Did you know that children get the most out of Christmas shopping? According to the recent global study “Christmas Consumption Trends” carried out by the consultancy TNS for eBay, Spaniards are willing to spend an average of 209 euros on Christmas gifts this year, and the greatest beneficiaries will be children, to whom we will allocate 151 euros. In fact, previous studies had already revealed that around 80% of children receive on average a total of five gifts or more during these dates and that the majority receive 10 times more gifts than they need.

However, although this consumer trend continues to grow, more and more specialists who affirm that giving children too many gifts can be counterproductive. In fact, too many gifts can give rise to overstimulation, causing children not to enjoy each particular gift and even not even give them pay attention to some of those present.

Excessive gifts can even lead to total apathy, causing children to lose hope due to an excess of positive stimuli. Likewise, it has been appreciated that the excess of gifts can negatively affect their level of tolerance to frustration, making them want to have things immediately, without noticing the sacrifice required to obtain them. In fact, experts say that too many gifts can detract from a sense of effort, generosity and austerity.

However, the solution is not to make children go without Christmas presents, but to give them fewer presents, trying to make them as useful as possible. To achieve this, you can resort to a very simple strategy: the rule of four Christmas presents.

In What is the rule of four Christmas gifts?

The rule of four Christmas gifts is very simple and is based on the theory that gifts for children have to be useful. Basically, bet on small articles that they are really going to use and that they report something for their development.

In practice, to apply this rule you must select just four gifts for your child, instead of showering them with gifts they probably won’t use. The key is to choose gifts that adhere to the following principles:

• A gift that will help you carry, be it clothes, shoes or other accessories.
• An item related to reading, which can be a paper book, an ebook or an ereader.
• A gift that want a lot, to satisfy their emotional needs.
• An object of any kind that they really need.

Three things you should not miss overlooked when choosing a Christmas gift for children

1. Take into account their criteria

It is not always easy to choose the child’s gift taking into account her criteria and wishes, either because the child’s expectations are too high for your economic condition or because the gift is not It is according to his age. However,although you will not always be able to please the child, it is important that you take into account their preferences when choosing a gift for Christmas.This way, you not only make them like the gift, but also that they like it. will use.

2. Find a gift according to their age

Each children’s item is designed for an age range, based on which its safety and functionality are determined. Therefore, it is recommended that when you choose the gift for your child, verify that it is appropriate for her age. It is better to wait a little longer than to give him something that the child will not value because he cannot take advantage of its functionalities, or worse still, that represents a risk to his safety.

3. Bet on educational gifts

It is important that when choosing a gift for the little one you take into account its use. The best gifts are not always the most expensive or the most fashionable. In fact, the best gifts for children are those that benefit them and stimulate their development.