Inexpensive Educational Gifts that Kids Will Love

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There’s no denying that the kids of today are growing up with an information overload that leads to
short attention spans and an inability to concentrate. With the constant media bombardment they get
from television programs, video games, cell phones, and all of the many electronics that fill their daily
lives it’s a wonder they can function at all, much less cram more information into their already frazzled
brains. So if you’re keen to replace some of their daily media blitzkrieg with educational gifts that will at
least offer some added value, here are a few throwbacks and a couple of newbies that are sure to please
the kids without breaking the bank.

1. Books. Is there any better educational gift than a book? Whether it’s imparting factoids
about animals of the world or simply taking kids on a magical adventure (while simultaneously
improving their vocabulary and reading comprehension skills), there’s really no better way to
calm the chatter that they’re exposed to all day and help them to use their imaginations for a
change.

2. E-reader. Whether your kids already love to read or you’re just hoping that making it digital
will pique their interest, and e-reader is a great way to bring the experience into the modern
era. A lot of fantastic options are on the market, but the Kindle may be one of the best. With
a low price point (the plain e-reader has dropped to $79 since the upgraded Fire came out), a
plethora of books available for purchase via Amazon, plenty of free PDFs that you can download,
and some libraries starting to offer the classics “on loan” for e-readers, you really can’t go wrong
with this handy tool that brings reading to a new generation. Want more? The Kindle Fire
offers media usage and WiFi capabilities for only $199 (when compared to the iPad 2, the price
is right).

3. Board games. Your kids may have begun to think of the dusty boxes in the attic as “bored”
games, but you might be surprised to learn that there are a lot of fantastic educational games
on the market these days. Aside from classics like Scrabble and Monopoly (that help with
language and math, respectively), there are memory games like Clue, Lineup, and Pictureka,
word games like Bananagrams and Apples to Apples Junior, and math games like Equate
(basically a numbers version of Scrabble) to help kids have fun while learning. And there are
even games that will teach them the art of cooperative strategy (like Forbidden Island and other
Gamewright games).

4. Puzzles. You might like Sudoku and crossword puzzles, and while some kids might like these,
too, you should probably look for versions that are made specifically for developing minds so
that they don’t get too frustrated.

5. The internet. While the internet certainly could fall under the category of electronic media
bombardment, it can also provide a whole world of education. And considering that there are
options to block certain types of sites, you can at least maintain some control over what kids are
viewing. While it does constitute an ongoing cost, there are so many options for cheap internet
access these days that you can even find it for free in some places (libraries, coffee shops, etc.).
But if you want it at home, simply comparison shop providers and plans to find the one that fits
your budget.