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Home Made Gifts, The Best Way To Teach Your Kids The Value Of The Holiday


To a large extent the holidays have come to be more about materialism than the original values of peace, harmony, and faith. Advertisers hit us from all sides with messages of greed and pettiness. Every media outlet is rife with the idea, "buy this, or they wont love you."

In such an age, it is important to remind the children about the true meaning of the season. This can be done, to some extent, by helping them to build their own gifts to give to others, and teaching them what the true value of a gift is. This has several major benefits.

1. In building the gift you will be spending time with the child doing something constructive.

2. It will teach them the value of money. The item they buy would have to be made just like the item they make themselves. Money doesn't just appear it has to be earned, and then traded. So money is trading work, for work.

3. It will engage their imaginations and creativity.

4. The gift they create will be much more meaningful, and you should let them know that.

As you can see, there are a ton of benefits to having your child build a gift themselves. At a young age this is obvious, but even as they grow older and into their teens this should be something you encourage.

Building a gift is easy. Different levels of skill can accomplish different things of course, but the mediums are fairly similar across all ages.

You can encourage the child to make you a card or a picture. You can give them clay or plaster and let them sculpt. Or you can suggest they write you a poem, or a story, or frame some nice pictures they take.

You should play to the child's interests. If you get them started on an art form for a single project, it could click and give them a hobby for years to come, while expanding their horizons. Try and get them to be creative, and stretch their limits. Most important of all, be encouraging, the child is a new artist, and so will be hesitant about their work. This is your chance to help their self esteem at the early stages of a new craft.

About The Author

Joey Lewitin is an author and designer of fine gifts and furnishings, which are on display sat http://pebblez.com


"Holidays" in the News:

Kansas City Star

Shofars will ring in Hebrew holiday
Newberg Graphic
For observant Jews across the world, sundown Wednesday will mark the beginning of Rosh Hashanah and the high-holidays kicking off year 5771 on the Hebrew ...
Recession prompts synagogues to lower high costs of High HolidaysKansas City Star
A Stirring New Prayer Book for the High HolidaysWall Street Journal
New local Jewish congregation hosting first high holiday servicesFrederick News Post (subscription)
Willits News -The Jewish Week -Ultimate Pearland (blog)
all 222 news articles »


Kansas City Star

Millions expected to hit the road for Labor Day
msnbc.com
"During summer holidays, it's much more fun to cook a meal outdoors with relatives or with your friends," said Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association ...
AAA predicts jump in Labor Day travel from 2009Dekalb Daily Chronicle
Labor Day travel forecastWink News
Labor Day travel to rise by 9.9 percentAltoona Mirror
UK Today News -ThatsFamous (blog) -Brandon Valley Challenger
all 271 news articles »


Glenbrooke News

Recognize Labor Day locally
Oneonta Daily Star
"Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country. All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with ...
Labor Day and May Day share American rootsHULIQ
Honoring the American workforceCatskill Daily Mail
Recommended: Top 10 events shaping the midterm seasonmsnbc.com (blog)
Co.Design -Gainesville Sun
all 198 news articles »


WHMI

AAA Says Labor Day Holiday Weekend Travel Forecast to be Up 10%
WDEF News 12
The Automobile Association of America says says travel is forecast to be up for the Labor Day holiday weekend. The organization expects 34.4 million people ...
More people will be on move during Labor Day weekendReno Gazette Journal
Party Time! Americans Traveling, Spending More This Labor DayTonic
Gas prices up this Labor Day over lastAlton Telegraph
South Carolina Now
all 305 news articles »


The State

State agencies promote safe, sensible holiday weekend
Chillicothe Gazette
According to the patrol, the Labor Day holiday weekend is traditionally one of the deadliest holidays on state roads. Last year during the holiday reporting ...
FHP Labor Day Crackdown Helps Keep You AliveCBS 4
Troopers out in full force: Highway patrol prepares for Labor Day weekend ...The Morning Journal
Extra troopers on the road for Labor Day weekend looking for impaired driversSun-Sentinel
The Commercial Dispatch
all 246 news articles »


Guest Column: High Holidays right on time
Cuyahoga Falls News Press
Almost every Jewish person I talk with mentions that the High Holidays seem so early this year. ...
Broadcast new yearWinnipeg Free Press

all 3 news articles »


Reminder: Post Offices Observe Labor Day Holiday
WGCL Atlanta
ATLANTA -- Atlanta-area Post Offices will be closed on Monday, September 6, in observance of the Labor Day holiday. There will be no regular mail delivery, ...
Most Denver city offices closed Friday, MondayDenver Business Journal

all 86 news articles »


Bus schedules altered for Labor Day holiday
Las Vegas Sun
The Regional Transportation Commission said buses will use a Sunday schedule on Monday for the Labor Day holiday, when there are typically fewer riders and ...

and more »


US Retail Sales Top Estimates on Tax Holidays, Discounts
Bloomberg
Photographer: Jack Plunkett/Bloomberg US retailers reported August sales that beat analysts' estimates as back-to-school discounts and tax holidays lured ...

and more »


The Virginian-Pilot

Labor Day is Monday. Will you work or play?
The Virginian-Pilot
We like holidays. That's when we catch up on paperwork. The phone doesn't ring, and we don't have to go to court. I lock myself up in my office and don't ...

and more »

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