We were eating on the back patio of a restaurant this past summer. When dinner was over, Mazzy said she wanted a treat. I assumed she meant dessert, so I asked our server what they had. She handed me a dessert menu full of glossy pictures of huge brownie sundaes and banana splits, and I thought— uh-oh. This is going to be a way bigger treat than I was expecting.
But Mazzy didn’t want to look at the dessert menu. She wanted something she had seen inside the restaurant.
“Like on someone else’s plate?”
“No! At the front!”
Was there a refrigerator case full of desserts I had overlooked?
She led me by the hand into the restaurant where I was fully expecting to see a ten layer chocolate cake slathered with pink frosting on a table by the front door. But Mazzy walked up to the hostess station and pointed to a bowl of small plastic wrapped peppermints.
“That’s what you want?”
“YES!”
Sometimes I have to remind myself that it’s pretty easy to make kids happy with little things. Yes, you can take them to see Frozen on Ice or buy them the mini kitchen set with the real working fridge, but at this age, they’ll also be thrilled with a sticker or a balloon. They’ll be even happier that you are listening and living in the moment.
That’s the message behind the new American Express Everyday Card. I love that it places just as much importance on small purchases as big ones, by giving out points based on number of purchases you make, not just the dollars you spend. If you make 20 purchases—any purchases, from the $198 Barbie Pink Power Wheels Corvette to the $1.50 mini cupcake at the corner bakery—within a month, you could get a 20% bonus on Membership Rewards points.
Personally, I think spoiling a kid with too much stuff never sends a good message and little things can leave just as big of a lasting impression.
Here’s a list of small ways I make my kids happy, without going overboard or breaking the bank.
1. Ice cream
Not exactly brain surgery, I know. But I like to do it when they least expect it, like randomly after school or taking Mazzy out by herself on a Friday night after I put Harlow to bed. Bonus: I may not get my own cup, but I get to “fix” her cone when it starts to drip. I wonder when she’ll figure that one out.
2. Mickey Mouse Pancakes
Maybe some people make pancakes all the time so it’s nothing special. I prefer to save it for Sunday mornings so the girls think they are getting a treat. We like to make Mickey Mouse pancakes with just enough chocolate chips for the eyes and mouth.
3. Character Band Aids
As my regular readers know, my kids are both obsessed with character themed band aids. Yes, I try to curb their habit of using them on imaginary cuts and bruises, but nothing makes a little girl with a minor injury happier than opening up the medicine cabinet and discovering a new box of Tinkerbell or Dora themed band aids inside.
4. The 50-cent machine at the toy store around the corner
I don’t like to buy Mazzy toys without a special occasion, and I hate making every reward a sugar bomb. Instead, I’ll reward her with a special trip to the toy store to use their quarter machine. You risk the potential of her being upset with her prize, but everything’s a life lesson, right?
5. Letting her put her own Metrocard in the slot on our school bus commute
The kids all get a free card from the city to commute to school. The bus driver doesn’t make them use it, but most kids love to dip it in anyway. You should see her smile when her card gets sucked into the machine and spit back out.
6. The mighty sticker
Never underestimate the power of a sticker. It worked for potty training, so now I keep a stash to use as rewards for doing chores around the house. You can buy big packs with sheets and sheets of them for really cheap at your local party store.
7. Rainbow Colored SMOOTHIE Straws
Every morning, Mike makes blueberry banana smoothies. The girls like pulling up their chairs to the counter and pouring the ingredients into the blender almost as much as they like the smoothies themselves. We always make two glasses with four straws and let them decide who is sharing with mom and who is sharing with dad. But their favorite part is choosing their straw color. We buy special straws from Target with every color of the rainbow.
8. Farmer’s market pocket money
As I learned from Mazzy’s old preschool, kids love to get a set amount of money and the freedom to spend it as they see fit. I give Mazzy a little bit of cash and let her select anything she wants at the farmer’s market. Last visit, she surprised me by picking out a basil plant.
9. Creating a prize box
When I was trying to get Mazzy to stop coming into our bed in the middle of the night, I went to the dollar store and filled up a little box with cheap toys— plastic animal miniatures, beaded bracelets, bouncy balls, etc. Whenever she slept through the night in her own bed, I would let her pick one toy from the prize box. Worked like a charm.
10. Randomly Appearing Magnets
The back of our front door is painted like a chalkboard. Some time last year, I discovered it was also magnetic and surprised Mazzy by hanging alphabet magnets on it. Now, every once in awhile, I wait until the kids go to bed and then surprise them by hanging a new magnet on the door. It’s always the first thing they notice in the morning.
11. Mommy-daughter coffee dates
Taking Mazzy and Harlow for steamed milk in a coffee cup paired with a muffin or croissant is always a treat. I like to take them separately so it really equates to quality time with mom. Plus, they behave better that way.
