I'd like to start Christmas shopping, at least for all my daycare kiddos. What do you get them for Christmas? Do you think about their individual interests and buy accordingly? Do you get them all the same things? Do you buy for siblings too?
It seems like I always get them a book and then something else. Last year I shopped amazon and got each a book and puzzle. One year I got them a book and pj's, another year a book and made a no-tie fleece blanket. I kinda like books.
Anyways, just wondering what anyone else is planning to do. Thanks!

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I start early too! I got some great cookie cutters last year on clearance, so I am making the bigger ones(2and 3) play dough and got them a book by Barbara reid who does playdough pictures. still planning for the smaller friends, but a book will be in there, I like books too! plus I never know what toys etc. they have so its safer. Happy shopping!

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I buy clearance the year before.

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Because we have 15 kids enrolled, it would be very expensive to do individual gifts. So the past few years we have been filling goodie bags up with small things from the dollar section of Target and some other small treats. And then when the parents send stuff we add it to that bag.

For the parents we make two ornaments. One with their child's picture in a clear glass bulb. And one salt dough handprint.

In the past we have just gotten each family a Christmas book, on sale on B&N or Amazon, and done a family gift.

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I don't get them a gift. Like Blandino said, that would be expensive (I have 9 enrolled currently). We make a gift for their parents and the children do a book exchange (each child brings one wrapped book with "From: Child's Name" on it). It works out really well.

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I like the idea of a book exchange-
I do give gifts- about $5-10 per child depending. Usually I am buying for about 9. Then we also make a gift for kids to give to their parents. I almost always do a book and something else... Last year it was craft kits. I try to keep things similar for all the kids- but vary a bit based on interest

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I always buy something under 10 dollars. Usually barbies or dinky cars. I always look in the clearance section. i love when they open gifts from me because you would think they won a million dollars.

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No gift exchange this year as last year 2 families dropped the ball and didn't send in anything so I was scrambling for gifts the evening before our gift exchange.

I do a book (already bought them all using points/free parent books from Scholastic so the ACTUAL cost was $0) and a small gift. This year everyone is getting Christmas colored/scented playdoh and cookie cutters.

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I most definitely gift books. Along with that, I either get pajamas or an outfit. I get their outfits according to their personalities. The parents are very appreciative with the clothes. The very next day care day after the holidays, they are wearing the outfits to day care.

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I like to have All my holiday shopping done by the end of Oct as well. I just don't like to deal with the holiday shopping crowd. I buy a book set at Costco, it's usually less than $20 and comes with approx 8-10books. Then I individually wrap each book and give that along with a candycane and our families photo Xmas card. I also write a little note in the book.

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We do a book exchange and I usually get them each a little gift. For the book exchange I tell everyone who wants to participate to bring a unisex wrapped book. The ones who brought books exchange with each other. I usually get a few extra books from Scholastic and use those for the ones who don't bring a book. Gifts vary each year but I usually get them all at least something similar. I have done really cute magnetic wooden names, different memory games, magnetic dress up dolls (both girl ones and boy ones), etc. No idea what I am doing yet this year.

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This year mid doing a family gift (I have two families between the five daycare kids) because both moms are single moms.

I also got each a book. Then I got one of those cheap photo books at Walmart yu can slip photos in and I put each child 25 pictures from the last year at daycare including field trips and fun things we did.

We aren't doing a gift exchange this year because each mom would have to buy more than one gift and neither mom can even afford to buy Christmas for their kids.

The mom of the infant and special daycare baby was even refused to be allowed to put her kids names on the angel tree locally because she made $25 in waitressing tips too much to qualify. I'm really upset by this.

I'm trying to figure out now how to get these two kids Christmas as well as help out the other three because they have nothing also.

While still figuring out how to get for my own as well.

Sigh this is a stressful time of the year.

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This is what I do too!

I don't do any other gifts or parties but we do make a craft for parents & wrap it with wrapping paper we made.

