Toddler Gifted - What to do?
rob333 (zone 7b)
21 years ago
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lynnsg
21 years agolast modified: 9 years agodlynn2
21 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Gift for the toddler who has everything
Comments (15)My 3-y-o really liked the "grandma reading on tape" book. If you do that, leave a gap after the ringing of the bell for the kid to remember that it means to turn the page, get ahold of the page, actually turn it, etc. My mom kinda rushed that interval. I give my kids a box of cereal each Christmas--something sort of fun and out of the ordinary from what we normally buy. It goes away after they eat it!!!! As he gets older, maybe you can have some category of present like this that's slightly goofy, and only grandma and grandpa give it to him. That'll give him an expectation on a SMALL scale, and reinject some intimacy into the gifts. Each year he can wonder, what weird cereal, or what weird food, or what funny pasta shape, will G&G get me this year? (and get to know someone in Kenosha, WI, or some other test market, who can send you their test-market cereals!). Or what T-shirt w/ what funny saying or great picture? So he knows the category of gift, but not the humor and thought, etc., that went into it? My grandma made my bro's their flannel & cotton pajamas. My big brother hated to wear the shirt when he slept; it got in his way. But it was comfortable, so he took to wearing it to school. My grandma thought this was funny, so she took to making him 2 shirts for Christmas every year. She went all out to find the most goofy fabric imaginable--the most babyish, pajama-looking flannel she could find. The more infantile and obviously-sleepwear-looking the design, the better. It became a little joke between them. Same grandma loved choc.-covered cherries; my dad (her SIL) loved fruit cake. They always bought them for each other for Christmas. The funny thing is, boring and predictable though it was, it was a neat little bond between then. The rest of us shied away from buying those presents; we knew Grandma loved the cherries, but we wouldn't get them, bcs that was horning in on Dad's territory. Once my dad teased her by putting the cherries (a predictable box shape & size) inside a slightly larger box--she laughed and said she'd worried suddenly she wasn't going to get any cherries! My daughter once got all excited opening a present (the gift was $$) from an aunt, because the aunt had tossed in a bag of Teddy Grahams--"look, mom, FOOD!" she cried. I was tickled to open the gift from my aunt and find the Brach's Christmas Nougats I loved but couldn't find. Those are the gifts that are intimate, I think. They're fun, and they're not too serious. but they reflect a genuine interest in the other person, and an ongoing dialogue. True, they're fleeting, but the bond isn't, and the story isn't. And truly, ANY gift will eventually end up in the landfill! At 3 he's too young to get this idea particularly, but he can identify w/ food (or juice w/ Elmo's pic on it, etc.). Also, something he'll use daily might be better--aim low instead of high--a backpack, a stepstool, slippers, a shirt w/ a big old truck on it (C.W.D. has great pictures on boys' T-shirts), a plastic cup in his fave color, etc....See MoreAbout the gift wrapping. What do you do with money or gift cards?
Comments (20)I learned I have to be careful in how I present gift cards. Once I was giving two kids gift cards attached to wrapped candy bars. I gave one to the first child and was with her as she opened it and found the GC. Her sister was asleep, so I asked her to give the other candy bar + gift card to her sister later.... I found out the sister had not noticed the GC and threw it in the trash with the wrapper. Luckily, it was still there when I told her to go look for the GC with the wrapping paper. So however clever you make the presentation, make it obvious that there is a card, too....See MoreGift cards --- don't do what I did
Comments (12)Do many gift card providers charge an activation fee? I consider that a lousy trick. Sometimes when standing beside a display of dozens of gift cards near the checkout, I suggest to others in the line that the card providers want me to give them currency that can be used in 3,000 or so stores in town and they give me an equal number of dollars' value on a card that can be used in only their store. There sure is a benefit there for them - but I don't see one for me, and if there's no benefit for me, they can keep their card till it rots. I'd rather give my friend funds that are useful in any of the 3,000 or so local stores than restricting her/him to one that can be used in only one store. I've asked a number of relatives and friends whether they'd be interested in my supporting a charity or group feeding the hungry, seeking justice, peace, women's rights, etc. in their honour, and several have agreed, some rather enthusiastically so. Some have said that they'll suggest that some their families do the same, as it relates to the spirit of the Christmas season - and most of us have little need of more stuff. Good wishes for a New Year that, in addition to good health, good friends and satisfactions in life, fulfills some of your dreams and inspires you to envision some great new ones! ole joyfuelled...See MoreWhat gift do YOU want for Christmas/Hannukah this year?
Comments (75)I've spared you all my speech about Hannukah not being a Jewish Christmas, and being a rather lesser holiday (not in the bible we use-)..... but it is a celebration and it is customary to give gifts and mostly light the menorah in celebration of the great miracle that happened there, and eat latkes and or donuts, the customary foods. (the theme is fried in oil ) Anyway we used to give our kids presents each of the nights, but usually only one or two would be major. The rest of the nights would be small gifts like slippers, gloves, etc. DH and I really don't exchange gifts for Hannukah . though we do give gifts to our kids ( adults). Now that we have grandchildren, we do give them each a nice gift or 2 but my daughter has kind of taken our ways and does not do a big thing about the presents. The kids really get excited to light the menorah each night. I did stumble on something that I ordered just now and whenever it gets here will be fine. I ordered one for me, and one for my daughter. I got one in gold, and one in silver. Israel at Heart necklace....See Morerob333 (zone 7b)
21 years agolast modified: 9 years agodlynn2
21 years agolast modified: 9 years agoPeaBee4
20 years agolast modified: 9 years agorob333 (zone 7b)
20 years agolast modified: 9 years agoPeaBee4
20 years agolast modified: 9 years agoMomma_Bird_OH
20 years agolast modified: 9 years agoapoem
20 years agolast modified: 9 years agoeliza_ann
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agobabysmaid
18 years agolast modified: 9 years agoPNWhs
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agorob333 (zone 7b)
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agojim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
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