Learning about the five senses is one of the first things that happens when we go to school, and what we soon know is that each of these senses is important.
And, when it comes to gifting someone something thoughtful, attentive, and unconventional, catering to each of the five senses is an extraordinary way of acknowledging someone you love. So, what are 5 Sense gifts?
A 5 Sense Gift is a compilation of items that cater to one of the five senses. This includes gifts that smell good, taste fantastic, sound delightful, feel pleasant to the touch, and bring joy to look at.
Combining a representative of each sense into one gift is called a 5 Sense Gift.
Based on each of the five senses, a 5 Sense Gift is the ultimate way to let someone know you hold them in high esteem.
If you know them well enough, giving them something that shows you have been attentive to the little things they enjoy is a beautiful way of showing them you love and care.
But how do you know what gifts to get?
What Are the 5 Sense Gifts?
Since 5 Sense gifting is based on stimulating each of the five senses, when you gift someone a 5 Sense Gift, you provide something meaningful that caters to each of these senses.
The combined gift is extraordinary, as you can also pick something unique for the person you’re spoiling.
Each of the five senses can be catered to with thoughtful gifts – and these can be different for men and women, too, not to mention for children.
In many ways, choosing gifts based on the senses is quite logical, as our senses are how we absorb our surroundings. And the things we find pleasant or appealing to our senses are usually the best gifts we receive.
As the old adage goes, the best gifts to give are those we’d love to receive. So, let’s unpack a few examples:
Sense Of Sight Gifts
A broad category, gifts designed for the sense of sight can be anything beautiful, stimulating, or entertaining to behold.
This can be anything from a pretty portrait to a theatre play to even a book. Gifts that play on the sense of sight can also take it one step further and enhance sight or magnify it – think of meaningful framed photographs or a personalized painting.
Ideas for this include:
- Books, journals to write in, poems to read
- A collage of exceptional photographs
- A scrapbook of memories to look at
- Tickets to a movie or show
- Bespoke paintings, murals, or some form of art
- Framed photographs or canvas block mounts of a particular image
- A sculpture, model, or collector’s item figuring
- A tour of a museum or art gallery, or even a nature trail
- For children, a picture book or coloring-in book makes a great gift
Sense Of Sound Gifts
A delight for the aural sense, gifts in this category cater to what you hear.
Naturally, there is a lot to consider here, as people are often sensitive to sound, and some may even be averse to loud sounds.
It would help if you also considered those who are hearing impaired. The core concept here is to provide a gift that will be delightful to them when they listen to it.
Some items that make this list include:
- A homemade playlist or mix tape of meaningful songs
- Wind chimes or musical instruments
- An album from their favorite band
- Tickets to a concert, opera, or show
- An audio player, portable speaker, or headphones (think record player for those that value vintage items)
- Audio books or recordings of you reciting poetry
- White noise machine
- Subscription to a music streaming service
- For little ones, gifts that make sounds, play music, or speak when a button is pushed are ideal
Sense Of Touch Gifts
Not everyone is touchy-feely, and not everyone enjoys physical attention, but everyone is hands-on in their day-to-day lives.
This category is broad enough that you could cater to those who love physical touch and those who don’t.
The idea is to play off what they need to handle or hold and how that could bring them satisfaction or enjoyment.
Some ideas for sense-of-touch gifts include:
- Spa day or massage voucher
- Crystals to create abundance
- Massage oils, lotions, creams, or other pampering products
- Teddy bears or other plush toys.’
- Satin pajamas or a comforting robe
- Silky scarves, fur-lined gloves, or fluffy socks
- A soft, thick blanket or set of opulent towels
- Cooking or pottery classes
- Utensils, tools, or equipment for their favorite hobby
- For your little ones, Lego, building kits, fluffy toys, or play-doh are perfect for this category, as are coloring pencils, stickers, stamps, and the like.
Sense Of Smell Gifts
This is likely the easiest of the five sense gifts to cater to, as there are so many things you can gift someone to trigger their olfactory senses.
