It’s the time of the year when we get the green light to pamper our little ones, giving them all the material things they want. Fernanda Langhammer asks what about also gifting your child a more personalised present?
My daughter loves Christmas; it is when we try to get the family together and create nice memories. But she also enjoys planning the gifts she will get in advance. She researches toys online, makes lists, changes her mind, talks to her friends; it is a whole area preparation that starts in the middle of the year. However, together with the toy, or whatever she chooses, we try to give a personal little thing with a meaningful message. I’m going to share a few ideas with you. I hope you enjoy making them for your kids!
Coupon Booklet
This is a fun idea that can be super- personalised following your family traditions and routine. You can print or handwrite things such as: go to the theatre, play a board game, ride a bike, cook together, choose a favourite restaurant for dinner, watch the sunset and many other ideas. Your child can retrieve them when they like (and when it is possible, of course). For the very little ones you can just print pictures, while for the big ones you add in riddles or make it as complex as you want.
The Book of Happiness
You can buy a nice notepad, or just get one that you have at home, and decorate its cover with family pictures and kids’ drawings, wrap it and put it under the Christmas tree. This is supposed to be a weekly journal where, at the end of each week, you sit with your child and write the things that made you happy during that week. By the end of the year, you will have a collection of beautiful memories to recall which can be read during difficult moments.
Create a Story
This is an idea that is very good for when children are small. Again you need a notepad and a creative child (and who doesn’t have one?). This idea, in particular, is my husband’s, so I have to give him the credit. Our daughter was around four to six years old and loved to draw, so he used to sit with her and write her ideas for a story. On top of the page he would write two or three lines and she would colour a picture, then to the next page, a few more lines and a drawing. This went on for a long period and now we have a ‘book’ made by dad and daughter as a sweet memory, even though the story doesn’t really connect.
Cool Gifts for Any Time
The best thing is that you actually don’t need a special occasion to gift your child one of the ideas above. You may not celebrate Christmas or find that another special moment suits you better; it doesn’t really matter if you do it with all your heart. You just have to be committed and disciplined to keep filling the pages or not always say that it’s not a good time to use the voucher. If you do prepare one of these special gifts, remember that your child may show excitement in the beginning but, during the course of the year, you have to be the one to motivate him/her to use it.
