Making a gift list
Financial skills to explore
- Understanding the steps involved in planning a purchase
- Prioritizing needs and wants
- Comparing prices
For children ages 6 to 7
Activity summary
There are many occasions to give and receive gifts: the holidays, birthdays, special events, etc. It's the perfect time to teach your children to list, in order of importance and necessity, the gifts they wish to unwrap.
After this activity, you'll know when to talk about sharing, prioritizing and budgeting.
Useful tips
For children, and sometimes also for parents, there can be a very thin line between a need, something essential, and a want, which can often come in the form of a gift.
Do your children know the value of things? Can they tell the difference between a need and a want? These questions can serve as a starting point to help them understand and choose exactly what they need and what makes them happy. Start by having a discussion with them on the subject.
Examples of questions to ask your children when they are making a gift list:
1. If you were travelling to a desert island, what would you bring? | All categories and possibilities included, you can take note of the items that spring to your children's mind. |
2. What are your priorities? | Ask your children to organize all the items on their list in order of importance. This quick exercise helps establish priorities. Without forcing your children to choose, you can ask them to number each item on the list from 1 to 10 (10 being the most important). |
3. Why are you adding this gift to your list? | That's the real question! With your children, try to figure out exactly why they want a specific item. If they can't come up with a quick answer, they'll often realize how important an item is on their own. |
4. How will you be using this gift in 1 year? 2 years? | It's a good way to let your children think about how they'll use their gift once the magic of the first few days has come and gone. This question will produce productive reflections. |
Useful tips
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Additional material
Needs and Wants (PDF, 490 KB)
Is the list complete? Your children listed just about everything they have ever dreamed of? The logical follow-up would be to go on a scavenger hunt and bring back a nicely wrapped gift.
Why not ask your children to go shopping before the purchase? It can be a fun family activity! Think about it. It's a great opportunity to talk about money and savings.
- Compare prices
Deals of the day, blowout sales, value for money—your children don't know all this information. Yet, it will be crucial when they start shopping alone. - Make responsible purchases
For clothing, accessory and food purchases, you can encourage your children to buy local. By learning more about the history of the companies that make the item your children want, you can make an enlightened decision on the origin of your purchases. - Play the elimination game
They don't have your size? The gift your child has been dreaming about is no longer available? Your children need to learn to find solutions or alternatives. If you didn't manage to find what you were looking for, you can postpone the purchase to a later date. If the item isn't as magical as it seemed, it should be removed from the list. - Online, in store or through the catalogue?
All 3 possibilities are worth looking into, based on your purchasing habits. Are your children visual? Quick and secure online purchases and paper catalogues are good options. Would they rather see the item in person? Going to the store to see the gift is another good solution.
Useful tips
Whether you have a tight budget or you want to get your children something that can't be bought, the possibilities are endless. As the saying goes, it's the thought that counts.
A few gift suggestions:
- A family picnic
- A photo album with memories from birth until the present day
- An outing at the movie theatre or drive-in to see the movie of their choice, popcorn and candy included
- A long family bike ride
- A camping excursion in the forest
- A pyjama night at home: board games, breakfast for supper and sheet tents set up as a family
- An afternoon sun tanning at the beach
- A trip to a city your children have never visited
- An arts and crafts workshop with their friends
- A passion you wish to pass on: guitar, painting, etc.
You can be sure that your children will remember special family moments for years to come. You can choose an activity enjoyed by everyone and make it a tradition.
Useful tips
The holiday frenzy comes every year. It's easy to get carried away with purchases and preparing a New Year's meal, isn't it? Don't worry, this time of year has the same effect on most families. Everyone wants to enjoy good times together.
Did you know that the holidays can also be a good time to talk about sharing:
"Anne-Sophie is used to sorting through items in our cupboards as the December vacation period approaches. We both take the time to fill a basket with non-perishable supplies to give to a charitable organization that helps needy families."
Anita, mother of Anne-Sophie
"I have been volunteering since I was very young. When I was about 8, my parents told me about a local charity during the holidays. I'm sure I'll share this great idea filled with good values to my children one day."
Ariane, 5 months pregnant
"I must admit that both of my children really enjoy getting out into the community during this time of year. We bake cookies as a family for the wonderful people around us."
Ibrahim, father of Farrah and Ismaël
"Every Christmas, I encourage my daughters to think about someone they would like to give a gift to. It doesn't need to be something big; just a little surprise crafted during an afternoon. I think that this gesture makes all the difference and so do they."
Sonia, mother of Catherine and Sophie