12. Fairy bread
I was introduced to this concept at a birthday party for a little girl who was originally from Australia. It’s standard birthday party practice down there to serve buttered bread with rainbow sprinkles on top and call it “fairy bread”. To make it extra special, just use a cookie cutter. Sounds like a simple surprise on a regular day too!
13. Playing Tourist
We live in NYC and often don’t take advantage of the numerous kid-friendly attractions. I love taking Mazzy on a random trip to Times Square. We take the subway uptown, ride the Ferris Wheel in Toys ‘R Us, take a photo with one of the “Disney” characters hanging out on the corner and call it a day. All for under $10.
14. Urban petting zoo
I don’t want the responsibility of a pet, but that doesn’t mean we stay away from the pet store. They can look at the fish, pet the bunnies, gawk at the rats and mice, and wonder why anyone in their right minds would buy a ferret for their home. (At least I hope that’s what they are thinking.) We end the excursion by buying a treat for the neighbor’s dog.
15.Mommy/daughter manicure
I’ve done this with Mazzy once and she loved it. I must remember to do it again on the next rainy day. In my area, there are tons of places that give manicures for $10 plus tip. As an added bonus, I might let her pick my color as well as her own.
16. A balloon For no reason at all
There’s a party store about a block up from my sister’s apartment. Next time we go visit Mazzy’s aunt, maybe we should take a little detour to buy her a balloon. I don’t think she’s ever gotten one straight from the source.
I’m always looking to hear other parents’ ideas for incorporating small things that make their kids feel special. Please share yours in the comments below!
Thank you to American Express for sponsoring this post and inspiring me to make the most out of my everyday moments. I hope you don’t mind if I tell my kids the only one responsible for that random balloon is Mom.
I surprise my 5 year old with new markers or crayons and fresh paper. It is pretty cheap and she loves using new stuff. Then we take her old, broken crayons and melt them down into new rainbow crayons. Recylcing at its best!
Now that my step daughter is old enough to enjoy it, we have started doing seasonal crafts together. We are usually so so busy with pre school, dance, and therapy horse back. At halloween we put glitter glue on cut out bats, and hung them from the door frames. Were about to switch over to christmas theme, and glitter some pinecones for the tree, as well as make some paper snowflakes for grandmas house. Cheap, and she loves it. She loves spending quality time, and she loves getting creative. Right now its special because her brother is too young to join, so its one on one.
It’s all about the stickers in our house. And the cheaper the better!
I totally agree the smallest things make the biggest difference. My big boy loves “inventing” things. Always involves a ton of sticky tape. We surprised him with his own tape dispenser (thank you 99p store) you would have thought it was a trip to the moon he was so excited. My girlie loves it if for no reason we bake together. Rainy afternoon baking and licking the spoon is pretty much the best thing for her. Not great for the way my jeans fit (yeah, sampling is part of the deal) but wouldn’t change those smiles for anything…
I sew quite a bit and have several jars of vintage buttons, sorted by color/style. I have one that is filled with candy colored and bejeweled buttons. We get those out for tea parties, to play the part of our treats. Occasionally, I will let her pick out buttons from the jar for an outfit I make for her. They don’t usually match, but it sure makes her happy.
Baking a special treat together just because. Kid 1 (and sometimes Kid 2) get to do the measuring, or rolling, or “slicing” with a butter knife. We are going to make a blueberry pie with frozen blueberries this afternoon. Kid 1 gets to turn the cuisinart on and off while I actually put the stuff in .
Also, getting to turn things on and off: coffeemaker, dishwasher, washing machine. It’s a big thrill for each kid.
My daughter is too little (14 months)for most these but I love all of the ideas!! Right now, whenever we go somewhere I make sure to spend the first 30 min letting her wander around and explore, most of the time we walk in circles and examine tags that have been dropped on the floor. She gets so much joy out of exploring new places, and the only cost is time.
I love this! It so easy to forget that the little ones need to explore. We parents are usually so quick to stick the kids in the cart and get on with our shopping. Letting the kids walk around the store and explore is very exciting for them and gives them a feeling of indipendance.
My kids love visiting the beach and being allowed to take one small thing. Drift wood, a flower, a sea shell.
I also get a take away latte with two marshmallows on top. Their faces brighten up every time.
Colored bath! I fill the tub up while my girls are out of the room and drop in a couple of tablets. The little surprise when they see the water never fails to get their excitement up. My older daughter will sometimes request a colored bath and I will let her choose the color and drop the tabs in herself. You’d think I was giving her a pony. This is what we use (and no, it doesn’t dye the kids or the tub): http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004813L0S/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1417054169&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40
We collect shells at the Jersey shore every spring and summer. Those that we don’t use in crafts get a special trip back to the beach the following spring. The kids love throwing the shells back into the ocean. One of my sons collects special shells and pebbles all summer. He’ll sort them and play with them, but never uses them in crafts. He loves to throw them back to the ocean at the start of each beach season and says goodbye to each one. I love that my dumping leftover/broken shells back in the ocean has become a wonderful family tradition. All 3 of my children now have a pail with their special shells and I keep a pail full of “arts and craft” shells.
