On the eve of the big New Year holidays, parents are most concerned about how to make these days the most enjoyable for all family members. Particular time is devoted to the question of what gifts their children should find under the tree and what to prepare for the solemn meal. In this article, we will not touch on the topic of the feast. The conversation will focus on the best way to wish Happy New Year to the smallest family members.
From the history of the tradition of New Year's gifts
What is the best way to present a gift? In Russia, as in most European countries, on New Year's Eve, moms and dads put gifts under the Christmas tree. In the morning, the children discover them and are glad that Santa Claus came to their house. Parents, on the other hand, diligently support their naive belief in miracles to the very end.
Previously, New Year's gifts for children were put in stockings, which were hung over the fireplace. The children waited in trepidation for the morning, afraid to find a twig in their stockings. This meant that the baby was misbehaving and did not deserve sweets and toys. What were children's New Year's gifts like at that time? Most often it was sweets, because in a stocking a largeyou can't put the thing down.
Holidays and traditions are constantly changing. Before the change of the calendar from Julian to Gregorian, the concept of "New Year's gift" did not exist. The beginning of the next year was celebrated rather modestly. The main holiday was Christmas, so gifts were not given to children for the New Year. Only at Christmas did the children receive stockings with candy or, if unlucky, with a twig.
Packaging is a very important issue
The best Christmas present for a child these days is a large, beautifully designed toy box. For girls, the color of wrapping paper and bow or ribbon should be pink or red, for boys, blue or light blue.
Packaging for New Year's gifts is an important issue. If on the eve of the holiday it was not possible to find paper or ribbons of the desired color, it is permissible to use gold, silver, green or other paper, but the bow must still match the gender of the child. This is not mandatory, but children, especially school-age children, take these things very seriously. Therefore, in order not to upset your children, try to decorate children's New Year's gifts, observing this simple rule.
The need to observe the ritual is not easy, but mandatory
Should I ask my child what to give him? It all depends on his age and the financial situation of his parents. Preschoolers generally do not require specific things. They want either the same toys as their friends, or those that caught their eye intoy store. Designers, books, tickets for the Christmas tree, new items in the children's toy industry are most often obscure to them. They ask for cars, dolls, small and large soft toys. It's good if you can give the child both what he asked for and some kind of educational game. And do not try to ignore the ritual of folding gifts under the Christmas tree, explaining that the kids will still oversleep the chiming clock and the midnight feast. Children are told about the New Year in preschool institutions. Many books have been written about the holiday, well-known and very popular feature and animated films have been shot.
What to give a boy?
The best New Year's gift for a boy is a toy technique. A plastic or metal car, depending on the age of the child, is something that will always be in place. A weapon, like a favorite hero of a popular movie, is also a great gift. The boy will be very happy with a male doll from the same favorite movie or book. Table hockey or football is a great choice, however, such a gift will be bulky, therefore, the tree should be large. The children's railway is the dream of every child familiar with the book about Malysh and Carlson. What to give a boy for the New Year, his dad knows best. He remembers what he dreamed about and what he was most happy about.
What to give a girl?
New Year is a holiday that allows parents to realize their childhood dreams that did not come true at the time. If mom dreamed of a doll that could be hairstyled, then she didn’tyou need to suffer for too long over the question of what to give your daughter for the New Year. A beautiful doll with long hair is something that her girl will definitely like. Mom, during the long holiday weekend with her daughter, she will play with this thing, dressing her up, combing her, putting her to bed, etc. For both, this will remain a wonderful memory for a lifetime.
Big plush toys
If you do not know what to give your child for the New Year, then large soft toys are at your service. Children are always very happy with them. The stores sell a great variety of a wide variety of funny fur animals. If you are going to visit friends who have children, buy such a toy. It can be a cat, a dog, a monkey or a cow - anyone. They are sometimes supplied with mechanisms, and then the toys say funny phrases or sing songs. Even if you do not know the child or have forgotten how old he is, a soft toy - a symbol of the coming year - will always come in handy. Giving a funny dog or bear, you will not offend either the boy or the girl. This toy does not need packaging. For New Year's gifts, they usually choose an animal corresponding to the coming year. It is considered bad form only to give an animal - a symbol of the outgoing year. All other options are perfectly acceptable.
Board Games
Some parents think that the best Christmas present is the one that comes in handy from a practical point of view. Such an opinion is not meaningless. However, giving the baby this kind of thing, pay attentionattention to its labeling. If the age indicated on the box does not match the age of the child, then you risk upsetting your child. Games like chess, Monopoly, or Scrabble are suitable for middle and older students. The kid will either tear the cards, or lose them, or break them, and you won’t buy such an interesting game for the second time. When giving a child an educational game, remember that at first you will have to play with him. You will need to study the instructions and remember the rules. A board game is a wonderful gift that all family members can play together. It is very unifying. When buying such a game, ask the seller how many people can play it at the same time. If it is written: from four to six people, and there are only three of you in your family, then the game will not be useful to you, and not only the child, but also yourself will be upset.