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I normally do 2 books Dh works at Scholastic so I usually get a Klutz book of something to do and a hardback book. and still spend under $5 at the employee book store. I used to also give a Christmas ornament but havn't in several years.

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I was thinking about an ornament for my new babies mom. She's very sentimental. And also, I know she won't get anything for Christmas. Do you have some ideas on ornaments?? The baby is 12 weeks and has e sister who's the tube fed heart baby who is very fragile.

I've never done an ornament for other people but I know she would cherish it.

I'm just not terribly creative.

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Last year we made snowman ornaments I'd found on pinterest. You put the baby's handprint painted in white, onto a blue or red Christmas ball, the bottom of her hand near the bottom of the ornament. Then you paint on little hats, scarves, eyes, carrot noses, black buttons. I did it and I'm one of the least creative people I know. they came out adorable.

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Me too! I usually give a $1 book from scholastic and a clearance item that I had bought previously.

I've done all the same items or mixed it up to their personal likes.

One year I found lunch boxes on clearance for a dollar, so they each got a lunch box. The girls used them as purses and the boys tended to put their cars in them. They never really got used for lunches, but they really loved them!

I don't spend much and I keep the reciepts to write it off at the end of the year.

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I do not buy my daycare children Christmas gifts.

Instead of the children getting something, we do a charity drive and the children are encourage to GIVE rather than get.

This year we are raising funds and/or items for our local animal shelter.

Christmas is a wonderful time to educate children about giving to the less fortunate verses simply expecting something from every adult in their life.

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I generally get the daycare new stuff. If I give gifts at all it's something like a book, or a batch of homemade playdough, or something like that.

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Saves a lot of money!

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Thanks for all the replies and ideas.
Blackcat, how do you go about raising funds for giving to a charity? I really like that idea and truly would love to get away from the kids and their gimme attitudes. I don't know how many times I've had a child look at me after opening gifts and say is that all there is? I want to change that somehow this year. I'd still like to get them each a book. And the playdoh idea is great too; lots of different ideas for scented ones out there.
But with giving to a charity I could make a list of local ones and let them pick one.

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I agree. Except this year my daycare kids are in need of a charity drive themselves. That's what I'm trying to figure out.

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Great idea!! Thanks!!

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I usually choose an organization to give to, contact them and ask what things are on their wish lists... Then I write a letter to my DCF's and let them know that during the holiday season we are going to be giving instead of receiving. I then give each family a copy of the wishlist and ask that any donations to this cause be brought into daycare by xx date.

Once we have collected our items/money, I take a photo of the kids with the stuff, write a little blurb about what we are doing and submit it to the local newspaper. The kids (and parents) LOVE seeing their kids in the paper so they can brag.....

In the past we have collected:

• coats for kids
• school supplies for kids
• hats/mittens for church drives
• smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for the fire dept to give away to families without
• goodies for our "adopted" grandparents in a nearby nursing home
• care boxes for soldiers
• calling cards for soldiers away for the holidays
• an entire Christmas dinner for the food shelf
• ornaments for nursing home residents
• gas cards for our local cancer group that helps fund families who travel for cancer treatments
• flowers for those in the hospital over the holidays
• toys for kids in the hospital
• toys for needy kids
• blankets for homeless
• general food items to local food shelf

HTH

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Here are some ideas for handprint ornaments.

http://funhandprintart.blogspot.ca/2...ornaments.html

http://theimaginationtree.com/2012/1...tmas-tree.html

http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2010/...ment-no-4.html

http://megduerksen.typepad.com/whate...s-craft-1.html


I am going all out for Christmas this year. The kids are each getting a book and gift, and the parents are getting a gift made from the kids and a photobook of their time here. I am closing my doors at Christmas though, and I will really miss these kids and parents so that's why. Usually I get the kids something small and the parents a card and the kids make them an ornament. I also take the kids to see Santa at the mall annually, and before we see Santa we go shopping for a Santa's Anonymous Present for a child in need. We put the toy in the box before we even think of going to Santa.

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