Alternative Birthday Gifts For Children
Kids, eh. Who’d have ‘em. Sure, they arrive all cute and cuddly, but then they age a few years and start to have weird and wonderful hobbies and interests - all of which is set to cost you money. While there seems to be range after range of toys for 3 year old girls or 3 year old boys, the slightly older and harder to entertain age ranges can get a little more complicated. Let’s take a look at a couple of winning gift-buying options.
Treasure hunt (at the beach)
Treasure hunts come in all shapes and sizes. There’s the hunt around the home, looking under beds and checking behind wardrobes for parcels covered in brightly coloured wrapping paper. And there are garden or park hunts for chocolates and prizes like keyrings and stationery. But that doesn’t solve the issue of what to buy as a gift…
That’s why this treasure hunt idea is that the hunt itself (and the day out) is the gift. Here’s the plan. First, the child needs a camera. You can let them use your camera phone or even look into buying a cheap child’s digital camera. Next you need a beach (if you’re nowhere near a coast, a forest will do). Now, the aim is to create a treasure quest that involves finding things like a crab, a feather, a conical seashell, a jellyfish, a mermaid’s purse (egg pouch), a cuttlefish bone, and anything else that may be local to your area (e.g. sponges, sea potatoes, anemones, etc.). A day out like this is tons of fun, and what’s the reward for completing the hunt? Choice of where to have a birthday meal, of course!
Collectibles
Collectibles are, admittedly, hit and miss. But the thing is that you’ll never know unless you try. When I was growing up, my mother used to collect a particular range of little green dragons. I was in my twenties before I found anybody else who collected the same set of small porcelain ornaments. Each one had a story behind it, sort of like collecting individually meaningful charms on a bracelet. The weirdest thing I ever knew anybody to collect was typewriters, although, apparently, old and unique typewriters are a common collectible. Even Tom Hanks collects them. I’m not suggesting for a moment that your child would be interested in old bits of non-digital office gear, but the point is to highlight that collectibles can literally be anything.
You know your child better than anyone. Finding a collection that they enjoy adding to with their pocket money is a time saver for future gift buying. Here’s a tip: anything in a box or in a case is ideal, like coins or Funko Pop vinyl figures.