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Giving the Gift of Shared Experience

This year I received a wonderful gift for my birthday. Whilst it wasn’t the most expensive or the biggest or even the shiniest, it meant a lot to me. Firstly, as it showed that the gift giver had really thought about me and my interests, and secondly, as it was the gift of an experience I could share with my toddler.

A set of chocolate moulds and chocolate making supplies. Immy and I had a great time melting, mixing and making chocolates to enjoy as a family.

Have you ever thought of giving the gift of a shared experience to a family you know? Buying a meaningful, group gift which family members can enjoy together makes sense – often it actually saves money to buy one, more expensive gift than many, small cheaper items, and you are also encouraging the togetherness of family, sharing the gift of each others’ time and company.

Some family friendly ‘gift of shared experience’ ideas to get you thinking…

  • A totem tennis, beach cricket set or other outdoor game which can be played together as a family
  • A game of Charades, Celebrity Head, Twister or Pictionary – something that really gets the family talking and laughing
  • A family season pass to the zoo, theme park or other family friendly venue
  • A season pass for National Parks in their state or local area for camping or bushwalking
  • A family membership for the family’s favourite sporting team
  • A set of model making or crafting materials which suit the family’s shared interests and hobbies
  • A set of percussion instruments so that they can sing and make music together

Have you ever given or received a great ‘gift of shared experience?’ What was it and who was it for?

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This post was sponsored by KIA. To celebrate the great value of KIA new cars in Australia such as the Cerato Hatch, a website has been launched so you and your family can get some great value offers and deals. Check out my favourite deal for this week: New destinations added – Bonus night offers for selected international destinations with ReadyRooms.com. 1 bonus night, 2 bonus nights or more! at www.getmorevalue.com.au

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Read more about giving meaningful gifts this Christmas in my article, Unwrapping the Gift of Giving, in the Kleenex Mums Guide to Giving.

Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.

Read the comments or scroll down to add your own:

  1. joyce:waddleeahchaa.com says

    This year instead of giving material things to my daughter(25 yrs.) and my three oldest grandsons(ages 9,10 and 12yrs.) we are giving them a hiking trip to Big Bend National Park. None of them have any idea but my husband and myself have been there many times and love it. My daughter, the three boys aunt, said someday she hoped she could take the boys to Big Bend so they could experience it's beauty. SHHHH! Don't tell. I am so excited to do this for these family members. It's the experiences of our lives we remember the most not the material things. Merry and blessed
    christmas to you and your family. :) joyce

  2. Naomi says

    great blog post - good to see someone else doing the kia sponsored posts too! this year for our Christmas presents we have all got passes to dreamworld to focus on having family fun instead of buying 'things'. we have started using them early and have been loving it.

  3. Mom is the Only Girl says

    The best family Christmas present we receive each year from Hubby's family are tickets to the local OrKidstra concerts! They are a family event, lots of kiddos, noise during the music, but a terrific way to expose kids to great music in a kid-friendly way, complete with a conductor who gets the kids involved and talks directly to the kids in a very engaging way. They also often feature a young performer, which helps them realize orchestral music isn't only for old folks! They are held only a couple of times a year, but my kids get so excited when they know one is coming up!

  4. Gina says

    They talked about this at our church this week.

    The example the pastor gave was that a man gave his dad a bag of coffee beans and made monthly dates to come over and drink coffee...but the dad had to tell his son stories of his life.

    How cool is that?

  5. SquiggleMum says

    I always request a family pass to a zoo, wildlife sanctuary, etc for Christmas. It is the gift of a wonderful family day out, and we always make such happy memories!

  6. littlewondersdays says

    My parents give my kids a reciprocal membership to a local science museum each year. This way, we can visit as much as we like, plus visit other museums across the nation (including where they live) that participate in the program. We absolutely love it.

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