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Kids & Company Blog
A Gift Guide for Kids Who Just Want the Cardboard Box
I was literally looking for a light sabre that had a shark head as a handle this holiday shopping season and had to stop to give my head a shake. Gift-giving for young kids DOES NOT have to be this complicated and I guarantee you can bring ample joy with some grassroots, thoughtful ideas from my inaugural Gift Guide for Kids Who Just Want the Cardboard Box:
Gift Idea #1: Truly – wrap an empty cardboard box and once it’s open dare them to make the best pirate ship they can. If motivation runs low, let them know you’ve seen better pirate ships
Gift Idea #2: Dig waaaaay down to the bottom of the toy bin and whatever you find, wrap it up. 9 times out of 10 they’ll never notice they already had it. HOT TIP: if you’re worried this will be the 1 of 10 times, add a tissue or ‘invisible cloak’ for the toy to hide behind and say it’s something from an upcoming Star Wars movie.
Gift Idea #3: A booklet of coupons to use for things like: setting their own bedtime, one hour to climb on your back and jump off, dessert for dinner, no chores for the day, launching a dance party anytime/anywhere….you get the idea.
Gift Idea #4: A flashlight. You know you have one lying around the house and I’m telling you it is hours of fun for the standard kid so get that sucker under the tree.
Gift Idea #5: Give them a bug. Any kind. Dead or alive. Bonus points if it’s a bug you or your partner are afraid of.
Gift Idea #6: Wrap up a bag of trail mix and three cups. When they open it they’re allowed to separate the nuts, raisins and chocolate from each other and pick one cup to eat.
Gift Idea #7: Put a ribbon on a couch or bed or something they normally are not allowed to jump off of and give them The Magic Wand (a.k.a. a straw) that unlocks that item for one day of jumping.
Gift Idea #8: Pull together your finest, most expensive decorative pillows from all over the house and wrap them up as ‘building materials for a fort.’ You know they’ll get used for that eventually anyways so why not turn it into a gift?
Gift Idea #9: An old computer keyboard seems to be a great gift idea based on how desperately my one year old wants mine anytime I’m typing. That or the dishwasher but that’s harder to wrap and get under the tree.
Gift Idea #10: Rip whatever toy their sibling is enjoying from their hands and give to the gifted in a glorious act of NO SHARING for a day. No siblings? That’s ok. Use a cousin or friend or stranger who is enjoying a toy visibly enough that your kid really needs to have it.
Melissa lives in Calgary and is the Community Marketing Manager for Kids & Company in Alberta and BC. Her vision of what she would be like as a mom was shattered three years ago when she discovered nothing ever goes as planned for parents, but laughter and community sees you through. You can reach her at msawatzky@kidsandcompany.com.
Posted on: Thursday December 22nd, 2016
Posted by: Melissa Sawatzky
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Crayon College, by Kids & Company
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Kids World
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Apple Hill Academy Manalapan by Kids & Company
119 Avenue, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Dewdney House (Infant/Toddler and 3-5), Part of the Kids & Company Family
Dewdney Church (Preschool/OSC/3-5), Part of the Kids & Company Family
Edge, Part of the Kids & Company Family
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Harry Hooge, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Alouette, Part of the Kids & Company Family
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Under The Sun Marlton, part of the Kids & Company Family
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Robert Speck Parkway
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Pine Village West Newton, by Kids & Company
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Under The Sun Stratford, part of the Kids & Company Family
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Brightstart Cloverdale, by Kids & Company
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Tyke Town Troy, by Kids & Company
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Walpole South
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Tech Town
Under The Sun West Deptford, part of the Kids & Company Family
West Quincy
Sweet Kiddles Westlake, part of the Kids & Company Family
