There are a few times in your children’s year that you can give them a gift they will truly love and enjoy. One is their birthday and the other is Christmas. You want to give them something they want, but you know they will never feed a pony because they barely help with the dog.
There are many Lego sets under $200 that nearly all children would enjoy owning. There are also several gifts you can purchase that won’t break your budget and will bring the family closer together.
Here are 4 budget-friendly gift ideas your children will still adore once they have played with them the first week.
Croquet
Why not get the entire family outside and playing a couple of rounds of croquet. This one time British pastime, a yard game, is making a comeback and can include even the youngest of family members.
Less walking than a round of golf, croquet sets can be purchased in a variety of colorful characters, like animals with open mouths, or simple wire arches. The mallets range from heavy to light so those who don’t have a hardy swing can still participate.
Making Movie Magic
Why not put all the phone and screen time to good use and create a movie? You can have the kids help you write, act and shoot a movie based on the entire family. This type of activity will only cost as much as you allow it to, especially if you keep the props and sets to a minimum.
Start with a family meeting about what everyone thinks the movie should be about. You may be surprised at what your kids will come up with, but when you put things to a vote, you may not be as surprised.
Making a family movie will not only teach your kids about cooperation, but also the meaning of family. Making a move will give them something they will enjoy for the rest of their lives.
Building Sets
Besides Legos, there are many building block type sets that the entire family can enjoy together. Budding architects can help to create a small city with all the moving parts. From a train set that surrounds the buildings to remove-controlled cars and trucks, the tiny town can come alive after several hours of building.
These sets are much more detailed than a Jenga set or small building blocks. There are sets of blocks that have miniature building parts, to actual large type blocks that could build a small house in the back yard.
Scavenger Hunt
This type of family activity can also be as expensive or inexpensive as you wish it to be. One of the fun things about a scavenger hunt is that it gets the entire family involved and you can base it on a theme.
You could base the hunt on a large family gift such as a video game console or a trip to Disney World. All the clues would point to the final “prize” and everyone would get one guess based on the items found.
It doesn’t take a lot of money to bring a family together and have a fun time. Think outside the box and build lasting memories.
