Why You Should Give Your Kids (And Other Kids) Experiences Over Toys
Here at Wildlings, we believe in providing children with experiences over unnecessary, materialistic items such as toys. Why? Firstly, because it’s better for the environment- unfortunately, many children’s toys are plastic and simply end up in landfill. And secondly, it’s of higher value to the child.
Now, let’s get this straight, we’re not saying kids can’t have any toys, that would just be silly for a few reasons;
- Us parents wouldn’t be able to get any peace and quiet
- Toys are often required for learning, problem solving and developing important motor skills
- Plus, we can’t afford to send our kids on incredible experiences daily
We’re just saying that next time it’s someone’s birthday party, Christmas time, or you want to reward your child, look to experiences for something memorable.
Children absolutely value experiences over toys. How often have you looked around your kids’ bedroom or play room (or if you’re like me they’re scattered all over the lounge room floor) and thought about how much time your child ACTUALLY plays with each of their toys? Odds are it’s not long at all before they grow out of it, lose it, or they only really have one or two favourites (my Godson can’t go anywhere without the blue truck, NOPE he doesn’t want the yellow or red one, it must be the blue one…). How often have you spent money on the newest, state of the art toy, but your two-year-old just wants to play with cardboard toilet rolls?
Experiences are often valued more because they’re creating memories. “Remember that time we went horse-riding, or all those ballet classes you used to love?” is a question more likely to get a positive response as your child grows, over referencing a specific toy. They’ll likely forget about that multicoloured xylophone they used for less than a month. Experiences are also more valuable to a child because they aren’t an everyday luxury, it’s a special treat to try something new, or get creative!
Even child psychologists have proven that experiences are better for mental health and developing relationships than material goods. A study by Chan and Mogilner (2017) even proved that the social bond between a gift giver and receiver increases when the gift is experiential over material. What a great way to be remembered as the person who gifted them an experience that brought such joy!
So next time you’re thinking of a gift, just consider an experience. Wildlings has a variety of experiences already available online, with more to come. It’s as simple as purchasing the experience and giving the gift voucher to your lucky son, daughter, niece, nephew, cousin or godchild (or likely to their parents for safekeeping!).
For ballet and karate classes, yoga retreats, craft classes, debating., drama, swimming lessons and more, check out www.thewildlings.com.au/
References: https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/bridging-the-gulf/201812/time-over-toys
Written by Sustainability Seeker, Laura Hodges
