Buying Gifts for Children
A few months ago, I was given the responsibility of buying a birthday gift for an eight-year-old who lives two blocks away from me. Quite clueless about what little boys are interested in nowadays, I ended up buying a pink coloured box of crayons coupled with a Dragon Ball Z action figure set, something that unfortunately didn't turn out to be very popular these days. I was pretty embarrassed of my faux pas. To prevent such further embarrassments of looking very outdated (and I'm still a teen), I decided to asks some random children their favourite kinds of gifts, and here are the results:
Ages 3-4
Girls: This is obviously the age of playing with dolls, but things kids these days tell me are shocking. While the majority stuck with traditional favourites such as dollhouses, Barbies and toy kitchen accessories, some expressed their love for makeup boxes, nail polish and lipstick (including my cousin).
Boys: Disney Cars toys, Transformers figures, electric motorbikes, cricket gear were the top wanted. Since this is the stage when complex cognitive functions start developing in the brain, some of the kids (both girls and boys) seemed interested in jigsaw puzzles.
Ages 5-6
Girls: The love for makeup continued while the demand for Lego sets and colour pencils were on the rise. Doll Makeover and DIY Jewelry kits, clothes, Disney movie DVDs, and backpacks were recurrent. Android tabs (!!) were also a demand. Some girls wanted electric pianos.
Boys: They shared the interest in Lego sets, board games, and Android tablets, but you can't find a boy who doesn't love remote control cars and helicopters. Most of them spoke of this remote control stunt car that spins and flips. Star Wars toys, Beyblades and Pokemon Cards were less common even though during my time, boys would secretly skip lunch at school to play with them.
Age 7-8
Girls: I'm amazed by how a lot of girls wanted bicycles but complained about how there is less space for them to ride. Many of them took interests in poster paints, story books and cameras. Makeup was mentioned less but jewelries such as bangles were loved. A couple of girls wanted video game CDs, and I can relate with them since I loved playing video games at this age. (Age of Empires 2 and GTA: San Andreas were my favourite and still are.)
Boys: The huge demand for a PlayStation 4 and video games started from this age group. Many of them yearned for electronic gadgets such as smart watches and drones, while others took the traditional approach and wanted board games such as Monopoly Junior or toys such as Nerf guns. Small pool tables and Sony headphones were also asked for.
Now that things have been made easier, you could go with the affordable options or the pricey ones according to your wish, but either way you are going to love being the reason behind a toothy grin on a cute little face.
Zarin Rayhana is a self-aggrandizing ambivert who ponders over philosophical epiphanies during rainy evenings and waits for her crush to jump straight out of her favourite novel. Treat her with novel suggestions at ericaavianazarin@gmail.com
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