Preparing for the Holidays - Part 3
/So you got your kiddo the COOLEST paw patrol toy that you have been waiting to give them. They open it, you are expecting their eyes to go wide, mouth to drop open. Instead, they look at it, shove it to the side and keep opening presents. Or they are with great grandpa and open their hand knitted sweater with a cute cat on it, in response “I hate cats” and asks what’s next? Sometimes the social pressure of opening gifts mixed with expectations and a new/busy environment can cause tantrums or unexpected behaviors when opening gifts. You are now mortified. Here are some tips to help a kiddo express themselves in a…different…way.
· Prepare them ahead of time. Talk about what their expectations are and how those might be different than reality or what might really happen/what they might really get.
· Practice!! Have them open gifts at home (wrap up toys/books that they own) and practice the situation.
· Have visuals for them to express themselves so they can just point or pick up and show you to take some verbal pressure off of them. Some ideas might be : “Thank you” “I am excited to play with this toy” “Those are nice clothes” “I like this”
· Acknowledge both your child’s and the present-giver’s perspective. “It’s true; you do already have that doll! Aunt Mary really knows what you like to play with. Thanks, Aunt Mary!” Then try to move on by introducing another gift or a different topic for conversation.
· If gift opening is consistently a challenge, suggest taking the gifts home and opening them in a safe, controlled environment. You can then use this as a learning experience to write thank you notes after!
· Keep in mind your own expectations. After all, they are still just kids! Don’t forget, kids are not just going to smile and say thank you sweetly and move on. They will be having fun and most likely say something unexpected. That is OK! Social skills are learned and sometimes for kids (and adults), learning them can have some silly moments!