Monday, November 30, 2009

The Gift Game

If it is one thing I can't stand, it's a child who plows through gifts one after another without stopping to appreciate the gift. Luckily, I discovered "the gift game" and plan on prepping my little guy for the Christmas and birthday gifts he will soon be receiving...BTW his birthday is on Christmas, so there will be a lot of gifts from a lot of people!


A mom in Rockford MI gave me this idea, and it is fairly simple. Gather a couple of used gift bags (we always save them) and tell your child(ren) that you are going to play the "gift game!" Everyone playing gets to "shop" for another person playing by going around the house and placing an item in the bag. You'll want to make sure that your kiddos understand that they don't get to keep the gift, it is just a game.


When the shopping is done, the gifts are exchanged. The first rule is that the receiver MUST say thank you when given the gift. Once they open the gift, the receiver must then come up with a compliment about the item. Depending on the item, your child may have to be creative and might need a little help at first. Once the gifts are exchanged, feel free to go shopping again!


I LOVE this idea! I get so annoyed when children are not polite when getting a gift, but then I realized no one is probably teaching them how to be polite! That will no longer be an excuse in my household! Jonathan and I will be playing this game today!

3 comments:

Amy said...

Well...it looks like playing this game paid off! Jonathan did a great job remembering to thank everyone who gave him a presen at his party this weekend! I can't believe my baby will be 5-years-old in a few days!

Stacia said...

I love this idea! Thanks for sharing it. When we play, I'm guessing my daughter will be gifting tissue paper to all of us. It was by far her favorite "gift" this Christmas. =>

Amy W said...

You're welcome Stacia! Thanks for stopping by! If only you knew beforehand that your daughter would prefer the tissue paper, huh?