With paper, markers, and a few extra embellishments, children can create coupons promising to do special tasks for family members. These gifts require no cash – a plus for parents who are cutting expenses and kids who don’t have money to spend on gifts. These vouchers require considering what the gift recipient would find helpful.
But, if promising to walk the dog for the week or take out the trash for a month isn’t appealing, kids can still create gifts that will cheer up friends, relatives, and acquaintances. Children can write thank you notes, showing their appreciation and gratitude for what someone has done for their life, or they can create little “love notes” spreading caring thoughts to others. They can hide these notes in places where they’ll show up over time, or they can mail the notes throughout the year.
Promise Coupons
A promise coupon is like a gift card in which a child promises to do something for someone else. The task should be something the child is willing and able to do. The more specific the child is listing the details on the coupon, the better for both the giver and recipient of the voucher. “I will set the dinner table” doesn’t explain when or how often the child plans on meeting this task. “I will set the dinner table once a week for a month” makes things clearer for everyone.
Encourage children to think of something the person receiving the gift would appreciate as opposed to something the giver of the gift is willing to do, even if the present wouldn’t be appreciated. Reading a bedtime story to a younger sibling is a nice gift only if the giver of the gift is comfortable reading storybooks out loud.
Making Homemade Gift Cards
A parent or older child can go into a word processing document and create a template of a coupon, listing things like ‘To,’ ‘From’ and ‘For’ – a place to write what the beneficiary of the gift can expect to receive. If a child will be creating several coupons, they can print out the template and then fill in the coupon by hand. Another option is to write the entire coupon on the computer and print it.
In either case, create a border around the coupon, using the software. Three coupons should fit on each page. Print the gift card onto cardstock paper, if available, and then decorate with stickers, markers, colored pencils, bits of ribbon, etc. Slip the gift cards into envelopes and the gift is complete.
Thank You Notes from Kids
If kids don’t want to give out coupons, they can write brief thank you notes that they hide around the house for the person to find. A child can surprise mom with notes such as, “Thank you for making chocolate chip pancakes on Saturday” and “Thank you for making the towels smell like the rain.” The notes should be brief and should be geared toward adding a bit of cheer to someone’s day. Kids may take up the challenge of slipping thank you notes into their music teacher’s living room or grandpa’s workshop.
To make these brief notes, fold a piece of paper or cardstock into six or eight sections and cut apart. Write the note in brightly colored marker and add a shiny sticker or sequin so the note catches the eye. Then, hide the card – but not so well that the receiver won’t find it within a day or two.
Without any money, and just a little bit of time, children can create gift cards, or coupons, to promise to do helpful and thoughtful tasks for others. Another option is to write short thank you notes, showing appreciation for the things others have done for them. In either case, children learn that gift-giving requires thought, not dollars.
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