Beyond
Dollies and Toy Cars: Creative Gift Ideas for Kids
By Sandy Fleming
Christmas
is just around the corner, and it's time to start shopping once
again. If yours is like most American families, you're getting
ready for a shopping marathon. Trying to find the toys and other
gifts
that will make your child's face light up can be a huge job and
takes
a lot of creative effort. This is true especially when your young
one
is clamoring for that one scarce item that hasn't been spotted
in toy
stores since September.
And what about after the
glitter and excitement of the holiday have
worn off? How in the world can you be sure that the toys your
child begged for scant weeks ago will still be exciting and
interesting in February? Every parent has had the experience
of
listening to a child beg and plead for that special toy, only
to see
it relegated to the bottom of the toy box in the months after
it was
presented.
It can also be tough to
shop for other people's children. Your nieces
and nephews, grandchildren, or any children of different ages
and
genders than your own can present shopping nightmares. It's tough
to
know what to get for them that will be pleasing and that they're
not
likely to already have in their closet. In short, no matter what
children you are shopping for, you need some creative gift ideas
to help you break out of the rut. You need gift ideas that go
boldly
into the new and the daring, and away from dollies and toy cars
-- the
staples of childhood.
So put the glitz of the
season aside for a moment and we'll think
about what makes a good gift for a child. What is the difference
between the items that are used regularly and treasured by their
owners and those that languish on shelves and in forgotten corners?
The answer is often related to creativity. Here are some ideas
to
consider when you are shopping this year.
Arts and crafts: If a
child is devoted to the creation of masterpieces, keeping him
in supplies can be a real challenge.
Check out scrapbooking sections of hobby or department stores
for a
super selection of fun gift ideas. You'll find stickers, scissors
that
cut scallops or other fancy designs, hole punches in lots of
shapes,
and wonderfully fanciful and colorful paper. Other gift ideas
include
such staples as construction paper, various kinds of tape, glitter
and
colored glues, yarn, embroidery floss, and colored pencils or
markers.
Don't forget the soft modeling doughs and stiffer clay, as well
as
accessories for working with these, like molds, presses and forms.
Office supplies: Yes,
you read that right. Office supplies! Think
calendars, memo and date books, journals, folders, fancy pens
and
pencils, desk blotters and so on. Put sticky-notes, graph paper
in
various sizes, and stationery on your list as well. Many children
enjoy the grown-up feeling that these adult trappings offer them.
Storage containers: How
many children in your acquaintance are well-
organized and able to keep everything picked up? Sometimes interesting
containers can help motivate the disorganized child to neaten
things
up. Baskets, storage boxes, pencil cases and so forth might be
a
great place to begin. Another idea is to intrigue your young
friend
with "secret" storage spaces. Check novelty stores
and catalogs for
containers that look like books, banks hiding in candles, and
more.
Coin banks come in a host of shapes and sizes. You can find a
bank to
complement nearly any interest or hobby, too.
Role-play accessories: What jobs does the child dream of doing as an
adult? Realistic or not, children enjoy pretending to do grown-up
jobs. Try science equipment, secret agent and detective supplies,
archeology or geology equipment, or a toy doctor's kit.
Construction toys: Construction
toys help children build a host of
valuable skills, from fine motor coordination, to the ability
to follow
written and pictorial directions, to seeing creative processes
through
to their conclusion. They come in variations that make them suitable
for nearly any age group, and often can be acquired in small
doses
instead of needing to purchase a huge amount at one time. Basic
building blocks and name brand sets all have a lot of play value.
Magic tricks and
sets: Check toy, hobby, and novelty stores for
magic tricks appropriate for the child's age group. Magic is
not only
fun to perform, but will help even a reluctant reader work to
figure
out the directions. Magic also can be a social booster for a
shy
child, and give the child who's naturally in the spotlight a
chance to
perform. It hones motor skills, the ability to follow directions,
public speaking skills, and more.
Magazine subscriptions: This is truly a gift that keeps on giving. Not
only will your young recipient have the fun of getting a gift
on
Christmas morning, but it will keep on arriving each and every
month
after that for a whole year. Magazine subscriptions can support
hobbies or interests, help improve reading skills, or keep kids
up to
date on the latest in toys, sports or entertainment. Check the
children's section of your local library as well as the newsstand
at
larger bookstores to see some of the choices available for
subscriptions.
Classic games: Think back
to the games that you and your friends enjoyed for hours when
you were younger. Chances are that these
are
still available. Dominoes, card games, checkers and more can
be
wonderful gifts. Decks of cards can make wonderfully inexpensive
stocking stuffers, and most children know how to play at least
one or
two games already. Consider, too, a trip to the bookstore for
books
that contain directions to card games and other classics. There
are
also books about ancient games that children have enjoyed for
centuries. Kids are often amazed to find that their favorites
haven't
always had plastic parts!
So you can see, you're
not limited to buying the latest electronic gadgets or the
toy that is disappearing off the shelves faster
than
we can keep up. There are some wonderful gift ideas that are
too often
neglected, but that children will generally use and enjoy for
months
or years to come.
Sandy Fleming
is an educator, author and workshop facilitator. She resides
in southern Michigan with her husband and three daughters.
Sandy leads workshops for daycare providers and parents
in the region, tutors students, volunteers for Girl Scouts
and her church, and teaches online classes for adults and
children. She loves to make new friends, so please drop
her an e-mail at kids@busyparentsonline.com
