The tradition of gift giving at Christmas time is one that makes most parents a little nervous at some point in their child-rearing life! Some parents forgo the ritual altogether, not giving gifts at all. Ultimately, it is not the child’s birthday, It is Jesus’ birthday, right? Others of us still give gifts, in the spirit of Jesus’ love and the idea that what we do for others, we do for Him. And also in the tradition of celebration!
For those of us who chose to give gifts, there always comes a point when we say to ourselves, “We need to focus on the meaning of Christmas, not the gifts”, either our kids seem to be able to only focus on what they want to receive, or we want to avoid that.
Not to mention if you have several children, the holiday can become quite hectic trying to prepare gifts for everyone and it is easy to have your ideals buried beneath a load of wrapping paper!
Let’s face it . . . If children are not purposely taught to give, Christmas will be all about getting for them.
So, how do we teach children to want to give? It is an art. For sure.
Make Giving Gifts Fun!
I think this is the main key to ingrain the love of gift giving in your kids, no matter your chosen tactic! For me, when I was young, my Dad gave us all money. We never had any money back then, so it was a treat! He gave us money and we all went on a shopping trip together, to the mall no less.
I grew up eons ago and our family lived out in the country and we never went anywhere on a regular basis except school and church! So this was fun in itself! We paired up and shopped, then switched partners (so we could buy for our shopping buddy) and went out some more. It was fun to try to get the best present for everyone with the money we had, and all the secrets, stealthy shopping, and hiding of gifts with everyone there made for a very exciting day!
When I was a grown-up, our family traditions evolved before my children were old enough to do much shopping themselves. When they were 2 and 3 we started them making gifts for others.
They put their hand-prints on things, they colored, painted and scribbled things and then we glued a picture of them on it. We laminated them as bookmarks with a ribbon on it. They made ornaments, marked up white coffee mugs, then we “set” them in the oven. They decorated pencil holders and picture frames.
There are so many things a toddler can do to put his own touch on a very nice gift. And they are SO PROUD to give something that they have made themselves! Starting the gift-giving traditions early for them is a big bonus!
These days, a quick search on Pinterest will overload you with tons of ideas, back then we had to rely on ideas from books and magazines and our imagination!
If there is an air of fun and excitement in your new gift-giving traditions, they will love it and it will be a tradition they remember and initiate themselves before you know it! All of mine would have notebooks with people’s names and the gifts they were going to give them very early! It is a special memory for me to find old notebooks with lists in a large, unsteady handwriting (with creative spelling) of special people’s names and the gift they would be receiving!
Talk about it. A Lot!
If there is always a lot of talking about what the children are going to be GIVING, then there is not much time for them to even think about what they will be receiving! Start out early on in the season talking about what they will be giving. Talk of it often and make it a big project to make lists.
Give a budget and then make it a game to stay within that budget. Talk about what people like and dislike, what they do and what is fun for them.
Help your child pick a project that is well within his capabilities. This isn’t time to stretch his skills past his current abilities, unless you’ve left ample time for a do-over or you have a plan B.
There is nothing more disappointing to a child than to plan, and work really hard on something that fails, resulting in them not feeling good about the gift they are to give! Help them choose something that will be a huge success.
As a bonus, there is a lot of learning going on here: budgets, how to think of other’s desires and needs, Learning how to listen to people and value their interests, organizing ideas as well as list making and organizing projects!… But don’t tell the kids they are learning!
Planning is Key
If they are making gifts themselves help them make a list of what they will need for each gift, then go on a special outing to get those supplies!
Make time each week to work on their gift projects so there is not a lot of stress involved! Believe me, stress over finishing Christmas presents at the last minute is not fun! Don’t ask how I know!
Go through the steps with an older child as he goes, helping him think through what he should start with, and what should be saved until later so that his project turns out well and he can feel good about his gift.
If they will be shopping for gifts, help them plan where to get them, and when the shopping will be done. Remember to allow plenty of time for the expedition so that it is as stress-free as possible!
With these few guidelines and a little imagination, you will be well on the way to having kids that are really focused on giving. They look of expectation on their faces when others are opening their special gift will be the highlight of your year!
Here’s to having kids who are all about the gifts
~the gifts they are giving!
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About the author~ Joy from over at Beanpost Farmstead is a homeschool mom of 6. She has been at this for 21 years now, with 14 more to go! As a mom of two kiddos with Down syndrome, she is passionate about all things special needs and making your life easier by educating, inspiring and encouraging you!
You can find Joy on Facebook at Beanpost Farmstead, Twitter at JoyRacicot, Instagram at Beanpost Farmsted, and on Pinterest as Joy at Beanpost Farmstead.
