My 3-year old son Ben is obsessed with gardening, and leaf blowers in particular. During a recent trip when he saw the gardeners outside our hotel room, he made a mad dash for the rake to help them.
At home, using an attachment from his little brother’s toy, a tube from a wrapping paper, and a small shopping bag, he creatively made his pretend leaf blower and daily cleaned the apartment from all the pretend leaves. Luckily today, we can find anything our children desire. And Ben found a toy leaf blower from Santa on Christmas morning.
But sadly, his excitement quickly faded as he realized the toy wasn’t powerful enough to blow any leaves away and the toy was thrown into a corner.
We, as parents, want to treat our kids and give them everything we had and didn’t have. But how do we make them happy, but also raise future adults who are appreciative and grateful?
Here are 7 ways you can teach your kids to appreciate and be grateful for what they have and what they get.
1. One For Me, and One For You.
For every new toy that comes in, one has to go to someone less fortunate. You can talk to them about different charities and let them choose one to donate their toys.2. eBay seller.
Older kids can sell their toys on eBay or Amazon. The money they make can be put away for a new toy. They will learn how much work needs to go into getting money and hopefully, appreciate that new toy a little more.3. Out of Sight.
If they get a lot of toys during the holidays or for their birthday, let your child pick a few toys and put the others away in the closet. Each week, if they are good, they can pull out one new toy until there are no more. And if space is an issue, if a new toys comes out, and older toy must go in.4. Don’t be afraid to say no.
Set a limit with your kids and the people giving gifts. Grandparents mean well, but it can be hard to teach a child values when there are 20 presents under the tree for them. Sometimes a stern conversation may be required.5. It’s never too early for DIY projects.
Next time you get an incoming for a new toy, suggest they use the resources at home to make something new themselves. If a 3 year old can creatively make an impressive leaf blower, who knows what else they may be able to come up with given the opportunity.6. SBG.
We have three coin banks at home: 1 is marked with an S for to Spend now, 2 is marked with a B to put into the Bank to save, and G is to Give to others. Every time coins are put away, your child gets to think about the potential impact of that penny.7. Start New Family Traditions.
The Holidays are about spending quality time with the ones you love. You can start a new tradition where everyone donates a gift. Together, as a family, you can go to the donation location of your choice. Afterwards, you can all go for hot cocoa or ice skating.
3. Out of Sight.
If they get a lot of toys during the holidays or for their birthday, let your child pick a few toys and put the others away in the closet. Each week, if they are good, they can pull out one new toy until there are no more. And if space is an issue, if a new toys comes out, and older toy must go in.4. Don’t be afraid to say no.
Set a limit with your kids and the people giving gifts. Grandparents mean well, but it can be hard to teach a child values when there are 20 presents under the tree for them. Sometimes a stern conversation may be required.5. It’s never too early for DIY projects.
Next time you get an incoming for a new toy, suggest they use the resources at home to make something new themselves. If a 3 year old can creatively make an impressive leaf blower, who knows what else they may be able to come up with given the opportunity.6. SBG.
We have three coin banks at home: 1 is marked with an S for to Spend now, 2 is marked with a B to put into the Bank to save, and G is to Give to others. Every time coins are put away, your child gets to think about the potential impact of that penny.7. Start New Family Traditions.
The Holidays are about spending quality time with the ones you love. You can start a new tradition where everyone donates a gift. Together, as a family, you can go to the donation location of your choice. Afterwards, you can all go for hot cocoa or ice skating.
5. It’s never too early for DIY projects.
Next time you get an incoming for a new toy, suggest they use the resources at home to make something new themselves. If a 3 year old can creatively make an impressive leaf blower, who knows what else they may be able to come up with given the opportunity.6. SBG.
We have three coin banks at home: 1 is marked with an S for to Spend now, 2 is marked with a B to put into the Bank to save, and G is to Give to others. Every time coins are put away, your child gets to think about the potential impact of that penny.7. Start New Family Traditions.
The Holidays are about spending quality time with the ones you love. You can start a new tradition where everyone donates a gift. Together, as a family, you can go to the donation location of your choice. Afterwards, you can all go for hot cocoa or ice skating.
7. Start New Family Traditions.
The Holidays are about spending quality time with the ones you love. You can start a new tradition where everyone donates a gift. Together, as a family, you can go to the donation location of your choice. Afterwards, you can all go for hot cocoa or ice skating.
Happy Holidays from me and everyone on the Gooseneck team!
~Liana