Items for the development of artistic taste
Parents who strive to develop the artistic taste of their children deserve praise. Good paints, modeling materials, pencils, brushes and paper are not cheap, and the joy of receiving such a gift is always less than from a plush toy. This, of course, is unfair, but it is naive to demand understanding and gratitude from a small child. The best thing is to give a fur toy, a doll or a car, plus something for the development of motor skills and imagination.
Constructors
Every child must have a constructor. Engaging with connecting modules is soothingnervous system, develops perseverance, teaches to concentrate. There are many such designers, such as Lego, that are suitable for children of different ages. All of them differ in complexity and number of elements. The best thing about them is that different models fit together. Having assembled the model shown in the picture, you can disassemble it and assemble a completely different one, or you can use the details from the old designer of the same brand and come up with an even more complex design. Even if the child himself is not able to cope with the task, he will watch with great interest how mom or dad does it. So he will learn how to construct and in time he will become very happy to play without the help of adults.
Puzzles
Puzzles, or mosaics, are also a wonderful gift, but a child, having collected a picture, will not do this a second time, at least in the near future. In this sense, the constructor is more interesting. If the mosaic consists of a thousand or more elements, then a small child will not cope with it. Therefore, when choosing a picture, do not forget to specify for what age it is intended. Another danger lies in wait for the parents who gave the child a mosaic: very often, a father or mother, having begun to collect a complex picture, is so carried away that they forget about the time and the fact that the baby has long been bored and offended. Is it a joke - because of his gift, they forgot about him!
Books
In Soviet times in the USSR they said that the best gift for the New Year and for any other holiday is a book. This statement was explained as follows. It was believed that our country -most reading country in the world. Now this myth has been debunked, but the opinion that a book is the best gift remains. We will not argue with this, however, the choice of this kind of gift should be approached with particular care. Unfortunately, not all book publishers are equally conscientious about the production of their products. There are misprints in books, poor-quality printing ink often leaves marks on the fingers, pictures are poorly printed, and children's stories are so abbreviated that they are sometimes difficult to recognize. However, if you take our recommendations seriously, you will do a wonderful and useful thing for your child.
Books for the little ones are equipped with electronic devices that read the written text aloud, asking questions on the text (like a quiz). The kid, after listening to or reading a fairy tale, must press the appropriate button with the appropriate answer. This makes it very easy to learn to read.
A child who is used to reading or looking at the pages of books from childhood is more likely to grow up as an educated person and be able to get a good profession. He will not say: "I do not want to read this or that document, because it was compiled by a competent specialist." We all know the nasty consequences of signing an unread document.
In our review of New Year's gifts, we do not want to upset young dads and moms and set them up for the bad. On the contrary, thoughtfully approaching the choice of gifts for their children, young parents, who have not even encountered biglife's difficulties, help their daughters and sons grow up well prepared for adulthood. Poor social adaptation is a real disease of modern society, consisting of individuals who spent all their free time watching cartoons on TV or playing games on the computer as children.
Give gadgets?
From the previous paragraph, the conclusion suggests itself that gadgets are not the kind of gift that should be put under the New Year tree. Nevertheless, I would like to say a word in defense of electronic toys with plasma screens. In the age of high technology, it is unacceptable not to be able to handle complex means of communication. Give kids new phones, tablets, and other high-tech toys. Let your sons and daughters learn to easily understand the intricacies of various interfaces and computer programs. This will be useful to them. Just do not forget about the traditional childish and simple-hearted joys. It's so nice to find gifts under the tree! Let magic, kindness and a fairy tale decorate their lives at least for the New Year.
Santa Claus and Snow Maiden
What could be more wonderful than the arrival of the most important characters of the holiday?! Such a gift is not too expensive, but it will be remembered for a lifetime. The kid will be happy if Grandfather Frost himself and his granddaughter Snegurochka come to his house on January 1 to wish him a Happy New Year. When choosing an agency that provides this service, collect as much information about it as possible. Selectthe one that has been organizing such events for a long time - on the eve of big holidays, various kinds of scammers are also activated. Make sure that by the time the artists arrive, there is also one of the adults in the apartment with the child. If you have planned everything correctly, then do not forget to learn a good poem with your baby in advance. Let him tell it to Santa Claus.
If for some reason you can't book the fabulous guests, rent costumes and dress up yourself.
It should be noted that most young children do not understand the meaning of unfamiliar adults coming to their home, even dressed up, as in the New Year's picture. Therefore, the day before, talk with the baby and prepare him for the upcoming event.
