Chocolate Rave

Kids can be quite picky. You can spend days or even weeks choosing the perfect present for a niece or grandchild only to have them set it aside in order to play with pots and pans or an empty cardboard box. When they do find something they love, however, they will become so attached that separating them from the object can result in tears and tantrums. If you strive to give that type of gift, you need to keep a very open mind and use your imagination .

Children will potentially treasure any gift — if you can get them to attach meaning to it. Flashy, shiny, and pretty only go so far in winning a child’s heart. They want to care about the thing, whether it is a stuffed animal, a toy instrument, a country wall map or a board game.

It is possible for kids to treasure a map. It seems counterintuitive, as maps can’t be cuddled or played with. However, a custom map that relates to something the kid already loves or gives flight to their imagination and sense of adventure can become the focal point of their bedroom. They will literally sit in front of the map for hours spinning stories about faraway places or fall asleep gazing at the map every night — and remembering that it came from you.

Shopping used to be a simple process. Want something. Find it. Buy it. Use it. While the wanting and using phases of the process are still largely the same, the finding and buying have become much more complicated. This applies to everything from groceries to cars and is especially true of things like playground equipment.

Shopping in the twenty-first century closely resembles the process of hunting, though the number of hunting grounds available has multiplied thanks to the internet. Instead of one or two local stores, families can search lots of online stores, malls, and even classified ads to find new swing sets. Hunting down the best bargain and best terms involves considering things like warranties, installation, and shipping costs as well as the final price.

Then there’s the fact that the days of buying a simple frame with a couple of swings hanging from it are long gone. Today’s kids expect to get a variety of swingset accessories like ladders, towers, and slides to go with the swings. Modular design is the norm, to allow families to customize and expand sets. Each accessory ends up multiplying the choices available.

Parents need to keep in mind the ages and sizes of their kids as well as their projected growth rates. This will determine the materials and construction standards that ensure safe use of the equipment. After that, they should consider the space available for the set and how much money they can budget for the purchase. These factors will help narrow the choices and make the final decision a bit easier to make.