On Christmas morning the wrapping paper comes off in seconds; children play with their toys maybe a few hours or even days before they are “done” with them.
How can we prevent this? I have some suggestions for children’s gifts that last for years, even a lifetime.
A visiting toddler loving the sandbox
1. A Sandbox. For ages one to six/seven. Not glamorous, but oh, so creative and fun. If you are not handy, find someone who is and pay them to build a box, preferably with a lid…if not, just cover it with a tarp. Go to a local building supplies store and buy a bag of sand. It’s heavy…so get someone to carry it for you. Put it in the sandbox. Get some basic plastic tools like a shovel and a pail. Have a source of water nearby and let the kids go to it. They will know what to do! Recently my five year old granddaughter and her six and a half year old friend played together in the sandbox for an hour. Of course, they added water. Taking shoes and socks off is a must and it feels-great!!
The wagon and its load of apples
2. A Wagon. That old standby of yesteryear? How can it compete with electronics? You will be amazed. My five -year old granddaughter has loved my wagon since she was a toddler. We have collecting adventures on our street: acorns, sticks, pretty leaves, stones. We have taken our baby chicks for a ride. Uncle Doug drove Shay through a “waterfall” after a big rain. She and her friends have all ridden in it down the street. Now that she is five years old, she has asked if she can take my wagon home with her. Guess what Santa is bringing her for Christmas?
3. A good set of Wooden Blocks. Our boys played with theirs for years. They don’t come with instructions and all for the better! Our sons played with their set for years, making things that had no rhyme or reason.
Inscription from my Mother
4. A special book. Don’t laugh. Guess what is in my bookcase at this moment? “To Gwen from Mother and Daddy. Christmas 1958… To take you on a short trip to the land of beauty.” It was a book of “Favorite Poems.” It includes short poems by greats William Blake…John Keats, Alfred Tennyson. When I was a little girl, I memorized several of them and recited them in my third grade class! Who know whether or not I am a writer today because my mother encouraged me through such simple gifts?
Dress up on the swings
5. Dress Up. Don’t go online…For girls, just go to your closet and pick out things that have glitz or glamour that you no longer use. Or, purchase at yard sales. Girls love dress up and so do boys…our son Daniel dressed up in soldier or pirate costumes, even in his Dad’s old clothes.
6. A Tent. I laughed when I saw tents being sold at a posh online store for over a hundred dollars. Go to your linen closet and find a large sheet or piece of bedding that you no longer need. Use it to cover several chairs…or go outside when it warms up and put it over a tree branch. Kids love their privacy. It enables imagination.
7. Tea party set. My granddaughter and have an established tea party tradition now that is worth its weight in gold. I bought a plastic tea set that wasn’t even complete at a thrift store. I put it all in an old wicker basket. We set all the pieces on a plastic tray (to catch all the spills!) Then Shay and I have our tea party! I pour the juice or milk into the small teapot and she serves: me in the tiny cup and herself in the BIG cup. We say: Happy tea party! We started this tradition when she was two and we are still doing it now that she is five and a half.
8. A swing or swing set. Start small. When Shay was a toddler, we bought a plastic swing (with the bar that comes down to keep them safe) that we attached to a sturdy overhead tree branch. She LOVED her swinging time!!! Often, she fell asleep. When she was four, my husband built a big swing set for her. It went unused for a while, until now. When she comes over with her friends after school, they head for the swings first thing. They sing and play and try to reach the leaves of a nearby tree. I can’t see them tiring of this anytime soon.
Childhood goes by quickly. But these are gifts that will help your children or grandchildren enjoy it to the full.
Gwen Tough has deep Midwestern roots, as well as family ties. Born fourth into a family of eight children, she loves seeing and pondering her rich childhood through the lens of years, through writing.
She is now experiencing a delightful second childhood through her five-year old granddaughter. Their latest adventure? Stay tuned to Gwen’s blog on Anewscafe!
Gwen started keeping chickens in 1995 in suburban Lafayette, Ca. when people had never heard of backyard hens. She and her husband Rich own a printing company in Redding, Montague Spragens, Inc. They make, among other products, unique foil-embossed 1920’s era egg cartons. See http://www.montaguespragens.com
