The pandemic has been hard on all of us. It’s thrown us into the deep end with no idea how to swim. But, as adults, we at least understand what is happening. The people I feel sorry for in a pandemic, are children. The majority of children love going to school and being with their friends, playing at the park, going on holidays, but the pandemic has put a stop to all of that. And now, they’re having to follow social distancing rules that they don’t super understand. Why can’t they give their grandma a hug? It’s a heartbreaking time, but we’re coming out of the other side of it now. This blog post is for those of you out there with children in your life who deserve a little treat. A gift, either to support them through the pandemic or just to show how much you care about them. We’ll talk about different price ranges and types of gifts too, so that there’s something for everyone.
A computer
Let’s start with the big one. Something many children have needed through the pandemic at some point or another is a laptop, tablet or computer. Not only does it allow them to connect with their family and friends who they can’t see in person but it allows them to do school work from home when their bubble inevitably bursts. Giftwhale allows you to share with family and friends what gift your child would benefit from the most, avoiding two well-meaning relatives buying the same laptop, tablet or computer.
Books
Books, Books, Books! There will never be a time when I don’t recommend buying books for children. Books help to develop their speech, language and understanding of the world, while also developing their relationship with the person reading to them. For the youngsters out there, anything by author Julia Donaldson is always a win. The older children would definitely enjoy either Harry Potter (and the adults will too) or some Roald Dahl. Add the books that your children are missing to your Giftwhale list to make for easy collecting.
Getting stuck into a project
Project-type gifts are making a huge comeback. Remember when you were little and you’d spend all your time building something out of Lego? Well, believe it or not, even in the age of video games, this is still a thing! Painting by numbers, crafting kits, and even build your own robot projects are popular right now. Follow your child’s interests, and maybe get something that will take their attention for a while, leaving you time to do all those jobs on your list.
Early learning
For the babies and toddlers, they haven’t known anything other than a pandemic and so gifts can also help to support their development! Wooden building blocks are great ways to encourage their imagination and physical development, while sensory mats help babies to interact with the world. When buying for babies and toddlers, I like to think that the simpler the toy the better. There are loads of ideas out there that you can add to your Giftwhale list, and show family and friends what your baby or toddler needs or would like as a gift.
It’s important to keep children busy. As much for their sanity as your own. Too much time in front of the TV (something we all do, I know) isn’t great and if there are some products out there that you think will help to tear your children away from the TV set, then add them to the Giftwhale list! That way your loved ones will know what to purchase, saving both time and money. They say that children are the future, and so keeping their lives as normal during the pandemic is so important. This is a great way to do just that.
