When it comes to children’s birthdays, every year it can get more and more expensive with higher expectations to meet. Parents can also get stuck buying gifts because the house is already over run with a mountain of toys, ones from the latest fad which they love and a heap left behind that aren’t interesting any more. Not to mention the copious amounts of gifts from grandparents, friends and other relatives, it can all get a bit too much!

If parents start out buying a smaller amount of presents from when their children are young, they won’t have such high expectations to meet year on year. You should also try and include gifts that have some educational values so kids can learn whilst they play, like some of the products from Early Years Resources, it is always the best way to get things to stick into their minds!

Every parent knows that the initial ‘wow’ of presenting kids with a whole host of new toys will wear off pretty quickly. After a few days of interacting with each toy they will then probably be more interested in the boxes that they came in! With this being said educational toys will be outlasting because you can use them with your young ones once they come home from school or at a weekend to continue the learning, just don’t tell them they are for learning purposes and they will love no doubt want to play with them just like any other toy.

Jigsaws are a fantastic item that you can help your children to complete, they will have to try and work out where pieces go to complete the full picture. You can even get 3D jigsaws that end up creating a rocket or fire engine to make it even more interesting and enjoyable for them!

Letting children loose with a sheet of paper and a new set of felt pens is all a part of learning, it certainly won’t feel like it to them. Getting creative and drawing what they picture in their minds will help them learn colours, shapes and more. A big plastic easel will be a gift they would absolutely love as they can stand up and draw away to their hearts content.

There are so many different toys and products that will aid with learning. Maybe make a list consisting of a few toys that your child wants or you think they would enjoy purely for fun, and then add on some that are more educational. You could even hand this list out to family members and explain that you don’t want to spoil your young one too much, they will probably be grateful of the ideas too!

For great educational gift ideas visit http://www.earlyyearsresources.co.uk/gifts-for-children-c987.

Ask any child what they think Christmas is about, and there’s a pretty good chance that the word ‘gifts’ will feature somewhere in their response. And to an extent, of course, this is true – we demonstrate our love and appreciation for one another by exchanging presents. But it’s important that we appreciate the gifts for what they represent, rather than feeling that we deserve presents simply because it’s Christmas. Children are particularly prone to this mentality, and it falls to the parents to teach them the value of giving, and how to understand the concepts of charity and generosity.

We all want our kids to like the gifts they are given for Christmas – for parents, it doesn’t get much better than seeing their excited six-year-old rip off the wrapping paper, shriek with delight and then start throwing hugs at everyone in the room. For this to happen, though, it’s essential that parents impress the importance of charity, generosity and volunteer work upon their children. There are a hundred ways in which this can be achieved.

Volunteering

Firstly, you can bring your kids along to charity events and volunteer schemes. Common groups that organise events like these include local churches, village committees, and of course larger charities themselves. It will do your kids a world of good to witness the valuable work to which they can contribute, whether this is through helping at homeless shelters, volunteering to take care of sick or neglected animals or even something as simple as reading to the lonely residents of a care home.

Once your kids see first-hand the type of conditions in which other people have to live worldwide, they will appreciate the privilege of their own lives all the more – and suddenly that shiny Christmas present you’ve just given them will seem that much more special.

Encourage Them To Contribute

The end goal of introducing your children to the concept of charity is to instil a sense of empathy within them, that will grow and develop as they get older. You want your kids to want to help out the less fortunate, of their own volition – and this can only happen if you lead by example. Make a point of letting your children see you donating money to any charity groups you support, donating old clothes to Goodwill or Oxfam, or even something as simple as paying for a pack of charity Christmas cards. This is of particular benefit, as charity Christmas cards can really hammer home the extra importance of a ‘goodwill to all men’ attitude at Christmas.

Make sure that your children know why it is that you are giving away your material goods in this way – that you are doing it to help those in need. In time (although you should never force them) you will most likely notice that your kids are coming to you of their own free will, asking for help in donating their old toys to deprived children, or give half of their pocket money to abused animals.

Not only is this helping your children to become better people, but by giving away their older toys, they’re clearing space in their toy cupboards. This in turn makes any new gifts particularly special, as they come in to replace the old.

With so many options available to you, helping your children to become generous, charitable individuals doesn’t have to be a chore. Make a game of it to capture their attention, and have fun while you do it – but make sure that the child knows the important reasons behind these games. Lead by example, and before you know it, your little Dora the Explorer will be a regular Mother Theresa!

This guest post was contributed by Cards For Good Causes – specialists in charity Christmas cards. For more information on giving at Christmas and charity Christmas cards, you can visit the Cards For Good Causes website.