We're only one week away from the big day! Is all your shopping complete? It's easy to get caught up in the hype of our consumer culture during this time of year, for sure. But, I wanted to share with you two things today:
1. More isn't always better. I read this week that a 2011 study in the Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy found that couples who "highly value" money and possessions had 10% less stable marriages. Additionally interesting, "when children have fewer toys, those toys' roles become flexible and kids' imaginations kick in." Hmmm. Ever watched, bewildered, as your toddler cheerfully climbed in and out of the cardboard box he just opened -- exceedingly more thrilled with it than with the gift it had contained?
2. If you answered yes, then allow me to make a gift suggestion for you. . . capitalize on that. We really try not to go overboard on Christmas gifts for our kids. They are, after all, most happy running around like fools in the backyard and don't need any toys at all to do that. But, when it comes time to buy for them, we go for quality over quantity. I try to be sure that the gifts we choose:
1. Will last -- I can't stand it when the plastic crap breaks by New Year's!
2. Encourages imaginative play -- in other words, it can be used again and again in a variety of ways (that's why wooden blocks are so great, right?)
3. Fits in with our lifestyle -- what kind of kids do you want your kids to be? How would you like them to spend their time? Buy them things that will encourage those behaviors.
4. Has a home -- if you don't have a place for it, don't buy it. If it needs a storage solution, consider giving the gift already inside its new home. For example, go ahead and put your son's new Lego kit inside the Rubbermaid container you intend for him to keep it in and wrap them up together.
With all of these things in mind, here's one of my favorite things Santa has brought to our house. (No, these are not my pics. They are from www.amazon.com where Brik-a-Blok can be purchased.)
**Please note that I am in no way compensated by this company for recommending their product. I am just a mom who has lived with these in my home for several years now and STILL think they are a great addition to our playroom. Seriously, how many of your kids' toys can you say that about?**
You know that refrigerator box that the kids went nuts over and turned into their fort/playhouse/school bus? This is just like that, only it doesn't have to be thrown out on recycling day to the soundtrack of your children's cries. The construction possibilities are endless, so it never gets old.
As gifts go, it meets all the criteria listed above.
1. It has lasted several years and has definitely seen a lot of use and abuse!
2. It encourages imaginative play. Over the years, my kids have built a fort that they've camped out in. They've used it to create desks, boxes, animal tunnels, and more.
3. It fits in with our lifestyle because it encourages them to think about the possibilities and engineer a structure that will actually stand. It forces them to work together: "You hold up that wall while I attach the roof!" And, while it's not officially a "green" toy in that it's not made out of recycled packing peanuts or anything, it fits in with green values because it's a toy that can grow with our kids. The older they get the more complex their structures become. So, it grows with them AND is built to outlast whatever other toys we might have bought them instead.
4. It has a home. While the structures that kids can construct with the bloks are large, the pieces themselves nest atop one another to make one nice, neat stack that we can tuck into the corner of a closet when they're not in use.
So, this is really not a sales pitch for Brik-a-Blok (though, if you're still looking for gift ideas, it's definitely a good one), it's just an example of the kind of thing I'm glad our kids are able to enjoy. What are some toys you've invested in for your kids that meet the criteria above?