I watch/teach 4 little girls who are all four years old from my home. I'd like to get them all a gift but I'm wondering if I should get them all the same thing or different things? We're doing our Christmas party on the 21st.. What do you think?
We are doing a book exchange and making ornaments for the parents, so I'm just trying to think of something just for them. My 10 year old already got them those velvet color posters in characters that they'd like. Would a framed pic of me and each of them be weird??
I went to Kohls and did the Kohls Care for Kids special they have...the books and coordinating stuffed animals that are $5 each and goes to charity. So I spent $10 on each child. No discounts apply as they are for charity.
This is often a daycare (and for relatives) gift giving that I do..plus I will buy some of the books sometimes to keep in the daycare!
A great book for the parents to read them! Can't loose w. that one.
I would buy them each an ornament for their tree.
How about coordinating toys they can bring to your house and play with together? My four year old girls are in love with Polly Pockets. You could get each of your daycare girls a PP doll (they're about $5 each at Toys R Us) and then they can have a Polly party!
9 times out of 10, I give books for both Christmas & birthdays. I try to keep my budget below $10 for each child....usually hitting $7 or less...if I buy thru the year & plan ahead.
BUT this year, I changed things up: my DH made an activity toy for each child. I have a "climbing bear" which the kids love. It's wooden, strung on cording, & hangs from a hook. You pull one side & then the other, & the bear climbs up to the top. Kids of ALL ages love this toy!
We made enough for the daycare kids + a few great-nieces/nephews. They were a hit at our family party this pask wkend! They're made of cedar, with hand-painted faces. The cording is simply 4' boot laces. Cuter than cute.....& I love that they are based on the original we have here which my older son received as a gift 20+ years ago. Carrying on family traditons is very important to us!
As for same or different: I find it's easier if it's the same....no hurt feelings. & I'm always surprised when the moms are more apt to feel envy over the kids. One year, I gave brand-new dress-up clothes which had been donated to me. I had 2 4yo girls & they each received the same outfits. I also sent home a gift bag for a cousin of one of the girls.....since I knew dress-up would be played together. The other mom actually said, "my daughter noticed that L got more than she did. Do you always handle gifts that way?" Talk about ballsy! It was mom who noticed, not the daughter... because I caught her eyeballing the #/size of packages. Aaaaargh. She felt like a dog when I explained the extra bag was for L's cousin so they could play together. Then the mom complained that it was sooo sad that her daugher didn't have a cousin to play with......oh, boohoo! Grow up! :)
Moving on.....enjoy! The kiddies love parties & love gifts. Our party will be on the 22nd, I do believe....
I love giving kids books, but that can be tough if you don't know what they have. Costco (here at least) sells a set of wooden dolls with wooden clothes, (like paper dolls, with different outfits). I've gotten these for my daycare kids before and they really like them, and play with them for a few years.
Bendaroos are always fun... or art supplies like colored pencils or markers.
I think a photo of you and them together would be sweet (not weird).
I had the greatest idea for my crew this year...I got each of them a mini-magnadoodle (Etch-A-Sketch brand) for the car ride home. We have 6 full sized ones here and they play with them everyday so I thought the little ones for the car were perfect. The parents whom I have heard from love them.
Last year I made marker holders for them with Internation coffee tins that I covered in scrapbook paper and mod-podged on. I also put their names on it with stickers. Once they were dry, I filled them with plaster of paris and when it began to set, put washable markers in upside down so that the lids were sunken halfway into the plaster of paris. That way, the marker lids are never lost and when the marker runs out, you can easily replace the marker. These were not expensive to make and also were a big hit!
Good luck!
There are some cute Dora, Strawberry Shortcake, etc. $5 DVDs at Target.
I'm not sure how much you want to spend, but I have given a toy called Playful Patterns to four different 4 year old girls this year and they all absolutely love it (as does my 4 year old son). You can check it out here: http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao If you order it now it should arrive by the 21st.
Little girls this age also love My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, and all the Disney Princesses. So you can give one of those toys or some art supplies.
Happy Holidays!
K.
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao - all the toys you need for all the kids in your life!
I think the framed picture would be cute. Last year my daycare provider took a picture of her with all the daycare kids, framed it and gave it to my daughter. She loves it and has it on her dresser in her room. She is 4.5 years old. She usually gets the girls the same gift and the boys the same gift. One year she made all the girls knitted dresses (my daughter still wears hers). Another year she made all the kids little aprons and gave them a children's cookbook.
Gosh. I think I would ask the parents. They would know exactly what their girls would like plus they could tell you if they thought it would be okay to do different.
I personally would do the same item for each.
