Gift Ideas to Foster Independence in Young Children
This gift will be getting use long after the batteries die out on that awesome new thing-a-ma jig
Are you looking to find the perfect gift for young kids? Are you sick of buying shiny plastic toys that you know will get used once or twice and then thrown in the corner? Read on for one of the very best gift ideas for young children.
Side note: I can not take credit for this gift idea. My favorite neighbor is the genius behind this one. She is an amazing Montessori preschool teacher and knows a thing or two (or a million) when it comes to fostering independence in her young children. I definitely learn from her on the daily. This gift idea is all hers. So thank you, neighbor! We love you guys!
My toddler recently turned four, and all she wanted for her birthday were our neighbors to come over and to have a rainbow unicorn piñata. Now that is a gift I can deliver. No party? No problem! My kid can be kind to me. Also, with no party, that also means we wont get all the crazy plastic toys and junk to fill our already bursting space.
My go-to gift has always been a cool book of some kind, or maybe a neat craft, puzzle, or game. But my neighbor? She gifted my daughter with independence! Our daughter received a step stool to reach the counter. A step stool that collapses in on itself and has a handle. A step stool that my daughter can pull out and move anywhere in the house.
She also received a tiny pitcher for water. She LOVES that at our neighbors’ house they have a water pitcher that she can fill with water and then pour into her own little glass. So, when she saw a water pitcher in her bag she was so excited to fill it up and start pouring glasses of water for everyone. Now, when my daughter is thirsty, I tell her to go into the fridge and get her own water. One thing off this momma’s plate. Granted, I am often mopping up water spills, but it’s water…its probably doing more good than harm on my floors.
Next, we received a vegetable peeler. My toddler just got into eating raw carrots and now she is super excited to peal her own carrots! Are there carrot peels all over the floor, ceiling (how did it even get up there?) and counters? Sure! But, thats an easy thing to wipe up and throw in the compost bucket. The expression on my kid’s face when she bites into that carrot that she peeled? Nothing beats it!
Included in this awesome gift was a crinkle cutter, perfect for making those carrots look awesome and taste even better, (four year old logic) and a cute, kid sized cutting board (This is not the exact one, but a close representation).
Last, our daughter received a cute little spreader. She has used this spreader on the daily. She loves making toast, and she spreads her own butter and cream cheese. She also loves to scoop out hummus from a container and put it in a bowl for her carrots.
Today, during the craziness of the Pandemic, my kid asked if she could make her own toast for the first time. She went over to the step stool, carried it to the fridge, got out the bread, carried both the stool and bread over to the counter, got back on her stool, and placed a piece of bread in the toaster. She then took her stool over to the utensil drawer, pulled out her spreader, went back to the fridge and asked me to get her cream cheese (it’s on the top shelf) and I obliged. When the bread popped, she pulled it out, spread cream cheese all over her toast, added some pink and blue sprinkles (its her way…I don’t judge), and went to the table and sat down and ate. When did my toddler become a kid? It was a beautiful sight. I knew then that I had to share this genius gift with you!
Until next time teacher friends,
Bottoms Up!