Socks from the $1 bin at Target are like gold around here! She gets so excited, but really I just use them as bribes for her to actually put socks on in the Iowa winter. I also like taking her to the dollar store and telling her she can pick out anything she wants. She thinks it’s amazing.
When I take my 4 year old to Chuck E Cheese’s I usually just by 2 or 3 dollars worth of tokens and we spend about 15 minutes, but that makes her day and she thanks me over and over especially after a surprise visit there.
Sitting in a car shaped shopping cart at the grocery store is still a very popular treat for her.
Playing at the Lego section at Barnes and Noble is another free reward I give her. When we go there, I read her some books (free) and let her play at the Lego section. Makes he a happy camper.
She also loves cracking the eggs for scrambled eggs for breakfast and giving me a hand bathing her baby brother. Makes her feel like a really big girl with important assignments!!
Letting her pick out a record from the shelf, going for a bike ride (espiallay when it’s raining for some reason ) ‘helping’ clean with the hand held vaccuum ( in Dutch i’ts kruimeldief and would translate like thief of crumbs, witch sounds way cooler anyway ) letting her pick out her one books at the library. The most small things are often very special to her. One time we took her to the Efteling ( sort off disney world only in the Netherlands ) and the most awsome thing off the day was seeing a squirrel ^_^
My kiddos (4 & 6) love to eat sliced apples or grapes in the bath and for nights when I have little energy left for bedtime routines I will give them a glow stick and tuck them in quickly. My daughter pretends they are Disney fairies and my son uses his as a light saber against the “bad guys”….plus they’re only 12 for $1!
Glow sticks at bed time is a routine and one that they will surely remember for life, maybe even passing down the “tradition” to their own children. I love this idea and may try it with my kids, who sometimes have trouble falling asleep.
Our kids loved board games and we have a gian bookshelf filled with them! on occasion, we will break out a board game at dinner time and play while we eat. The rule: you cant take your turn unless you’ve taken a bit of your food. The kids love this special treat! We usually put the baby (2 years old) on a team with mommy or daddy so she feels included too.
Love the fairy bread! Your children are absolutely adorable.
One free thing that my 3 year old son loves is that sometimes when we’re getting into the car and not in a rush (rare), I will let him pretend to drive the car. He gets to hop into the drivers seat while the car is off, parking brake on, and the keys are safe in my pocket. He can move around the levers for the blinker and windshield wipers, the wheel usually wiggles just a little, he can twist the knob to turn on the lights, etc. I usually keep him away from the horn so the neighbors don’t hate us. He absolutely LOVES it. Oh, and he loves putting on the grown up seat belt while he’s up there too. I usually sit next to him in the passenger seat and I think he really likes thinking that he’s driving me around instead of the other way around. We’ll pick a pretend destination, and talk about all the bridges we’re going over, tunnels we need to pass though, and of course a few wayward animals in the road that we have to swerve to avoid. I actually find it pretty fun, too.
Right now in Saint Louis, we are celebrating our 250th birthday so the city placed 250 fiberglass birthday cake statues painted by local artists at landmarks around the city. My son loves seeing the cakes. When we get to a cake location I will ask him” do you wanna see cake?” and he will just light up and start babbling. We take pictures with the cakes and play at each location for a few minutes and then we head on to the next one or we head home.
I enjoy getting to learn history of each location as well as watch my son run around and play. I will be sad when they remove the cakes from display. they are on display to until the end of the year.
Every once in a while I will take my 3 boys, 3, 6, and 8, out to a large empty parking lot and let them take turns steering my minivan for about 10 minutes each while I control the gas and brake pedals (going at about 5 mph). They find it exhilarating and feel so grown up when I let them “drive.”
Also me and my husband love to take the boys on long walks. Every time we comes to a crossroads, the kids get to pick the direction we go. The the older 2 have to tell
Us which way we are going (left, right, or “if that way is north, which way are we heading?”). On our travels the boys enjoy disgusting where they are going to travel over ther world when they are older 🙂 Makes for awesome family time.
What is the cheap way to make Milly happy?
If I take her to the Everything Store downtown! (They sell EVERYTHING!)
She likes running in the big open spaces, and we go to the party isle to say hi to the Elmo Balloons. When somebody’s about to buy one, I get her the heck out of there because she hasn’t realized that we take one home.
She behaves for my whole shopping trip there, because she knows if she’s naughty she won’t be seeing the Elmo balloons.
Another way is to turn on country music. She gets her Sheriff Callie cowboy hat on, and dances along to the music.