Giving Children Vacations Instead of Toys
Can Lead to Advanced Brain Development
If you’re stressing about missing Black Friday deals and looking for an alternative to an expensive toy, there’s good news: Gifting your kids experiences and bonding time rather than things might be better for their soul (and mind!).
In a recently resurfaced 2017 study published in The Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, researchers surveyed close to 500 women between 18 and 93 years old, asking them to answer the question, “Most people feel loved when … ” — and the most popular answers had nothing to do with receiving a tangible item.
“Our research found that micro-moments of positivity, like a kind word, cuddling with a child or receiving compassion make people feel most loved,” one of the study’s authors — Dr. Zita Oravecz, a human development and family studies professor at Pennsylvania State University — told NPR.
In a 2017 conversation with U.K. outlet The Telegraph, psychological author Oliver James pointed out, “Give a 2-year-old a present and she’ll get absorbed in the box instead.”
