While your kids may be hoping to get gifts of digital distraction—games, devices, or gift cards for in-game purchases—you can give them something meaningful without the digital downsides. Here are a few ideas excerpted from ScreenStrong’s Non-Tech Gift Guide: 12 Ways to Rethink Gift Giving, Reclaim Your Kids & Reconnect Your Family.
The Gift of Art
Art lets kids color outside the lines, experiment with new ideas, and see that problems have more than one solution. It helps their imagination flourish and allows them to leave their unique and colorful mark on the world.
This gift requires a quiet space and some solitude to truly work its magic.
Gift Ideas
- Art lessons
- Sketch books
- Colored pencils
- Modeling clay
- Pottery classes
The Gift of Music
Music is soothing for the soul and essential for brain development, as music triggers areas of the brain few other activities can reach, including areas related to reading, math, and emotional development. Many studies indicate that music education at an early age strengthens brain pathways for verbal and visual skills.
Gift Ideas
- An instrument (guitar, violin, etc.)
- Music lessons
- Tickets to an orchestra performance
The Gift of Hobbies
Children should have several hobbies (not including sports or video games) that they enjoy as much as technology to move toward a balanced, brain-healthy childhood. Hobbies are educational, teach goal-setting, and help your child learn to innovate and solve problems.
This gift requires some spare time, space, and parents who are ready to support them by example, either with the same hobby or a different one.
Gift Ideas
- Cooking lessons
- A vintage film camera
- A guide to plant identification
- Legos
- A sewing machine and lessons
- Tools
The Gift of Strategy and Critical Thinking
If you saw the article on chess in this magazine, you will be aware of the many benefits of playing games like chess, including important thinking and strategy skills. Even better, games played face-to-face provide much-needed social connection.
Gift Ideas
- Go
- Amaze
- Stratego
- Settlers of Catan
- Risk
- Blokus
This is a small sampling of gift ideas from ScreenStrong, an organization dedicated to providing real solutions to prevent and reverse childhood screen addictions. You can find the complete gift guide on ScreenStrong.com under Resources/Free Downloads.