Take Your Child On a Giftventure!

I went into Toys R Us the other day and felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of LeapFrog, Fisher Price, Barbie, Little Tikes, and VTech toys just waiting to be purchased by moms and dads eager to please their wide-eyed boys and girls.  Spring is a busy time for the Baileys.  Most of our friends happen to have kids with birthdays in the spring and early summer.  How did we get so lucky?  : )

If you are like me, you want the gift you give to be special…to have meaning and significance…to be memorable…  My little munchkin is going to be 1 this year and hubby and I are already planning his birthday party…his gifts.  While he most likely won’t remember this birthday, I hope the memories we are creating for him now will one day be cherished by him.  

The fab gals over at Mom Central introduced me to a rockin’ and innovative service called Giftventure.  It is truly unlike anything I’ve seen or heard of yet.  Giftventure is a personalized treasure hunt service where a child receives a series of letters with puzzles from a mythical character.  Solving the mystery leads to the discovery of the gift you’ve chosen and hidden.  

Moms, dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles…anyone can personalize this unique gift-giving adventure simply by choosing an adventure, character, and hiding place.  It’s fun (for the gift-giver and the child) and brings meaning to the gift.  So often children unwrap presents, take a quick look, and move on to the next.  Why not create a special and personal experience that will be remembered long after the gift has been recalled (I mean forgotten : )

One great way to use this service is for friends and relatives wanting to give a child a gift but are unable to be with the child for the occasion.   What a great way for children to connect with friends and family members far away.  

Giftventure promotes the development of reading and problem-solving skills while inspiring curiosity and fueling imagination.  What sets this service apart from other gift-giving services is that it is personal.  The gifter enters the child’s interests such as his/her favorite game and a local landmark.  A series of letters and puzzles are created for the child to solve in order to discover the hidden gift’s location.  Currently, Giftventure offers 7 different adventures for a wide variety of ages.  Each adventure focuses on certain developmental skills but you don’t have to tell your child that they can learn AND have fun at the same time!  While the age range for Giftventure is 4-12, I found that younger children may need some help reading or solving the puzzles.  

Since my little munchkin is too young, auntie Caryn created a Giftventure for my 2 favorite girls R and M.  I chose the Treasure Map Adventure for both of them.  They loved Fay the Fairy Princess and star of their adventures.  They needed some help with the puzzles and clues but I can’t tell you how excited they were when they found the Barbie dolls auntie Caryn hid in mommy and daddy’s closet.  

While this list is by no means exhaustive, here are some special occasions you may want to liven up with a Giftventure:  

Birthdays

Christmas

Easter

Valentine’s Day

Milestones (starting school, moving to a new grade level)