Everyone loves something that smells good, and things that trigger memories purely based on scents from happy times are incredibly wonderful.
And, if you’re smart, you can cater these gifts to the time of year. For example, Christmas gifts that smell of cinnamon and nutmeg or Fall gifts with pumpkin spice are incredibly clever.
Easy gifts for the sense of smell include:
- A bunch of fragrant flowers or incense sticks
- Scented candles or essential oils
- Perfume or cologne – some services even allow you to customize scents
- Room sprays, linen sprays, or special items you can add to your drawers that smell wonderful
- Spice set or ingredients to make an aromatic meal
- Fragrant herbs to grow
- Scented moisturizers, creams, or body butters
- Bath bombs, bath crystals, or bath oils with soothing fragrances
- Coffee beans or other coffee-related gifts that release that wonderful aroma or wonderfully fragrant and even bespoke teas
- For smaller recipients of gifts, scratch-n-sniff books, scented slime or play-doh, or bubble baths make excellent gifts
Sense Of Taste Ideas
A lovely and diverse category, gifts that cater to your sense of taste can be a load of fun to put together.
Everyone loves things that taste great, which can also be very subjective – knowing the person you are gifting is very important.
If they have a sweet tooth, aim for something sugary. If they love savory items, think of something more in line with that.
Are they fond of wine or coffee? Here are some more ideas:
- Their favorite wine, whiskey, or liqueur
- A hamper with a selection of chocolates, sweets, or other edible treats they love – this can even be savory if they prefer salty snacks. Think wasabi peanuts, beef jerky, cheese, or pretzels.
- If they are fans of coffee, a Moka pot, plunger, or high-quality beans
- A special homemade cake or personalized biscuits
- Cooking classes or a course on sushi making (any style of food)
- A meal at a particular restaurant
- Hire a private chef to cook for them
- A meal, dish, or cake you have prepared yourself
- For kids, anything age-appropriate usually goes here – from cake pops to customized cookies, it’s easy to find something that little ones will love to taste.
Putting a 5 Sense Gift Together
We’ve looked at various ideas for each of the five senses, and with so many to choose from, it can seem overwhelming.
Thoughtful thinking
Knowing the person you are gifting well will help you select a suitable gift from each category, and some will pair together exceptionally well.
For example, if the person is a foodie, taking them to a posh restaurant, ordering a special bottle of wine, or having someone serenade them while you’re eating, is already three boxes ticked.
You can keep it much more straightforward, though, and put together a basket of all their favorite things.
The idea is to select one item from each of the five senses and compile a gift that will be personal to your loved one.
You know them best, so you can get an idea of what would be most meaningful to them from each category.
Things to be Aware of with 5 Sense Gifts
However, there are some things you might want to remember:
- Take note of any allergies or intolerances to food items or aversions. This includes religious beliefs about things such as alcohol or dairy products or even medical conditions that prevent the consumption of certain items (for example, those with diabetes won’t find a basket filled with sweet treats appealing).
- Be aware of any restrictions they may have – for example, a massage voucher may not go down so well if they don’t like physical touch or are differently abled in some way or other. Not everyone wants (or is allowed) alcohol for whatever reason.
- Concert tickets or tickets to a show may be difficult if they need to cater to a partner or arrange a babysitter – or the date of the show has been booked for something else.
- Appropriateness should always be top of mind – gifting lacy lingerie, for example, should be limited to romantic partners only. Age-appropriateness is also essential, as we wouldn’t give children the same items as adults.
- Remember that costs increase with combination gifts like these – the idea is to do small items that combine to present a holistic gift, but if you overspend on the smaller gifts, the total bill is likely to be sky-high.
Conclusion
Finding the ideal gift for a loved one can be difficult – not all of us are blessed with intuitive gifting skills or the ability to spot what gift would make someone happy.
With the 5 Sense gift idea, it’s easy to compile a meaningful present for your loved one by knowing small things about them – and these are often easy to find out in general conversation.
Knowing what smells, tastes, and sensations your loved one enjoys is the first step to compiling a meaningful gift using these guidelines.
