As Promised!

 

I am scouring the Internet to find gifts outside the box!

(X-box, Play Station, Wii).

HERE is a link that will take you to my posts

about Inspiring Gift Ideas.

I have a philosophy about too much "gaming time". And let me disclose for the record- I am not ANTI Video Games. I just think MODERATION is important. I believe learning how to MANAGE YOUR TIME is needed.

So we have an Xbox. There are some benefits to video games. My brother, who is a doctor, says in medical school it was obvious the people who had games and who did not growing up. The medical students who DID - were able to maneuver the tools for surgeries involving - going into someones body with a probe. All those fine motor muscles in their hands, fine tuned already by using game controllers. There is a dexterity you develop- that is hard to develop any other way. That is just ONE benefit.

We have the Kinect- added to our Xbox. Now that we live in a snowy state- I love that my boys can still get moving- jumping, running in place, swinging, etc... by playing these games. There is a cute game I bought a few years ago for my preschool son who loved to dance. The songs are popular kids songs: Our version has Insy Winsy Spider, Jingle Bells, London Bridge, etc... and then many other popular songs. What I love is you can set a time limit (I usually do 20-30 min, make sure they get a work out.) AND you can set skill level! (So all the songs selected have dance moves he can do- and not get frustrated and quit.) Select START- and off he goes! There are kids dancing-- doing appropriate moves. They have boys and girls dancing.

SO- I want to make it clear. I am NOT anti Xbox.
Having said that- my philosophy about too much gaming is:
Kids today lack confidence. So many are stressed out and depressed. WHY?
There are probably a lot of factors.
But life isn't harder.
I think growing up in the Depression would be hard.
I think growing up during WW1 or WW2 would be hard.
I think growing up where you had to cut wood for your fire and grow your own food- would be hard.
Life has always been "hard".

But I do think life is different. Our children spend so much time in a virtual world- they don't gain real life experience that helps them build confidence in themselves to solve problems, do hard things, and gain confidence in their abilities.

For example: A child who builds his own dog house.... ( or any real/tangible/hands on experience)

Gains WAY more CONFIDENCE- EXPERIENCE-













and SATISFACTION, etc.. etc.. than the child who takes care of a virtual "pet" or reaches level 120 in some game.
Here my son was about 10 years old. We didn't even have a dog at the time- but boy did he want one! (read here) He was bored with nothing to do and I suggested he build something. He was working with just scrap wood we had. A neighbor saw his project and donated some additional ply wood for the tops and sides. We ended up getting a dog- about a year later.

So THAT is my goal this year- is to buy gifts that will inspire them. Help them DO. Gain some confidence, learn something NEW about themselves. Interact with people! (Face to face) 

It's a long shot.. (lol) but a worthy goal to strive for!

Great Gifts to give- that use more than just your thumbs!

Birthday and Christmas presents use to be so fun!
One year great-grandma sent my boys this gift.



I was touched by how thoughtful this gift was. (Grandma's are wonderful, GREAT-grandma's are inspired!) This was before I ever thought about book clubs for my boys. This probably was the first seed planted in my mind-- the importance of helping children connect to books and stories by adding a "hands on" element.


When my boys were little- they wanted toys! Things to extend their imagination. Now they want "toys"- that require no imagination, thought or effort. (Smart phones and Play Station games etc..)

When I heard my sons talk about their Christmas wish lists, I was getting depressed a little. But I am always up for a challenge. So I challenged myself to "think outside the (x)box" this year for Christmas.

I want to inspire my boys again- to use their brains and their imagination! lol

So I set the hook and bait......
Yesterday I brought home a simple electricity kit. ($20) (I thought it would be great for our family and also to use in my Kindergarten Prep.)

 This is a great kit- worth every penny. It comes with a story book that teaches simple principles and ideas about electricity. The kit is geared for 5-10 year olds. It has experiments they can do! Real circuits they can create to generate a pinwheel, a light, a buzzer and more.

After spending the day with this kit, my 14 year old and 16 year old said, "Okay- where's next step up kit? The ones for teenagers??"

I found this book and a kit at MAKER SHED.com that has all the wires and electronics you need to do half of the activities in the book. (They sell a kit with the electronics for the other half of the activities.) I said, "Gee I don't know, (wink/wink) the kit for your age is a little over a $100." Both my teenagers said, "We need it!" (I was thinking: Is this officially on your wish list??)

They took the bait!
I know my kids, YOUR kids are interested in so much MORE than video games, cell phones, social media.
They want and crave REAL experiences. Hands on learning- things that will build their confidence and inspire their minds.

So take the challenge this season. I am sure your kids already have plenty of access to computer games and media. Think outside the (x)box.

Come back and visit often, I will be posting great toys, games, and activities that will inspire.




Feel free to click on images in my posts of books and toys- they will link you to the actual sites where you can purchase them. I am an affiliate with Amazon.com, I get a small "tip" for referring people to buy from their site. But other sites, like MakerShed.com I have no affiliation with.