There have never been so many options to choose from and it has never been so difficult to decide on the right option when buying gifts for your child at Christmas.
However, we are also in an era in which parents have more information than ever before available to us and, if we want, we can use it to improve our judgment and make good choices.
As each age is accompanied by a different maturational moment, we propose some ideas so that your gift is also an opportunity for growth.
Infallible gifts for your child at Christmas and Epiphany
At each stage... its corresponding gift. Take note of these proposals!
one. Musical Instruments (1 year)
If your little one is leaving the baby stage behind and is around a year old, one of the gifts for your child at Christmas that sure to enjoy during this age is the musical instrument kit for children.
Mainly consists of percussion (drums, tambourines, wooden boxes to be played with special drumsticks) and various rattles (some with bells and others with fillers made up of small pieces that emit different noises when shaken in The xylophone is usually the star thanks to the musicality of its sound that enchants the little ones.
A great way to accompany your music discovery without requiring great playing skill on your part.
2. Magnetic board (2 years)
One way to help them discover the world is by letting them freely express their interpretation of everything around them through drawing. And to prevent them from eating the paint and coloring crayons, the use of magnetic boards is one of the most useful (and cleanest) options so that they can start making their first drawings.
It consists of a magnetized (and framed) surface somewhat larger than a page, which is usually accompanied by a kind of pencil with a magnet on the pointer. When sliding it on the surface, the lines appear in another color, which can be easily erased with a bar that slides from side to side. Sometimes it also includes other magnets with geometric silhouettes to give more play to the board.
In any case, if you choose to give one to your son, you will surely see him painting frequently and at the same time developing motor skills fine with the use of the pencil.
3. Balance bike (3 years)
As time goes by, your child becomes more and more aware of his own body and gains more and more physical ability. It is the ideal time for him to leave behind the tricycle or the fat-wheeled motorcycle with which he has propelled himself with skill for a long time and take the step towards the discovery of the narrow-wheeled bicycle without pedals.
And why give away a bike without pedals? Because it's an ideal way for him to start gaining balance and thus make the natural transition (when the time comes) to the pedal bike, without the need for training wheels! Of course, if you decide on this among the possible gifts for your son at Christmas, add a helmet and knee pads, because he will not be spared from falls.
4. Kitchen set with molding paste (4 years)
At age 4 your child is beginning to understand the world of adults and imitation of everyday activities is part of his learning. The kitchen, that place from which everything you eat comes out, becomes one of the places that arouses your curiosity the most. Why not give him the chance to start making his own dishes?
There are some kitchen sets for molding a paste similar to plasticine, but much softer to the touch, with which you can make cakes, spaghetti... and all this while developing creativity, internalizing Adult models function and reinforce fine motor skills. Don't you think this could be one of the gifts for your son at Christmas?
5. Games to train skill, self-control and patience (5 years)
At this age, one of the parts that needs to be reinforced the most in children is their capacity for self-control, since in order to progress in many new aspects this aspect is very necessary.
Some games, such as fishing for toy fish with a magnet using mini rods, serve to train that skill, which in turn requires concentration and patience. Games of stacking pieces challenging the balance to build a tower, for example, are also very useful.
Having this type of game as an option is a great help when you are not sure what gift to buy your child.
6. Tablet (6 years)
Today the exposure of our children to smartphones, tablets and computers is inevitable, since from birth, all these devices are part of our daily gestures. But if we have had a minimum of good sense, we will have tried to at least postpone as much as possible the moment of giving them to them to use.
However, we cannot live with our backs turned to reality and that is that digital screens are going to become part of our daily lives and children must be allowed to familiarize yourself with its useOf course, always under our supervision and with proper use that does not limit their interaction with the rest of the world.
At 6 years old, when they start primary school, it may be a good time to let them try using a tablet , where through games suitable for their age (and also their contents) they can take advantage to train certain skills and competencies. Seen this way, a tablet can be one of the gifts for your child at Christmas this year.
7. Games for one and to share (7 -9 years)
Between the ages of 7 and 9, both the most introspective curiosity and the most connected sociability with the people around them, children feed on experiences that allow them, on the one hand, to satisfy their desire to investigate and explore the world, and on the other to relate and share with others.
That is why it is perhaps one of the best stages to introduce board games,such as Party or Cluedo, that create new opportunities to enjoy with family and friends, as well as others that they can use alone (with adult supervision) to let their explorer desire flow, such as magic games, chemical experiments, crystal creation or those of archaeology.
8. Virtual reality and role-playing games (10 - 12 years old)
If your child is between 10 and 12 years old, you will already have noticed that adolescence is approaching. We will then stop talking about children as such and it will be time to face a new and complex stage in which the gifts for your child will be different But changes happen gradual, for which their awakening to all the new experiences that come begins with an approach, which they see as the world of adults.
Role-playing games offer a new dimension, since it requires a series of more complex skills for which your level of maturity begins to be up to par, being also a new way of socializing with others guys with similar interests to yours.
On the other hand, we return to the generational leap and incorporate a new element: virtual reality. Before this age, there may be a risk that the immersive capacity of the use of virtual reality glasses acts counterproductively in the development of the child's social skills, by isolating him too much from his environment and plunging him into a world in which everything it can be possible.
It may be time to incorporate this element to provide realism to some games, but yes, monitoring their use from a cautious eye and criticism.