Many parents are looking for fun, educational toys and games that don’t involve tech so they can get their little ones away from screens. Believe it or not, there are low-tech gifts kids will love. Fun Stuff Super Store shares this helpful guide to get you started.
Get Creative
Gifts that foster a child’s creativity have a myriad of benefits. Not only do they help young people express themselves, but creative pursuits also help a child cope with anxiety and reduce the likelihood of depression and stress. Whether it’s through visual art, writing, music or dance, there are several ways to help your child get creative this holiday season.
Depending on their age, you might start with some simple tools, such as a sketchbook and oil pastels or a nice journal. Musically-inclined kids might love a guitar lesson or an instrument they can practice on. Before you buy, look online for the best prices and consider using a deal site like Groupon, which will help you save big on items from a long list of stores.
Ramp Up Reading
Books are always a good idea, no matter your child’s age. And they can be a real game changer when it comes to opening up their minds. Picture books for younger ones allow them to see the story as it’s read, and chapter books for older kids will capture their time in a healthy and mentally stimulating way. Consider signing them up for a book club membership, or for kids who love comics, buy them some collectible comic books they’ll cherish to have in their collection.
Get Cooking, Get Fixing, Get Growing
Learning to cook is a practical way for young people to learn math concepts like fractions. Utensils, fun-shaped baking pans, cookie ingredients, and personalized aprons are wonderful, budget-friendly gifts for the budding chef on your list. A children’s cookbook will have great recipes at various skill levels. Since children are likely to cook with an adult, at least at first, these kinds of gifts turn into learning experiences with social bonding and memories being made.
A children’s tool kit is a gift that will create learning experiences in the rest of the house. If you’ve got fix-it projects, having a helper with their own durable and functional tools is a great way to build confidence around as screws are tightened and nuts-and-bolts turned.
An indoor garden kit brings a piece of nature indoors. Transparent plates reveal the roots growing underground, or a child can get creative by decorating with a faerie house. A kid who gets excited about growing plants can learn about nutrition through gardening and even supplement the groceries when they get good at it.
Look for Experiences
While most people want to give their kids something to unwrap during the holidays, sometimes the best gifts are the ones you can’t tie a bow on. Mommy Nearest explains that experiences such as a pottery class, a membership to a gym or children’s museum will give them something to look forward to on the weekends.
Experiment Together
Robot kits, crystal-growing kits, and books full of simple experiments they can do at home are great ways to get started. In fact, Parents magazine notes that when science is combined with math in kids’ learning, they have an easier time with goal-setting and problem-solving, which can help them boost their grades in school. So, encourage your child to try simple but fun experiments at home, and make sure they thoroughly understand the importance of safety gear and the rules for safety by finding a book with easy-to-follow instructions.
Enhance Their Interests
You already know what sparks your child’s interests, so look for ways to dive a little deeper. Or, introduce them to a new hobby. If they enjoy nature and wildlife, invest in a pair of binoculars and get into birdwatching. Maybe start a flower garden in the backyard and plant flowers that attract butterflies. If your child loves the weather and changes in seasons, introduce them to storm spotting – who knows, you may have the next popular meteorologist living with you!
When you’re looking for a great gift for your child, be creative and prioritize learning by experience. These are some great ways to find gifts that foster skills they will continue to use for years.
Fun Stuff Super Store offers a variety of different items on my site from Toys, Books, Comic Books, Records, CDs, movies, sports memorabilia and anything that has value that is unusual or fun. Shop online today or reach out for more info! admin@funstuffsuperstore.com
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Right now, businesses are doing everything they can to target last minute shoppers. However, not every gift has to come with a wall charger. In fact, there are plenty of cool, educational toys made every day that require nothing more than an interested child. Consider gifting children an educational toy that lights a spark but doesn’t require batteries. Here are some great suggestions, courtesy of Fun Stuff Super Store.
Musical instruments and lessons are great gifts. Inspire the youngest musician you know by indulging their interest in a musical instrument. Harmonicas, recorders, tambourines, and ukuleles are musical gifts that won't break the bank and make great gifts for any musically inclined kid. If you have something more professional in mind, sites like eBay have a ton of slightly used instruments at discounted rates.
Kids interested in science, astrology, and the world around them delight in gifts like telescopes, microscopes, chemistry sets, rock tumblers, and magnet kits. These types of gifts expand a child's understanding of the world and create a curiosity that keeps them learning. You can also consider giving a membership at the local children's science center or discovery museum. At a science center, kids can get a hands-on experience that facilitates learning in a whole new way.
