Christmas Gifts?

[Candyland]

So, what is everyone doing regarding the Christmas holidays? Do you do a gift exchange? Or do you give out little gifts to your students only? Please inform me and what do you like to give out?
Last year, I gave the boys Hot Wheels and the girls received a set of Christmassy stampers, inkpads and tiny notebooks. You would have thought they were in heaven.

[WImom]

This year I'm giving the kids two scholastic holiday books, cute holiday socks from the $ section of Target and a santa swirly straw & candy cane in a cute bag. I'm not doing a gift exchange between the kids this year.

[SunflowerMama]

I belong to the Childrens Book of the Month Club so I got each child a nice hardback (not more than $4 each), a matching beanie baby animal for their book, the $1 Christmas Story book, and a personalized ornament. Then for the parents I took small coaster-size stone slabs and did the kids' handprints with the date and their name and a Parent's Evening Out on the 17th 4p- 8:30p.

[busymomof2]

I scored some great deals on Black Friday. I only have 4 preschoolers. Boys are getting Iron man action figures and girls Barbie dress heads. I am giving the parents a night out this Friday from 5 till 8:30 and the kids will make something for their parents. I plan on having a Christmas party on the 23rd with presents, Santa, cupcakes and a craft.

[Lianne]

This year the boys are getting a Thomas Train and the girls are getting a set of three Littlest Pet Shop figures. The two 1yr olds are getting a tube of three Christmasy Little People.

The children are making trivets for their parents using ceramic tiles purchased at Home Depot and special paint made for ceramic.

My gift to my clients was tonight. Every year I host a free Parents' Night Out for my clients to show my appreciation for the past year. In years past the children arrive around 3pm in their pajamas and we have breakfast for dinner or pizza, they play and we do a fun craft they watch a movie and get picked up around 9pm. This year I decided to invite the children to spend the night. I had eight kids attend this year, six older ones (2-5yrs) and two younger ones (a 6mos old and a 1yr old). The younger ones stayed til 10pm and the older six are snuggled up on the floor, sleeping. The evening went really well although I'm sure I'll be woken up at 4 or 5am by them wanting breakfast, lol.

[QualiTcare]

Originally Posted by Lianne

This year the boys are getting a Thomas Train and the girls are getting a set of three Littlest Pet Shop figures. The two 1yr olds are getting a tube of three Christmasy Little People.

The children are making trivets for their parents using ceramic tiles purchased at Home Depot and special paint made for ceramic.

My gift to my clients was tonight. Every year I host a free Parents' Night Out for my clients to show my appreciation for the past year. In years past the children arrive around 3pm in their pajamas and we have breakfast for dinner or pizza, they play and we do a fun craft they watch a movie and get picked up around 9pm. This year I decided to invite the children to spend the night. I had eight kids attend this year, six older ones (2-5yrs) and two younger ones (a 6mos old and a 1yr old). The younger ones stayed til 10pm and the older six are snuggled up on the floor, sleeping. The evening went really well although I'm sure I'll be woken up at 4 or 5am by them wanting breakfast, lol.

that reminds me....walgreen's always has the "buy 2 for 6.99 and get one free" toy deal. last year, i got my daughter 6 littlest pet shop toy sets - complete w/ accessories and all which is GREAT for LPS. $25 for 6 little girls gifts that they'll actually love isn't bad. also, the "Dollar General Store" has sets of 3 generic littlest pet shops for $2! little kids do NOT know the difference!

[boysx5]

I got some good deals on puzzles this year and for the baby I got him a toy with a cute shirt

[DancingQueen]

I'm buying the Doctor Seuss Book and stuffed character to go with the book from Kohls. They are all $5.00 and 100% of the proceeds goes to charity.

[DancingQueen]

Oh and I'm making silhouettes for the parents of their kids.

[AfterSchoolMom]

I got stuffed animals for the girls and legos for the boys (school agers), and I'm planning to make cookies for the parents.

[kpa0627]

I have a total of 11 daycare children so I was really freaking out on what in the world I could get each of them that was nice but not overly expensive. 7 little ones and 4 school agers.
Well, I went to Waldenbooks and ended up getting a floor puzzle (for my preschool agers) a stuffed christmas moose & christmas book (for my toddlers) and different craft kids for my school agers. (one was to make friendship bracelets, making paper airplanes, making clay figures, and drawing animals). They are really awesome!
Anyway for ALL of it I spent $85. So it averages to $8 per child for their christmas present so I was excited!!

I also got the parents a gift. I have 8 sets of parents and I got them each a bath & body works hand soap and celebrating home candle. The hand soap was $2 a piece and the candle was $5 a piece so it was a total of $54. Only $7 a piece per family!
SUPER EXCITED!!!!!

[kendallina]

Am I the only one that doesn't purchase a Christmas gift for their children?

I am having the kids make an ornament and a box for their parents and I think I'm going to have the kids paint some of those (cheapo) plastic suncatchers to give to each other, but...gifts for the kids?? I guess because I'm so used to working in a center (where you have 20 kids) it never would have occurred to me to get the kids a gift.

[kpa0627]

Even the center I worked in... we always got presents for each of the children. It was from the entire group of teachers and then if individual teachers wanted to do something more for all the kids they could. The children always got a new scholastic christmas book. We had 35 children in our center.

[kendallina]

Originally Posted by kpa0627

Even the center I worked in... we always got presents for each of the children. It was from the entire group of teachers and then if individual teachers wanted to do something more for all the kids they could. The children always got a new scholastic christmas book. We had 35 children in our center.

