Gift giving, at any time of year, can be fun and fulfilling for both the giver and receiver, with the anticipation and excitement of opening and making use of that carefully chosen gift. However, once the wrapping hits the floor, interest shifts to the next package. As gift giving can become obligatory and meaningless, many families have settled on guidelines for their giving. For example, all relatives contribute a certain dollar amount to purchase one meaningful item for each child, rather than multiple gifts to trip over. Currently trending is the popular four-gift guideline — a want; a need; something to wear; and something to read. Another popular choice is one to two gifts from parents and one from Santa. Of course, everyone has their own preference with gifting, but better to give a gift with meaning than to spend excessive amounts on items that have no value.
Timeless gifts
For those searching for that perfect gift that won’t end up tossed to the side, broken or outgrown, consider those that build relationships throughout the year. Whether given from parents or grandparents, these experiential gifts foster emotional bonding, creativity, individualized interest, and remain age appropriate. Sharing opportunities offer experiences that allow adults to guide and spend the quality time every child thrives on. Your presence is their present.
Perhaps challenging to determine a specific interest, some suggestions below might spark your imagination toward that perfect relationship builder.
Monthly mailbox subscriptions
Monthly subscriptions of magazines and gift packages offer various price points. Individualized by age and interest, these create ongoing anticipation throughout the year as the mail carrier arrives.
Check out Highlights, Ranger Rick, National Geographic or Cricket family magazine series, or Little Passport or Tinker Crate for science and learning projects. Box gift items to accompany the subscription, such as highlighters, markers, a magnifying glass or globe.
Themed gifts
These are my favorite because they can be given monthly at low cost and require adult interaction, which is a gift in itself.
Woodworking — Not just for boys, safely introduce kids ages 4 and up to craftsmanship with their own tool box (available in pink). Teach kids lifelong skills with screwdrivers, a hammer, tape measure and more. Compliment this gift with a monthly, inexpensive, build-it-yourself prepackaged wooden project from Lowe’s or Home Depot.
Science surprise — Fill a box with a magnifying glass, plastic bugs, a bug book or simple, age-appropriate science experiments printed from the internet. Ant farms, tadpoles-to-frogs and cocoon-to-butterfly kits will inspire learning and be the envy of their friends. Wrap or mail new items to explore each month to invest in your child’s sense of the world.
Gardening — Wrap tools, seeds, pots and a promise of an outing to the garden center. Plant a small vegetable pot garden or purchase interesting plants, such as a Venus fly trap.
In the kitchen — Wrap child-sized kitchen tools, an apron and simple cookbook to inspire your chef. Measuring and following recipes fosters reading and math skills, as well as helps develop basic life skills. Make a monthly date to watch the cooking channel together, prepare fun treats or a family dinner. Request family recipes and design your own cookbook together.
Game time — Wrap a board game with the promise of sending a new one each month that you will teach them. An inexpensive deck of cards can provide hours of matching, sequencing and math fun. Old Maid and other games can be found at your local dollar store. Consider Uno, Chinese checkers, Apples to Apples, backgammon, mancala or chess for more advanced learners.
Monthly community classes — Home Depot and Lowe’s offer once-a-month woodworking projects at low or no cost, just register. Many craft stores offer monthly crafting classes, some at no cost. Contact local grocery chains that offer low- or no-cost cooking classes, including Williams Sonoma and some Whole Foods. Michaels offers Wilton baking classes. Wrap a calendar with monthly dates, or design some individualized class coupons. Investigate your area together!
Monthly outing — Purchase an annual pass to a children’s museum, zoo, nature center, swimming lessons or children’s theatre. Give them experiences they’ll remember forever.
Crafts — From inexpensive to intricate, creating, molding, designing or painting inspires a sense of accomplishment. Wrap a monthly craft.
These are the gifts that keep on giving, because memories remain with us and build the foundation of whom we become. Those gifts that are perhaps the least expensive may become the most treasured and valuable of all.
Diana Boggia, M.Ed. is a parent coach and author of “Parenting with a Purpose”. Send your family-related questions to FamilyMatters@Cantonrep.com. Find videos and parent resources on Facebook, Parent with a Purpose, and links to her Repository columns at www.ParentWithaPurpose.com.
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