November 24th, 2009 The alternative Play Activities Holiday Gift Guide #6 Gift giving Posted by Melitsa in Articles, Education, Holiday guide, Homemade, play activities, Seasonal play

Gift giving

Encourage your children to make age appropriate gifts.  My favourite gifts, when I was teaching were the gifts I knew my students had thought about and made. It was exactly that they had taken the time and I could see the effort that touched me. I loved the imperfections and the spelling mistakes it matched them.

Choosing to give gifts with play in mind; open ended and evergreen gifts of craft boxes; books, imaginary play items.

Along with gift giving there’s being grateful for the gifts we receive.

You can have thank you cards with their photograph and a sweet message.

• Design and make little cards.
• Little kids can trace a letter or write a letters of their name.
• Add a few thumbprint pictures ( with your help). Its easy to miss being grateful and pausing to acknowledge gifts. It is an easy thing to do at this time of year.

Making and giving gifts

Try a votive candle holder or use a baby food jar and make up a hot chocolate/coffee surprise with a candy cane stirrer.

Photo credit: Muffin Tin Mom- Michelle @ Her Cup Overfloweth

Advent Wreath

Photo credit: TheMadHouse

Buying gifts is one option but how do you find gifts to make that are more child than adult when it’s finished?

Alternative Play Activities holiday gift guide 2009

1. Activity & time
2. Engage vs Entertain
3. Giving away
4. Scaling back
5. Unstructured play, open ended and downtime.
6. Gift giving
7. Outdoor play

Melitsa Avila is a former teacher, mother of three boys and military wife who talks about living an intentional play lifestyle using practical and everyday play activities to do with the under 5s. She publishes related ebooks & newsletters. Melitsa is the host and producer of a weekly Early Childhood radio show: Raising Playful Tots bringing parents and carers together with Early childhood practitioners. Thanks for reading!

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