Gift giving these days can be as simple as the click of a “buy now” button. Within days, sometimes even hours, an item can be on your front porch, ready to toss into a gift bag and be given to the recipient. While I certainly take advantage of this at times, I also try to give experiences over physical gifts when I can.
The Why Behind It All
Stuff—our house is filled with it. Big stuff, little stuff, kid stuff, haven’t used it in years, but might someday stuff. No matter how much decluttering I do, we still have so many things taking up the precious space in our home. Given this, when it comes time to celebrate our kids’ birthdays, we often opt to share experiences with them over lots of toys. They already have so many rarely used toys. A new gift may soon enough camouflage itself into the already giant piles of forgotten toys.
Thinking back on our own childhoods, neither my husband nor I remembers many specific toys. We do remember fun adventures, special trips, and time spent with family. We are excited to gift these kinds of memories to our kids today for them to look back on as adults.
Monthly Adventures
Consider giving your kids the gift of monthly adventures. They would receive 12 envelopes with details hidden away for them to read the day of the outing. Of course, if you have a child who doesn’t love complete surprises, you can decorate the envelope with a few hints for them to ponder over time. Think animal stickers for a visit to the zoo. Pictures of popcorn and snacks for a movie date. Draw on some springs for an afternoon of jumping at a trampoline park, etc. Inside the envelope, include information about where they are going, what to expect, and any tickets or passes needed for the day.
Adding Something Tangible
If you aren’t ready to get rid of physical items totally, consider a small, tangible item to pair with the experience gift. Planning to visit the aquarium? A small shark bath toy would be a perfect fit. How about tickets to Disney on Ice? A little Mickey Mouse coloring book feels like a good option. Mom and me spa day on the schedule? A cooling eye mask might be a great match.
Reuse and Recycle
Another option to consider is recycling and reusing other items you may already have on hand. Instead of buying more things for our kids, we recently gave them an invention box. We kept a particularly good box from a recent dog food order. Inside, we placed yarn, tape, pipe cleaners, buttons, glue, lids from containers, fabric scraps, styrofoam, and more. Any little bits and bobs we could find around the house – they got added in. Our kids love playing and creating together with the open-ended materials, and I love that all I had to do was give them a few supplies from around the house.
Gifting experiences over things can take some getting used to for both parents and kids. But, in the end, the adjustment can lead to some great memories for everyone (and a little less stuff in your house!). If you try giving an experience as a gift, let us know what you pick!
