Not every gift is age-appropriate for every person. That is why toys have age guidance posted right on the box. You wouldn’t want to give a very small child a bag of marbles because they are very tempting choking hazards. And you wouldn’t want to give a 17-year-old a set of building blocks because, presumably, they are beyond that stage of their development. We even choose different ways to wrap gifts depending on age. A child’s gift might be papered with lots of bright colors and anthropomorphic animals. While a gift for a spouse would be garbed in something more elegant and refined.
Gift-giving can be especially complicated on a budget. It is not easy to explain to kids why they didn’t get any nice presents after feeding them the Santa myth their entire young life. Good girls and boys get nice things while the bad ones are left to languish on the naughty list. Adults can agree to curb the gift budget. But kids will not understand it. You have to find a way to communicate that delicate message. You can also give more timeless gifts that do not require you to take out a new credit card. Here are some of those gifts that are budget-friendly, and also can be appreciated by everyone regardless of age:
Vinyl Figures
You might call them action figures, figurines, or even dolls. The upshot is that they are some type of representation of persons real or imagined, that also has some significance in a person’s life. Vinyl figures can be purchased in many places. But they are not all created equally. So be sure to choose the ones with the highest quality and collectability.
The fun of collecting starts young. If you are going to organically develop a collection that is worth the investment later, you have to start young. You can help by getting your child two of whatever it is they are collecting. One is to take out and enjoy. The other is to keep in the original packaging for its debut at the big auction fifty years from now. This type of gift works equally well for an adult, especially if they already have a few collectables. Sometimes, having a vinyl figure just helps us connect with a character from our childhood that meant a lot to us. You can’t go wrong with this kind of gift.
Educational Toys
We never grow out of the need to train our brain. That is because our brain is a muscle much like any other in the body. It needs exercise if it is going to perform at an optimal level. Even parents have to make time for their education. One of the ways for parents to do that is to get their kids educational toys. Parents stand to gain just as much benefit, even grandparents.
Children can also learn to code. That is a life skill that will serve them well. You can get many toys geared toward teaching coding. These are more than toys. They are training courses for a skill that everyone is going to eventually need not many generations from now. These lessons are camouflaged by genuinely fun activities. They are the kinds of toys and games that you can enjoy on the sly when the kids have gone to bed. I’m sure they will never know you were secretly playing with their toys.
Healthy Treats
A special cake can be a gift. So can a special gift box of brownies. Valentine’s Day is all about gifting sweet treats to the people you love. This holiday season, be sure to give an extra focus to healthy treats. Believe it or not, there are actually ways to bake cakes that kids will love that don’t send you into a diabetic coma. You can have pretzels that don’t send your blood pressure into the stratosphere. A healthy treat is one that everyone can enjoy without guilt.
Sometimes, it is hard to know what to buy for a gift, especially if it is for someone whose age you are unsure of. Don’t worry. You can always get them vinyl figures, educational toys, or healthy treats.
