I also see it on very deep discount all the time - so it’s very easy to get your hands on these great movies if you don’t have them already.
Harry Potter Costume
Make believe is important to us, so like lots of folks we have an old trunk full of lots of old Halloween costumes. And finding a good Harry Potter costume, or many of the other characters for that matter, is really easy. For 99% of little Harry Potter fans out there, a good Halloween costume will get the job done and get the imagination going.
If you’re looking for high-quality replica clothing from the films - like robes and sweaters and ties - or if you’re shopping for adults, make sure to check out the official Harry Potter merchandise shop. Otherwise, you certainly won’t regret adding this Harry Potter costume to your costume trunk for the little ones in your house.
The Marauder’s Map
Made with the collector in mind, this replica of the marauder’s map feels and looks like a movie prop. It unfolds into quite a large sheet of parchment, and includes many details of Hogwarts castle inside. It’s beautiful and a great gift for creative and imaginative kids.
At the end of the day, it’s a trinket that serves well for make believe. It’s the type of accessory that would go well with a wand and a costume and a good imagination. Kids can use it to solemnly swear that they’re up to no good - and pretend to stalk their enemies. Or you can just treasure it and enjoy the details inside.
Harry Potter Wizard’s Chess
It’s impossible to talk about Harry Potter gifts without thinking of Wizard’s Chess. Quite frankly, if you’re shopping for someone who happens to love Harry Potter and chess - it’s a no-brainer. I actually had several chess students who ended up buying this particular set too, and it’s pretty cool. It’s made of high-quality plastic and the details are fantastic. The pieces look just like the original style from the movie, and I love those crouching pawns.
I don’t know why, but themed chess sets can sometimes be pricey, and I’ve seen metal versions of this replica that are even more expensive - but they also tend to go on sale a lot too. I’ve seen this set on sale for as low as $39.99 (which it actually is right now at the time of writing). But I’m a chess lover at heart and it’s hard for me to say no to an awesome chess set.
Hermione’s Time Turner
This is a replica of the time turner used by Hermione in The Prisoner of Azkaban. This is the kind of gift our 8-year-old son falls madly in love with. When he finds an item that is special to him - especially beautiful trinkets like this - he often wears them or carries them around for days on end. Typically he’ll even sleep with them as well.
The Noble Collection makes beautiful replicas of all sorts of important Harry Potter tools and trinkets, and this one in particular is bound to enchant little fans like our son. The inner rings rotate and it has working hourglass at the center. It’s a great addition to playing make believe, but it also comes in a beautiful display case for collectors.
Ron’s Deluminator
Along the same lines as Hermione’s time turner, Ron’s deluminator is a special tool from the Harry Potter books that fans like our son would love to own and play with. It looks just like the one Dumbledore and Ron use in the films. When you flip it open, it lights up like a flashlight, and that’s just about all you need to use it as a great addition to playtime or a costume.
I think gifts like the time turner and the deluminator are kind of off the beaten path, and they’re bound to capture the imaginations of young fans in particular. When I think about a gift, if I can picture my son insisting on keeping it in his pocket for 30 straight days, then I know I have a winner.
And for all sorts of other great Harry Potter gift ideas, the Noble Collection is absolutely the place to browse for inspiration. You’re bound to find something cool that even the biggest Potterheads don’t have yet!
Do you have some Harry Potter fans in your life that you’re shopping for? Have you found any other gifts they’ve fallen in love with? Let us know in the comments!
