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Does anyone do anything for a small gift for the kids for Easter? I always do small Christmas gifts for the kids, a little heart with like 4 candies in it for Valentines day, Halloween little treat bags and a little something for their birthday. I feel like it's getting a bit much gifts for everything. Not to sound bad, but the parents do get me a little something for Christmas, but nothing else, even though they know when my birthday is. That does make me kinda feel bad. I get like a $10 gift for the kids each for their birthdays every single year and they're all on my FB, so they know when my birthday is and not even a card.
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I give the children books for Christmas (scholastic $1 or free books earned) and a small valentine.....
Other than that we may have a special snack or a nice craft. I do a special think for Mother's Day and Father's Day where we make a nice keepsake type craft and invite them to longer a bit at drop off. -
Easter is my favorite holiday, so I do gifts. I buy $4 beanie babies from a charity (Easter Seals, maybe? It's from DH's work every year).
Then I buy one stuffed animal on clearance from Valentine's Day and have a "guess the amount of rice/jellybeans/whatever" game. Winner gets the prize.
Then we color Easter eggs. We use all natural food dyes - this is really fun and the colors are amazing! So the eggs are a type of "gift", I guess.
Then an Easter egg hunt. Cheap chocolates and tiny things like stickers.Comment
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I spend too much.
I'm trying to cut back but it's not easy to do once you've set a precedent.
Last year for Easter I went shopping at the Dollar Tree, ended up buying each child cute buckets and then stuff to fill. I even did a couple older siblings, 1 that went through my dc, and 1 that did not. Dollar Tree is great but if you buy a lot it can still be costly. So this year, I bought cute pastel cookie cutters there and am going to make playdoh for all my current dcks, except the baby, not sure there yet. Not even sure I want to do Easter eggs with them. To me, that's part of what I did as a parent.
Christmas: I always include a book as part of the gift. One year it was a book and floor puzzle, another book/pj's and another book/Disney blanket.
Birthdays it varies on child's interest but am now doing around 20 bucks. With cupcakes and balloons just to decorate.
Valentine's Day this year I gave them a Valentine's book and some homemade cookies in a Valentine's bag.
I am trying to cut back because it's getting to be too darn much money that I need to put towards my own family and household bills.Comment
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No, not for Easter. I buy clearance toys for the next year's Christmas gifts.
I have a birthday box filled with $ Tree stuff. They get to pick from that box and they are so thrilled! A big decision!
I give a little treat like Annie's gummy bunnies and a few stickers at Halloween and Valentines Day. I'm cheap when it comes to gifts.
Our local thrift store has Beanie Babies at times for 50 cents! That's a great idea! Thanks! I may begin collecting them and the kids could pick one!Comment
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No. The only gifts they receive from me are a $1.00 book gift at Christmas (bought from Scholastic with my points if I have enough) and a $1.00 gift for their birthday (some things are bought from Dollar Tree like a puzzle or they might have been clearance toys from Walmart for $1.00).
It's more than enough. They get plenty of very expensive, fancy gifts at home for every holiday.Comment
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Ask your parents to supply you with pre-filled eggs.I spend too much. I'm trying to cut back but it's not easy to do once you've set a precedent.
Last year for Easter I went shopping at the Dollar Tree, ended up buying each child cute buckets and then stuff to fill. I even did a couple older siblings, 1 that went through my dc, and 1 that did not. Dollar Tree is great but if you buy a lot it can still be costly. So this year, I bought cute pastel cookie cutters there and am going to make playdoh for all my current dcks, except the baby, not sure there yet. Not even sure I want to do Easter eggs with them. To me, that's part of what I did as a parent.
Christmas: I always include a book as part of the gift. One year it was a book and floor puzzle, another book/pj's and another book/Disney blanket.
Birthdays it varies on child's interest but am now doing around 20 bucks. With cupcakes and balloons just to decorate.
Valentine's Day this year I gave them a Valentine's book and some homemade cookies in a Valentine's bag.
I am trying to cut back because it's getting to be too darn much money that I need to put towards my own family and household bills.
I have each parent bring in 12+ eggs for each child.Comment
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This sounds really bad
, but for those that buy gifts for the kids on their birthdays, do the parents ever recognize your birthday? None of mine ever have and like I said, they know when it is, they're all on my FB and can see when it is. Even a $5 bouquet of flowers would mean so much. It's not the cost of the gift but that ole appreciation factor. To make it clear, I don't give the kids gifts so I can get a gift, that's not what I mean. I guess maybe I don't know how to explain it
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I stopped gifts at all but 2 holiday parties. I chose Halloween and Easter. No Christmas gifts anymore, no bday gifts anymore. I have some generous parents, and dcps who will leave with a "see ya around" on the last day. The first time that happened I was devastated.This sounds really bad, but for those that buy gifts for the kids on their birthdays, do the parents ever recognize your birthday? None of mine ever have and like I said, they know when it is, they're all on my FB and can see when it is. Even a $5 bouquet of flowers would mean so much. It's not the cost of the gift but that ole appreciation factor. To make it clear, I don't give the kids gifts so I can get a gift, that's not what I mean. I guess maybe I don't know how to explain it Comment
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Scholastic is great! You earn points for every dollar you spend and you don't have to buy a lot to earn! Many of the months are double and sometimes triple points and there is always bonus points so it seems they are giving them away!
As for Easter egg coloring/egg hunts/gifts/trinkets/treats.....I used to go all out and do the whole egg hunt and have individual baskets for all the kids but I don't know, I started going smaller and smaller over the last few years.....
The kids I've had over the last few years are so used to getting stuff (they are rewarded for everything and celebrate everything
) that its not worth doing anymore.
I used to do it because they all got so excited but about 3 years ago I had a little guy tell me I was the 3rd egg hunt he'd been on and we were celebrating almost a week before the actual holiday so I decided then and there that I was done.
Now I sometimes give a small candy gift in an Easter themed treat bag but basically I take Good Friday AND Easter Monday off and call it good.
Works for me!
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I only do Winter Holiday gifts (A special heirloom type book); they are given out @ the Holiday open house in December which is my one big to do yearly - most parents give me small gifts too...
I also do a small birthday party for first birthdays with a cake and then there is Mardi Gras; the parents think it's so cute that the babes get beads & mini masks & I share my King cake. Of course I play music that goes with the theme all day. The rest of the Holidays I don't bother with except for playing appropriate music
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I agree with other posts that say that it's just like it's expected and the kids just have their hand out all the time. One dck asked me on his birthday, where' s my present? I wanted to throw it away. How rude and yea i know it's a kid, but nothing is a surprise or a big deal anymore. That's sad.
How do you sign up for Scholastic? Do you do it as a teacher?Comment
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SCHOLASTIC
readingclub@scholastic.com
1-800-724-6527
Personally, I'd call them. Tell them you are a teacher in a home based child care and you want book club catalogs for the following
Honeybee
Inchworm
Firefly
SeeSaw
Early Childhood
Kindergarten
Those are all birth to Kindy. They do have ones for older kids which you can ask about when you call if you have older kids but since I don't, I don't know what those catalogs are called.
You can place an order from any catalog you want for up to 3 months after....they come monthly. You can place an order as small as $1 or as large as you want. Shipping is usually free but it might be minimal if you order under $25....I can't remember for sure.
But it's a great program and one I have been part of for years!!! You just can't beat their $1, $2 and $3 books as well as their 50-75% off sale at the end of each school year!Comment
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