There may be no toy as simple as a coloring book and a set of crayons, and all children have made their own art at some point. Painting and drawing can lead to other interests such as fashion, art history, and design. It all begins by inspiring a child's creative mind.
Watercolors, paper, markers, crayons, scissors, and other art supplies are affordable as well as easily replenishable. It is easy to keep a creative kid in art supplies, even when it isn't a gift-giving occasion.
Games and sports of any kind are a learning experience. Kids learn the importance of following rules as well as inadvertently practicing math, reading, and a healthy lifestyle. Balls, bats, gloves, skis, rackets, skates, and even shoes all make wonderful gifts related to a sport.
On the other hand, board games and card games also make great, inexpensive gifts for kids. They provide practice in counting, letter recognition, manual dexterity, and enhance visual perception. They are inexpensive and portable so you can take them on trips and anywhere kids might need a healthy distraction.
Even if your child is not an avid reader, a book on their favorite topic is a great gift. Nonfiction books can teach kids drawing and all about the arts. You can find an appropriate age range book about sports, music, science, and all manner of interests. Kids who enjoy reading stories have their own choice of kid-friendly fiction in every genre as well.
Books are inexpensive and can easily be carried around. They come in every sort of variety from pop-up books, to books you can write in, and even some with multiple endings and story routes. With a little encouragement, children can find a world of excitement and interest in books.
Experiential gifts are great for kids who don’t want to let go of their screens. You can start talking about some practical skills you do around the house. Show them websites that talk about cooking, sewing, gardening, and car maintenance. See what makes their eyes twinkle. You can then let them watch you doing simple tasks, and see how they like it. Depending on what interests them (and what’s age-appropriate), you can invite them to watch you prepare dinner, patch up their dolls, pick some weeds, or put some water in the radiator. If they pick up on any of these skills, you can spend quality time talking to them about why having skills are important in life.
Getting a great gift for a child does not mean it has to be electronic. Screens, chargers, or Wi-Fi are not always required to catch a child's interest and keep it occupied. With just a little creativity and imagination in terms of gift-giving, you can encourage your children to use their own creativity as well!
You will find a variety of different items on Fun Stuff Super Store from Toys, Books, Comic Books, Records, CDs, movies, sports memorabilia and anything that has value that is unusual or fun. Let us know if you have any questions!
]]>I was only in elementary school and I had no money, so it wasn’t until I got to junior high that I began collecting in earnest. I had friends who collected and I bought what I could afford from them. I would save my lunch money so I could buy comics. They were only 20 cents new back then.
I met my best friend, Scott, in junior high and my interest got him to collect too. We would travel all around the city to buy comics. There were only spinner racks in the Majik Markets and 7-11s then, so I continued to miss issues because I couldn’t find it.
Once I got into high school, my collection was staring to look pretty decent. I asked everyone if they had comics to sell and I would buy what I could afford. My first job at 15 helped with that. I also started buying albums and 45s. Farrah Fawcett became popular, so I bought everything Farrah related I could. I even styled my hair ; yes I’m a guy, like Farrah’s and was written up in the paper about how much of a fan I was. Sadly, I never met her, but I was in New York one time and two ladies walked by talking about how they had just seen Farrah, but I didn’t intrude, wish I had.
I continued to buy comics and by the time I went to college, I had amassed about 2500 comics. While in college, I used my student loan money to buy comics at conventions in Atlanta. Back issues were still fairly cheap back then and I bought complete runs of Captain America and Thor among other titles at next to nothing because they weren’t selling, imagine that now. I had a want list and I had catalogued my collection. I also made friends with the local comic store owner in town and I kept his financial records and traded my services for comics. By the time I left college, I had over 12,000 comics.
Today, I have over 30,000 comics after over 40+ years of collecting. I buy very little current comics and no Marvel. All the new universes have me dizzy, so I gave up. I have always enjoyed reading comics, but miss the “original’ characters. I don’t know who the current characters are.
Thanks for reading…….more to come.
]]>You will find a variety of different items on my site from Toys, Books, Comic Books, Records, CDs, movies, sports memorabilia and anything that has value that is unusual or fun. I kept everything. I was that kid who opened his toy to play with and then put it back in the box.
There will be new and used items in my store and all are priced accordingly. If you feel strongly that something is mis-priced, then send me an email and let me know.
I am starting out with about 900 items and hope to add items daily, at least Monday thru Friday. I have over 200,000 items to sell, so this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Enjoy browsing and check back often for new items. AND drop me an email from time to time just to say hi. Thanks for shopping.
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