1. Personal Notes from Family Members- So you wrote a letter to your sponsored child. Get note cards and pass them out to family members. Make your child feel totally special when he gets a bunch of extra little notes in his envelope.
2. Slap Bracelets- Kids love these things. You know what I'm talking about, right? The bracelets that look like straight, number-less rulers until you smack them against your wrist, and then they roll up and turn into bracelets. You can get all sorts of designs and they fit great into an envelope.
3. Guitar Picks- Do you play the guitar? A great way to show your child what kind of instrument you play is to send her one of your guitar picks. At Christian book stores, you could even find guitar picks with Bible verses on them. One idea is to punch a hole into the top of a guitar pick and run a piece of thread through the hole so your child can wear the pick as a necklace and think about you.
4. Stencils- Young children especially like this. Choose stencils of simple items, like animals, shapes, and letters of the alphabet.
5. Colored Rubber Bands- Nothing is handier than a rubber band. Especially a colorful one. :)6. Comb- This is a great gift for little girls, but boys could use combs too. You can purchase flat, inexpensive combs at most dollar stores.
7. Construction Paper- Send sheets of colorful construction paper for your sponsored child to use for school. It's a guaranteed hit. You could even ask your child to use one of the sheets to draw you a picture.
8. Stamps- Send flat stamps with ink to your child... or stamp small squares of paper with cute messages and pictures.
9. Stick Gum- Be sure to check with the organization you use for sponsorship. Some organizations don't allow perishable items like gum to be sent to your child.
10. Underwear- Folded flat into the envelope, it is possible to send underwear to your sponsored child. It's much needed, too! Get cutesy underwear: flowers and hearts for girls and turtles and race cars for boys. Be sure to send new underwear, not used. You'll want your gift to be special.
11.Pencils- For obvious reasons, be sure to send unsharpened pencils. School accessories like pencils will be much-appreciated by your sponsored child. Pencils are always needed for school... and possibly even for writing letters to you! If you send your child a mechanical pencil and some lead, he may be amazed.
12. Erasers- Send a flat eraser or two with your letter. These will also be used for school.
13. Ruler- Be sure that it isn't metal with sharp edges or a thin, fragile plastic. I would recommend that you send a sturdy plastic or wood. Because envelopes are generally shorter than an entire foot, you may want to send a six-inch ruler.
14. Colored Pencils- This would be a great gift for your child's birthday or Christmas. If your child enjoys drawing pictures for you and sending them with his letter, he will most likely adore some colored pencils. Start with basic colors, like red, blue, and yellow.
15. Mini Craft Kits- You can find a ton of these at craft stores. Send your child crafts made of foam, Popsicle sticks, or cloth. Be sure to
include instructions that will be easy for your child to understand.16. Seasonal Trinkets- If it's Christmas time, send a paper snowflake. If it's Thanksgiving, make one of those hand print Turkeys and send it to your child. Small cross trinkets work for almost any season, and they'll be treasured as something beautiful by your sponsored child's family.
17. Family Christmas Card- If your family is like mine, you send an annual Christmas card to friends and family, sharing a photograph of your family and a quick message that shares Christmas cheer. Go ahead and send one to your sponsored child as well. Make her feel extra special. She'll love the family photo.
18. Blow Up Balls- Flattened beach balls and things like that will fit well into an envelope. Your sponsored child, especially if he's a boy, will love this gift.
19. Pages from iSpy and Where's Waldo Books- It may be horrifying to tear pages out of a book, but these are great games to send to your child. They'll love to search and find all the different pictures. You could even make it an ongoing game between the two of you and each take a turn finding a hidden object.
20. Beads- Some beads are flatter than others. If you're feeling very creative, send some yarn along with the bead and let your child make her own bracelet!21. Magnets- There are so many magnets available, and they fit quite well into an envelope. You could purchase them as souvenirs when you go on vacation or buy magnets with Bible verses from the Christian bookstore.
22. Handkerchief- Fold up a pretty, delicate handkerchief for your sponsored child. If you're extra creative, you could even try to handmake one!
23. Bible Verse Cards- Share a couple of pretty Bible verses every time you write your child a letter. Perhaps you could both try to memorize the verses together. Write them on note cards so the child can carry the verse around with him to school and such.
24. Pre-Printed Surveys- If you're having trouble getting your child to reach out and talk about many things in letters, type out a survey asking easy questions like, "What is your favorite sport?" or "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Your sponsored child can fill out the survey and send it back to you with her next letter.
25. About Me Cards- On a note card, ask an easy question, like, "What is the weather like where you live?" On one side of the card, write your answer. Your sponsored child can answer the question on the other side and send the note card back to you. It's a great way to communicate and learn more about each other.
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That's my complete list of things you can send to your sponsored child. I hope some of my ideas helped you out a bit. I know your child will be ecstatic, no matter what you send her. Tomorrow I'll post the last article in this "Sponsoring A Child" series. This post will cover the things you definitely shouldn't send your child.
What is your sponsored child's name and age?
I love these Emily! I'm always trying to think of things to do something special for the girls i sponsor! Thanks:)
ReplyDeleteBrooke (Susie sis)