Registrations for the 2014 gift exchange have now closed. Thank you to all those who have joined us.
The lovely Chantelle of Fat Mum Slim has hosted an international gift exchange for the past three years and when I saw the announcement for her exchange this year it occurred to me that it would be such a fun idea to do with children! So I asked Chantelle if she would mind me hosting a gift exchange similar to hers but for kids (hers is for adults) and she said, “Go for it!”
So what is the International Kids’ Gift Exchange? It’s really quite simple – each child registered for the exchange is matched with a new friend from somewhere around the world and they buy a gift to send to their buddy. Your child is also welcome to include some information about themselves, their family and where they live. Doesn’t it sound like an awesome idea?!! I would love your family to be involved.
If you would like to find out more about how this will work, PLEASE READ ALL DETAILS BELOW carefully. There is a lot of important and detailed information so please be sure to read all the way through.
JOINING THE KIDS GIFT EXCHANGE
Any child between the ages of 3 and 12 years of age can join. You can be located anywhere in the world as long as small parcels can be posted and received via regular mail at your destination. Please follow these FIVE simple steps to register and join in.
STEP ONE: To join, you will need to complete the Registration Form via the link below by October 17th.
What will it cost? The gift you send should be valued at $15 US equivalent. That means you need to spend a minimum of $15US (or equivalent) on the gift that you send. You will also need to provide gift wrap (kids artwork is totally awesome) and pay for postage. Please be clear, postage is NOT included in the $15US budget. So shop smart as heavy gifts can cost a lot to post.
You do have some choices when it comes to postage though – before joining you need to decide whether you want to send (and receive) a gift worldwide or whether you would prefer to stay within your own continent – the second choice will obviously save you money on postage costs but it may also mean that your child misses out on the opportunity to exchange gifts with someone from a different country.
For those choosing the MORE LOCAL OPTION, you will have the opportunity to choose from the following regions – Australia & New Zealand, USA & Canada, UK & Europe, South America, Africa or Asia.
You MUST register to join the kids gift exchange by Friday, 17th October 2014. That’s not far away!
STEP TWO: You will be emailed details of the child that your child has been matched with.
This email will include the name, address, age, gender and a little bit of information about the child your child will be selecting a gift for. You will receive this email on Friday, 24th October 2014.
Please ensure that the email address you use to register for the exchange with is one that is regularly checked as I will email you a little reminder prompt for each step of the process.
STEP THREE: Purchase your gift.
What should I send? Obviously this will depend upon the age and interests of your gift recipient and also the interests of your own child. Please involve them in this process as it will make the exchange more meaningful and help them to appreciate the joy of giving to others. Some gift-y guidelines;
- Please put some thought into your gift. Please do NOT send something secondhand or an unwanted gift that your own child has received but didn’t like.
- The gift should be something the child can actually use for play or creativity. It doesn’t have to be a mainstream commercial toy – a collection of your child’s favourite art materials or a game specific to the country that you live in are fabulous ideas – REMEMBER play and creativity are what this exchange is about.
- Can my child make a gift? If you and your child enjoy being crafty or creative, please feel free to include an artwork or homemade card with your gift. If you like to make resources for your own children that you think your giftee would also like, this is fine but please make sure that the gift is around the same value as the $15US amount we have set for the exchange.
- I would really encourage everyone to include a picture, letter or card from your child or family. A photo is fabulous too. As is a postcard or trinket representing the country or region that you live in.
STEP FOUR: Post your gift.
Please ensure all gifts are posted no later than Friday, November 7th, 2014.
What if my child doesn’t receive a gift?
Chantelle has found each year that there are people that join her exchange who actually have no intention of playing along – they’re just thinking ‘FREE GIFTS!’ I am confident that we will not have this problem as we all know how disappointed our own child would be if they did not receive a gift. However sometimes postal services fail, especially during the busy Christmas mail period. I have tried to avoid this by setting the postal deadline to allow plenty of lead time before mail services get too crazy with Christmas mail.
BUT
There are no guarantees. All I can suggest is that you, as I will with my daughter, focus on this being more about GIVING to others rather than receiving. This is an act of kindness and love, it’s meant to be meaningful and a little bit of fun.
I am so very sorry if your child does not receive a gift but as I said, there really are no guarantees.
STEP FIVE: Share the JOY!
I would love you to share a photo of your gift all wrapped and ready to go to the post office AND of the gift your child receives with a thank you to the sender! These can be shared via the Childhood 101 Facebook page and/or on Instagram. Include the hashtag #kidsgive101 so that we can all be sure to see them. 
Remember, you MUST register to join the kids gift exchange by Friday 17th October 2014. REGISTRATIONS HAVE NOW CLOSED.
Christie Burnett is an early childhood teacher, presenter, writer and the editor of Childhood 101. More importantly, she is a Mum who believes wholeheartedly in the value of children learning through play, the importance of quality early education, and the togetherness of family.
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