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ABC Kiddie Kampus East Mountain, by Kids & Company
Winnipeg
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Keystone Early Learning Academy, part of the Kids & Company Family
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Sweet Kiddles Avon Lake, part of the Kids & Company Family
Abington
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Sweet Kiddles Beachwood, part of the Kids & Company Family
Bedford (Dellridge Lane)
Larry Uteck (Southgate Dr)
Pine Village South End, by Kids & Company
Braintree 1
Braintree 2
Brampton
Pine Village Brighton, by Kids & Company
Pine Village Brookline, by Kids & Company
Burlington Children’s Centre
Burloak
Appleby
Beacon Hill
Brightstart Burnaby, by Kids & Company
Bow Trail
Livingston
Midlake
Millrise
Royal Oak
Britannia Crossing
Marda Loop
Evanston
Beltline
Aviation Crossing
Gulf Canada Square
Royal Oak Out of School Care and Child Care
Glendeer
Pine Village Kendall Square, by Kids & Company
Pine Village Porter Square, by Kids & Company
Canton
Jackson
Lincoln Park
Harrison
West Loop
Fulton
Sweet Kiddles University Circle, part of the Kids & Company Family
Cochrane
Brightstart Coquitlam, by Kids & Company
Dartmouth
Dover
Walpole North
Eastern Passage
Ellerslie
Edmonton Ice District
Baturyn
Diamond
Friendly Frog
Meadowlark Park
St. Charles
St. Dominic
Sunshine Factory
Tender Heart
Tamarack
Jagare Ridge
Horse Hill
Fraser
Century Park
Islington
Etobicoke (Bloor & Islington)
ABC Kiddie Kampus Exeter, by Kids & Company
Apple Hill Academy Freehold by Kids & Company
Halifax
Hamilton
Hammonds Plains
Route 39
Schaffner
Swatara
Apple Hill Academy Howell by Kids & Company
Sweet Kiddles Hudson, part of the Kids & Company Family
Hummelstown
Pine Village JP Revere, by Kids & Company
Pine Village JP South Street, by Kids & Company
Kamloops
Eagleson (South Kanata)
Crayon College, by Kids & Company
Tyke Town Lake St. Louis, by Kids & Company
ABC Lake St. Louis, by Kids & Company
Kids World
Langley (200th St.)
London Richmond
Sackville
Apple Hill Academy Manalapan by Kids & Company
119 Avenue, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Dewdney House (Infant/Toddler and 3-5), Part of the Kids & Company Family
Dewdney Church (Preschool/OSC/3-5), Part of the Kids & Company Family
Edge, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Webster’s Corner, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Harry Hooge, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Alouette, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Silver Valley, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Whonnock, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Under The Sun Marlton, part of the Kids & Company Family
Sweet Kiddles Medina, part of the Kids & Company Family
Milton
Lougheed, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Stave Falls, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Briskham, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Robert Speck Parkway
Mississauga Gateway Centre
Nanaimo
Pine Village Needham, by Kids & Company
Ottawa Barrhaven
New Westminster
Pine Village West Newton, by Kids & Company
Pine Village Newton Highlands, by Kids & Company
North Vancouver
North Van Esplanade
O’Fallon South
ABC O’Fallon, by Kids & Company
Oakville Cornwall
Oakville Dundas
Joshua Creek
Oakville West (3471 Wyecroft Rd)
Okotoks
ABC Kiddie Kampus Old Forge, by Kids & Company
Ottawa Albert
Ottawa Westboro
Palmyra
ABC Kiddie Kampus Pittston, by Kids & Company
Brightstart Port Coquitlam, by Kids & Company
Port Moody
Marina Bay
Randolph
Red Deer
Richmond
Head Office
Schaumburg
Sherwood Park
St. Albert North
St. Albert Grandin
ABC St. Charles, by Kids & Company
Tyke Town St. Peters, by Kids & Company
ABC St. Peters, by Kids & Company
Stoney Creek
Under The Sun Stratford, part of the Kids & Company Family
Sweet Kiddles Strongsville, part of the Kids & Company Family
Morgan Crossing
Surrey Professional Centre
King George
Brightstart Cloverdale, by Kids & Company
Sylvan Lake
Bloor Christie
Bloor (Bloor St. East)
Consumers
Finch
Front
Scotia Plaza
Stockyards
St. Andrew’s Church
Liberty Village
Rosedale
Queen West
Tyke Town Troy, by Kids & Company
Vancouver West
Cambie
Langford
Victoria
Walpole South
Waterdown
Tech Town
Under The Sun West Deptford, part of the Kids & Company Family
West Quincy
Sweet Kiddles Westlake, part of the Kids & Company Family
Whitby
ABC Kiddie Kampus East Mountain, by Kids & Company
Winnipeg
West York
Queen Street
Keystone Early Learning Academy, part of the Kids & Company Family