{"id":9591,"date":"2015-11-27T08:26:17","date_gmt":"2015-11-27T13:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/?p=9591"},"modified":"2016-07-05T14:20:29","modified_gmt":"2016-07-05T18:20:29","slug":"non-toy-gifts-for-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/2015\/11\/27\/non-toy-gifts-for-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Non-Toy Gifts for Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since moving, it feels like our house is overflowing with toys. \u00a0We gave up our glorious playroom in our old house and thought it would somehow work out. \u00a0It hasn’t. \u00a0The toys have moved from room to room, yet to find a permanent, useful home. \u00a0And despite my best efforts to purge, it’s just not happening!<\/p>\n

And it’s not just limited to toys. \u00a0We also have a huge collection of games, which required their own new cabinet when we moved. \u00a0And way more books than any four kids could ever need which seem to multiply at night and seep out of their shelves! \u00a0(Anyone need some books or toys? \u00a0I’ll make you a good deal!)<\/p>\n

So this Christmas, hubby and I are taking it easy on the gifts and trying as much as possible to avoid more toys (and clutter!) \u00a0We have a few things for each kid that we picked up super cheap off the Wal-Mart clearance rack weeks ago but the rest of our gifting is going to focus on non-toy items (and we hope the rest of our family will do the same!)<\/p>\n

So what does one get the kid who has everything? \u00a0What non-toy gifts\u00a0are out there that won’t cause more clutter in the house, arguments about cleaning up or tears on mommy’s cheeks?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here’s what non-toy gifts this mommy is hoping for this year:\"Non-Toy<\/a><\/p>\n

Tickets<\/h3>\n

You know what my kids would love? \u00a0To go to the movies. \u00a0Or the museum to see a special exhibit. \u00a0Or a sporting event. \u00a0Or a concert. \u00a0Or theatre show. \u00a0Or special events. \u00a0Or the zoo (again). \u00a0The possibilities are endless and the memories will be too!<\/p>\n

Special Treats<\/h3>\n

We don’t go out for special treats a lot so my girls would go crazy over a gift card to an ice cream, yogurt or other desert place! \u00a0Better yet, take them out and make a fun afternoon out of it (and let me have some quiet alone time…look at that, two gifts in one!)<\/p>\n

Clothes<\/h3>\n

I know that most kids\u00a0hate<\/em> getting clothes for Christmas, but in my family if it’s from someone other than mommy, they go crazy! \u00a0Auntie picked it out? \u00a0They love it! \u00a0Grandma made this? \u00a0They’ll show it off to all their friends. \u00a0Plus what kid doesn’t need clothes, those silly little constant growers.<\/p>\n

Classes<\/h3>\n

Our biggest expense for our children right now is gymnastics (and ballet and golf). \u00a0I want my kids to try lots of different things and pursue things they’re interested in and my girls would love to do something like a cooking or sewing class but the costs add up quickly and we just can’t do it all. \u00a0Plus, giving classes is a gift that will keep giving every time the child gets to go. \u00a0Many museums and kids centers also do special one-time classes if committing to a longer-term thing doesn’t work.<\/p>\n

Subscriptions<\/h3>\n

Magazine, activity or craft box subscriptions are awesome. \u00a0Everyone loves getting mail, the kids stay entertained for a while each time a new one comes and then magazines\u00a0can be passed on or recycled and crafts can be displayed or gifted.<\/p>\n

Piggy Bank<\/h3>\n

My kids are obsessed with money (they can’t be the only ones, right?) and are constantly collecting coins anywhere they can (I “found” these pennies in your purse mommy, can I keep them?). \u00a0Gifting kids a piggy bank (and maybe a small amount of starter cash?) can not only give kids a place to keep their money safe but can also help instill a saving mindset as they start collecting coins\/small bills and watching how it grows over time (who knows, maybe they could even see it “multiply” if mommy and daddy are willing to pay some interest on their savings!)<\/p>\n

Things for Outside<\/h3>\n

So this technically\u00a0doesn’t fall into the “non-toy gifts” category\u00a0but anything that keeps my kids busy outside (and can live outside!) is okay in my book and welcome under my Christmas tree!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since moving, it feels like our house is overflowing with toys. \u00a0We gave up our glorious playroom in our old house and thought it would somehow work out. \u00a0It hasn’t. \u00a0The toys have moved from room to room, yet to find a permanent, useful home. \u00a0And despite my best efforts to purge, it’s just not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[176,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-creative-kids","category-time-to-celebrate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9591"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9591\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9665,"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9591\/revisions\/9665"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}