The TCF Tech-Free Gift Guide

Or is it really a gift guide at all...?

Hello, friends! It's officially December, and somehow, just five days into the month, every gift guide that could ever be dreamed up has already hit the internet.

Scratch that — I've got one more :)

This one, however, is a bit different. Because as I look around, the things that my kids play with most often are not, for the most part, toys. They're not things you'd wrap and put under the tree (or if you did, you'd probably receive strange looks instead of squeals and a hug). Nevertheless, these items have contributed to hours and hours of imaginative play in our home, far outlasting the appeal of any traditional toy or game over the last nine years of our family.

And so as we think about delighting our kids this season — which is really what gift giving is all about — I encourage you to think a bit outside the wrapped box. Because while the items below are not necessarily ones you'd tie up with a bow, I believe they will bring joy to your home all year round: joy for the kids, who now have the "loose parts" necessary for creative play at their fingertips, and joy for the parents, who get to sit back and watch imaginations take flight.

Let's do it, shall we?

1. Cardboard

Specifically, cardboard that is manageable in size, thin enough for little hands to cut, and with one white side and one brown side (both blank). In our house, this comes in the form of shipping boxes.

How did we come to have so many available boxes in our home? Fun story: way back in the day, I ran an Etsy shop selling tinsel drink stirrers¹. I'd ship my orders out in these boxes, assembling them as I went. After I shuttered the shop, the remaining boxes stood, abandoned, in the corner of our loft/playroom/former Etsy warehouse — until the day the kids discovered them. Like Sleeping Beauty arising from her rest, they've since been cut and colored to create countless imaginative play accessories, from signs and swords to cash registers and, yes, phones (see above).

Our stash has finally run dry (I last purchased a pack in 2018!), and while it pains me to pay $65 for 50 boxes², I’m doing it. I would say I can't put a price on how central this cardboard is to play in our house, and how valuable this type of play is to me, but I suppose I can :)

You also, of course, can simply collect Amazon boxes as they arrive at your home, though I’d argue the lack of tape and the expansive white surface are huge pluses of the Paper Mart boxes.

2. Pom poms

Next up: the humble pom pom!

I bought this giant bag of craft poms in the early days of the pandemic³, when the kids' preschool sent home craft ideas and we created our own themed learning weeks to pass the time (hehe). Four years later, this giant bag is still going strong, no themed help from me needed. Today, pom poms find their way into almost every imaginative game, standing in as liquid for drinks, food for stuffies, and money for shop keepers.

3. White paper

Is white printer paper expensive? You bet it is, and I used to be annoyed at the pace at which my kids would run through it — until I made a mental switch. Once I turned they're wasting this printer paper into they're using this printer paper just as they should — as a tool in their creativity, we were all much happier.

Paper is a key component for play over here, whether they're making lists, writing restaurant menus, issuing invitations, setting up signs on a highway, or advertising an upcoming performance. (Any variety of colorful writing implement will do alongside; we like this set.)

And yes, we definitely put worksheets and other one-sided papers to use, too — see above!

4. Ribbon

You think printer paper is expensive? Wait til you see how fast kids can go through a stash of grosgrain and satin :) This one hurt, at first, and to be honest it still does sometimes. But with untrammeled access to my boxes of ribbon, our kids have created leashes⁴, holiday decorations for their rooms, pulley systems, stuffie sleds, and much more.

(I now keep my very favorites in a special place, out of the way of indiscriminate hands.)

5. Blankets

A true building block of play! As you may remember from our home tour, we have a large stack of blankets piled in the corner of our loft. Mostly gifts from aunts and grandmas, or holdovers from their parents' childhoods, these are trotted out daily to build forts, delineate rooms, or create cozy corners. The style or composition doesn't matter so much as the quantity: while one blanket is good, ten is even better.

To finish, a few more traditional gift ideas for the low-tech home, all of which you might reasonably wrap and place under the tree:

• Books. Yes, we love the library, but owning your own set of a favorite series is a childhood delight. And as you add to the book collection in your home, you're communicating to your kids something about the value of books: that they're something to be treasured, collected, valued. More book ideas here and here.

• A Yoto. You know we love the Yoto around here! This screen-free audiobook player is perfect for ages 5-12.

• Crafting supplies. Sketchbooks, anything from Ooly, Woobles crochet kits, watercolor workbooks, a needlepoint kit.

• An outdoor toy. Rollerblades, a bike or scooter, a tree swing or slack line, sports equipment or a basketball hoop, chalk, a trampoline, a sand or water play table.

• An indoor toy. A Nugget is my top pick here: ours has aided in countless hours of indoor play, morphing from a fort to a home to a store to a tumbling mat to a slide down the stairs. Also consider a gymnastics bar or a play kitchen.

• A building toy. Keva blocks, Magnatiles, LEGOs, Duplos, train tracks.

• Character play. Stuffies, figurines, and cars are the big three for us. All have enjoyed luxurious accommodations and incredible adventures thanks to the loose parts supplies listed above.

• A subscription or experience. Try a museum membership, a craft or cooking class, an instrument, a zip line adventure, a fancy meal out, a performance, or a sporting event.

Don’t forget these cutie coupons — I just updated them for our house’s stockings this year!

Of course, I’d love to hear: what unexpected item is the MVP of imaginative play at your home? Washi tape should get an honorable mention over here, too!

---

Would you consider sharing this newsletter?

Almost 100% of my newsletter growth comes from recommendations from readers. Chances are that if you made it this far, you care about kids and technology and know others who would enjoy The Connected Family. Taking just a few moments to click the heart button, leave a comment, or forward it to a friend can make a huge difference. Thank you! ❤️

1. Of all things.

2. The price was $28 for the same in 2018!!

3. Order date: April 19, 2020 😬

4. "Not around the neck!" is a frequent refrain in our home.