Hi Moms! My 4 year old son is in preschool with kids ranging in age from 3 - 5. He has started to get invited to classmates' birthday parties at the usual places (Chuck E. Cheese, etc.). Since we don't know individual children in his class well, I thought a Toys R Us gift card would be a good gift, but I was unsure of how much to put on them. Responses from friends have ranged from $10 - $25 as an appropriate gift. What do/would you do in this situation? I could really use some guidance - don't want to be a cheapskate but also can't be unnecessarily extravagant, especially since we have been invited to several parties. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
Here are my guidelines - If I have got gifts fro them in past, in same range, my kid knows the child $20 -25. If its just another kid $ 10 is good enough.
Everyone is different after you find what works for you it is easier.
V.
If it were me, no more than $10. He's really young, that's a fortune to him!
Usually get the boys a car and the girls a doll. I shop at Walmart and never spend more than $10-15 bucks.
I always give books to kids for their birthday. So, I would buy the child a couple of books or boxed book set and give a birthday card. Otherwise for a gift card I would put about $25 on it to cover a $15-20 gift plus the tax. :)
For Toys R Us, I usually do $25.00 because they are so expensive. If money is an issue and it may just be that there are alot of Birthday to go to, check out your local dollar store and get $5-$10 worth of age appropriate gifts....Coloring books are great.
I agree with the gift buying moms. While Toys R Us has plenty, I myself find it overwhelming to go in there-lol. Smaller themed gifts are fun: an art kit with coloring book and new box of crayons or markers; small metal pail with seeds, gardening gloves and kid tools. Books are awesome, and you can do "interactive" ones such as airplane making ones or tangrams (maybe as they older as well). Also why not just a classic preschool game like a Memory game, Don't Break the Ice or Cootie, etc? There are Legos and K'nex for that age and other toys that make them use their imaginations. I wouldn't go more than $10-12, and try to include a gift receipt. Good luck!
$10 is my max for gifts for kids that aren't family. Usually, I give a book.
I can't answer that question because I don't give gift cards to kids that young. They like to have something to open. I also think you can get more for your money when buying tangible items, because you can find them on sale, clearanced, etc. With a gift card, they know much you spend. I normally spend no more than $15 on a kid's gift.
My son loves to get gift cards b/c he is just starting to understand that he can pick out a toy with that "money" (3). However... at his birthday this year he got mainly toys, all of which were under $20 and he LOVED getting the gifts. When we go to parties I try to do a gift, but in a pinch I will do a gift card, typically $20, but maybe more if it's a close family friend.
My son is 3.5 and I know if he got a gift card to Toys R Us he would be so excited to go pick out his own toy. I think since you don't know the individual child it's a good idea. The kids will have plenty of gifts to open from their family.
I would do atleast $20, because most toys are around $15 that a pre-schooler would want plus tax.
I would say $5-$10 would be enough. My son got one for his bday and thought it was the coolest thing to be able to buy stuff with his own money. It was nice stuff and a few junky things but I let him choose with a little guidance.
Good luck!
I think $10 or less. I would buy something instead though. Maybe a fun activity book and markers, some game that is age appropriate, play dough and some toys that can be used while playing like the little rolling pins and cookie cutter shapes, cars like hot wheels or the next size up, some fun gift card from Toys R us may be fun too but everything in that store will be out of the price range. It's not likely he'll get others for that store. I love shopping at the Dollar Tree or other $1 stores. I buy puzzles and games there and lots of little stocking stuffer type items for Christmas through out the year.