Wow- I've worked in several centers (although they were all 90-200 children) and presents were never given to children. We'd always have the kids make something for the parents, but not give anything to the kiddos.

[nannyde]

Originally Posted by kendallina

Am I the only one that doesn't purchase a Christmas gift for their children?

I am having the kids make an ornament and a box for their parents and I think I'm going to have the kids paint some of those (cheapo) plastic suncatchers to give to each other, but...gifts for the kids?? I guess because I'm so used to working in a center (where you have 20 kids) it never would have occurred to me to get the kids a gift.

I don't give presents to the kids. The parents give me and my staff assistant bonuses and presents. I do not allow gift exchanges between the kids.

We just do a nice Christmas party with a wonderful meal and a special treat for desert and snack. This year we will have Phesant which is something we don't get very often. I'll make them their FAVORITE mashed potatoes with portabella mushroom gravy and cheddar biscuits. I'll make a chocolate raspberry cake and get some traditional pepermint ice cream for desert. The "gift" I give them is a meal that we don't normally have and set the table in nice special china with a tea service for each of them. We do this every year for Christmas and Valentines Day.

I have a good friend that always sends us choclates and biscuits from Germany. I always share what we get with the parents so they can have special on their Christmas Day.

We sort of do the opposite here with crafts. The kids make little things at home and bring them to us. We will usually get two or three ornaments for our tree from their arts and crafts at home. They also make us cards and decorations at home. That's nice to add to the ornament collection and for our play room decorations.

[kendallina]

I'm also doing a Sing-Along this year where all the families come in the evening and we sing some preschool songs and some Christmas songs together. I have pretty young ones, so I'm not doing a 'performance' per se. But, a chance for us to all sing together with our moms and dads and just enjoy each other's company and eat a little food. I can't wait!

[Blackcat31]

This year I am on a huge "READ TO YOUR CHILD!!" kick so I bought 10 copies of a favorite book through Scholastic books at $3.00 each (Total cost $30) and will give it to each family. Hoping of course that they will read to their child. Plus it is a book the kids are familiar with from daycare so hopfully they will ask for it to be read to them. I love books/reading and I think reading to your kid is one of the most overlooked ways that you can spend some quality time with your child. Reading before bedtime just takes a few minutes and is so simple, fun and easy! (After Christmas, I will ask the kids if their mom or dad read the new book to them....and see how many actually read to their kids.....should be interesting)

SINCE THE CHILDREN I CARE FOR ARE REALLY SMALL, I GOT THEM LITTLE PEOPLE! Its there favorite here in my care and i know they dont have them at home yet! I uasully default to books for everything but this time i went with a toy instead! Kohls had a great deal on the pack go sets

[DCMom]

I know you guys are going to think that I am crazy, but here goes...

For the past 12 years, I have done big Christmas Party for my daycare families. Food, a Santa, gift exchange, the whole nine yards. It has often gone well past nine o'clock bedtimes. I have always considered it my 'company Christmas party'.

This year I'm not doing it (for many reasons) but I still did gifts for the kids and their parents. We are doing a kid party on Wednesday, before I am closed (paid) until January 3. I got each of the kids a PillowPet and for their parents, each child did (with a little help from me!) a 2011 handprint calendar as well as a keepsake photo ornament fof each child to go with it.

I have six really, really good dc families. They pay on time, they don't bring sick kids, they don't complain about my time off, honor my requests ~ just overall really good clients. I have virtually no complaints.

I want them to feel appreciated as much as I want to feel appreciated. That's my take on it

[MarinaVanessa]

In my newsletter that I gave out at the beginning of the month I suggested a book exchange instead of gifts. they dont need to be new or anything. i offered that each child bring a book that they didnt read anymore and bring it wrapped so that the kids can give a book and receive a book.

I also went to thrift stores an bought $18 worth of kids books (a lot of them were in almost new condition and I got some goog titles) and wrapped them up and these will be from me. i bought a lot just in case some of the kids forgot to bring one so that everyone gets one. i prefer to give out books versus toys because i believe in instilling child literacy.

for the parents i bought a hand-casting kit to make replicas of each childs hand as a gift to help parents remember how small their kids hands were. its a diy kit and it cost me about $10 to do 4 kids. money was tight this year but i thought that a mold of their childs hand would be a great gift. i got the idea after making a copy of my babies hand and foot.

Originally Posted by Candyland

So, what is everyone doing regarding the Christmas holidays? Do you do a gift exchange? Or do you give out little gifts to your students only? Please inform me and what do you like to give out?
Last year, I gave the boys Hot Wheels and the girls received a set of Christmassy stampers, inkpads and tiny notebooks. You would have thought they were in heaven.

This year I got my 2 dck-

12 month old-
1 big stuffed bear
1 pjs
2 soft cars
3 books

18 month old-
1 police station set with soft cars
1 pjs
2 soft cars
3 books

for my 2 daycare moms
they got a little gift bag with a lotion, shower gel, and a snowflake ornament in it
I dont buy the Dads anything I have more of a relationship with the Moms

[SandeeAR]

As they will get a ton of toys, I opted to go a different route. I made a tin of fudge for the family and a special ornament for the child. I will make a different one each year they are here. Hopefully one day, they will be able to look back on them with fond memories of thier time here with me.

I plan next year to make a special craft or two with the kids. I only have one old enough to do anything, 3 of them are babies. I had planned to do one craft this year, but with me moving Jan 1, I just didn't take the time.