Buying gifts for children can be harder than many people think. Kids are actually quite fussy and can be embarrassingly vocal in their opinion of the gifts. But when you’re buying gifts for children there are other people you also have to keep in mind – the kid’s parents. Just as you wouldn’t buy your own child a gift that is likely to drive you crazy, you shouldn’t inflict that same gift on someone else.
If you need to buy a holiday gift for a child this Christmas keep these following tips in mind.
Pay attention to age guidelines on toys. Don’t buy toys out of the child’s age range and you should be right.
Ask the child’s parents for advice. They will let you know what the child’s interests are and could probably save you from buying something the child may be totally disinterested in.
Don’t buy a gift that requires the parents to buy additional accessories.
Small children don’t yet have any perception of brand names. So if you can get away with buying a cheaper model wooden trainset, for example, you’ll be able to buy significantly more items for the same money.
Gifts that are both fun and have educational value are likely to be more highly prized over simple collections of plastic toys. Children of any age are excited by learning and rarely see the difference between learning and play, so take advantage of that wonderful fact and help expand a young mind.
If you would like some more direct ideas, this list should help provide some inspiration:
Art and craft materials – go to a dollar shop and stock on up everything.
Play toolsets – screwdrivers and hammers and wrenches, just like Dad’s workshop.
Books! Not just picture books, but non-fiction too. Ask the child’s parents for ideas: dinosaurs, dancing, bugs, space and stars.
Audio books – great for the car too!
Science projects.
A locking diary or a locking ‘treasure’ box.
A train set.
A jewelry box.
A musical instrument.
Let this list serve to get you started. Happy shopping.