For the past five years, I’ve been sharing some of my favorite books along with the perfect gifts to go with them. It really is one of my favorite recipes for gifts for children: 1 great book + 1 fun toy = sure-fire winner with loads of use!
Merry Christmas and Some Weekend Reads!
It’s time for me to log off for the year! Though I’ll be doing some behind the scenes work, this is my last post until after the New Year! I’m looking forward to a little Christmas Vacation time with my family and hope you have exciting plans for this season as well!
Quick Thought: Christmas From Heaven
Book+ Gifts! Literacy-Inspired Christmas Gifts Kids Will Love!
I love giving books as presents! It’s one gift my boys can count on for just about every holiday. But one of my favorite things to do is to pair a book with another gift. Each item is great on its own, but together they come to life! Here are a few of my favorites for this holiday season (includes affiliate links):
Batteries Not Included: Gifts for Kids that Ignite the Imagination
Have you ever heard people joke about getting an extravagant gift for a child, and all the recipient wanted to do was play with the box? That’s because for all the bells and whistles you can find attached to today’s toys, the fact remains that children love any opportunity to imagine, create, and pretend. And as a parent and educator, I love to give kids that opportunity! Here, you’ll find some of my favorite gift ideas for igniting that spark!
*This post contains affiliate links to products I genuinely believe you’ll enjoy!
147 Things You Don’t Need to Do During the Holidays
Have you hopped on Pinterest lately? It’s a feast for the eyes and the imagination! You’ll instantly be reminded that it’s Christmastime when you see loads and loads of pins with an abundance of ideas — 42 New Traditions to Make Christmas Magical, 239 Ways to Position Your Christmas Elf, 96 Christmas Songs to Download Now, and 63 New Cookie Recipes You Can’t Live Without. So many great resources! I have to admit I love being able to hop on and find new inspiration with just a few keystrokes.
But perhaps the real brilliance is not in finding all the best new stuff to do this Christmas, but in choosing what NOT to do. [Read more…]
Sharing the Gift of Service with Children
December can be a tricky time. While we all want children who understand concepts of unselfishness and service, Christmastime too often ends up with a lot of emphasis on “What do YOU want for Christmas?”
Handmade for Christmas
Last week I shared my friend Melissa’s amazing lists of educational gifts for children, most of which can be purchased online. Today I thought I’d share gifts that may inspire your own creativity as well as that of the children you share them with. Perhaps one will help you cross that last gift off your list!
Santa Claus: What’s Your Story?
Tomorrow marks the first day of December and begins a month of magic and excitement. I love the Christmas season. And it’s obvious my boys do too.
I’m Back — With Educational Gift Guides for the Kids in Your Life
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday! Sorry for the paucity of posts last week. It started out with puzzling technical difficulties that got straightened out right as the family time began.