What’s the best gift parents can give to their children that’s not necessarily a material?
Your time.
Here’s ways you can spend it to improve their lives:
– Good health. Some people get lucky but for the most part, good health is not good luck. I would venture that 75% of your health is determined by the effort your parents put into giving you good health. That means paying attention and pursuing problems that even your kids won’t complain about and make your doctors think you’re nuts. Researching everything to death. Teaching good habits early, explicitly and by example. Creating you at a young age gives you a huge edge up.
– Family and friends. Kids don’t really create more family for themselves. You need to create siblings for them so they won’t be alone in this world. You need to create opportunities for them to connect to their aunts, uncles, and cousins. You need to setup playdates so they have opportunities to develop good friendships early.
– A happy childhood, that will carry them through the rest of life. We spend most of our lives “chasing the dragon”, trying to re-experience those memories because frankly, by comparison the rest of like sucks.
– Experience and maturity. Your childhood may not last long but it has a huge impact on the rest of your life. Even if you’re only a few years ahead of your peers, that makes a huge difference. They should be in touch with their emotions, have been exposed to challenging environments, and have a general understanding of how to learn and persevere.
– Inspiration. If you’re boring, then chances are your kids will be boring too. They look to you for seeds for who they might want to become. Spend their childhood learning yourself and they’ll learn with you.
– Mentorship. Kids are born into this world programmed to accept whatever you say as fact. You can teach them that salt is pepper and pepper is salt and they’ll believe it for a long time. They will look to you more than anyone else for guidance and answers. They’ll expect you to provide it even when they’re not asking. Even if you know nothing about what interests your kids, you need to grow with them so that you can apply your experiences elsewhere to help guide them on their path.
What gifts do you think are necessary for children?
It depends on their age. Still there are some I’d like to put forward:
- Books – classics and comics
- National geographic collections
- A pet
- Admission into a hobby class
- Trip to the local zoo or museum
- Intelligent board games
- Good worksheets to practice upon
- Cursive writing books
- A dictionary
- A religious book if the child is old enough to understand
- Lastly, my time and attention
Are Expensive Gifts Necessary For Kids?
An expensive gift had better have a lot of play value to make it worth the price. Something that will last a long time and may be used by another child down the road will sometimes justify the costs. As many things that children want are just the current fad, there is no reason to pay a lot for it. Kids grow out of things very quickly and their interests change. Weighing the play value against the dollar value is the way to go.
What Are Some Of The Common DIY Gifts For Kids?
Cook or bake some treats like:
- Cookies, cakes, pies.
- Jams or preserves.
- DIY soup/hot chocolate/ cookie kits in a jar.
If you have an artistic inclination you could try some intricate origami, paint a canvas or paint a paper and put it in a frame. Or you could print a picture of/for the recipient and get it framed.
If you are blessed with sewing or knitting skills you could create some phone covers, table runners, scarves, coasters etc.
If the recipient is fond of jewelry, you can also try jewelry making.
Creating a collage or a video with pictures is also pretty easy with free software. The same technique can be applied to making customised calendars.
For kids who love gardening, a painted or decorated planter or vase may also be appreciated.
DIY soaps and DIY candles are also worth a try.