Why Experiences Make Better Gifts For Children Than Toys

As parents, you may want to give your children everything. You may love seeing their happy faces light up when they open up a gift and it’s that new toy they wanted. It’s great to see them playing with that toy. However, if you find that the novelty wears off and that longed-for toy is soon relegated to the toy chest, never to see the light of day again, or if you find that you’re giving so many toys that your child never really has a chance to appreciate the ones they have already, it might be time to consider a different kind of gift. 

Experiences are a great idea. There are a number of reasons why experiences make better gifts for children than toys, so read on to find out more and you might want to start organising experiences when it comes time to give a gift. 

Create Lasting Memories

If you give your children experiences over physical gifts, you’re not only giving them some fun there and then in the present; you’re allowing them to make some amazing memories with you and as a family that they can take with them into the future. 

Memories are something that can’t be taken away, and you’ll have them for many years to come. Looking back on good memories is a great way to take care of your mental health, and it can de-stress you, so it will also do the same for your children. Plus, by spending time together, your relationship will grow even stronger. 

Sustainable Gifting 

There is a lot of waste in the world, and more often than not, the toys you give your children will be thrown away. Many of them will be made of plastic or at least have some components that can’t be recycled. Not only is this bad for the environment, but it’s a waste of money in many cases as well. 

If you can give a gift of an experience, it’s much more sustainable as there will be memories made and no waste to throw away. You can even make the experience itself a good one for the environment. If you choose to adopt a giraffe, for example, this directly positively impacts the environment and will teach your children something at the same time. 

Encourage Learning

Although you might not want to let your children in on this fact, experiences can often be highly educational. Framing a day trip as an educational one might not be a great idea if you want your child to look forward to it, but that does not mean they won’t learn, even if they don’t realise it. 

They could learn new facts or even a new skill, depending on where they are going and what they’re doing. Even the smallest tidbit of information can be the answer to a future question, and if they are having fun and happen to be learning at the same time, they will more easily retain that information. Plus, your child might even gain an interest in something that can help to shape their lives in the future.