Gift Of Time – New Year's Eve Box - Family Days Tried And Tested

Time is possibly the best gift you could give anybody…

After the Christmas excitement, I wanted to make a special gift for the children for New Year’s Eve. With a large family, it can be easy to be too busy for that special one-to-one time and I wanted to find a way we could ensure the children knew they would get quality time throughout the year. I’ve made it my resolution to give the children more time: time to talk, time to listen and time to just be together.

So, I decided to make a New Year’s Eve box giving the gift of time.

The idea originally came from the idea of giving the gift of time as a Christmas present but I decided to adapt it for the year ahead.

Pledge the Gift of Time

I’ve chosen ideas that I know my children will enjoy but, obviously, you can adapt these to suit your family. If your children love Saturday morning movies you could pledge to go with one child so they can feel special. Or if your children love making dens, you could promise an afternoon of den building in the living room with all your children.

It doesn’t have to be expensive as each idea doesn’t have to cost any money at all. It’s about time and not spending money.

You can adapt this idea in so many ways. We have a family box but you could have a box of envelopes for each child. We’ll ask one child to pick an envelope each month and we’ll then incorporate the idea into a family day out with one parent spending special extra time with that child. Or it could be a one-to-one trip away from the others. We’ll discuss with the child who picks what they really want as special time doesn’t have to mean not spending time with their siblings. As much as they fight we know our children love each other!

The gift of time doesn’t have to be one a month as you could make something similar for a fun week during the school holidays or each weekend in one month. Use the basic concept to find a way to enjoy time with your children.

Always Give Time

When I first shared this idea, some said they didn’t need a monthly reminder to spend time with their children. They couldn’t see why other parents would need this. So let’s drop the criticism of other parents. Let’s stop the judgemental attitude. This is simply a way of showing your children you want to spend time with them. Yes, you can give them your time every day but the gift of time box lets them know how important it is to you that you get quality time with them. It lets them know how much you want to be with them. There’s nothing wrong in having something to look forward to.

How To Make It

I’ve used twelve plain cards and envelopes and have written an idea for each month. I wrote the ideas as a rhyme but you can do it any way that suits your family. You might simply write the idea or you may choose to draw a sketch. You could stick in pictures or you could write the idea in emojis. You could print it out or you could write in coloured felt tip pens. Make the box special for your family.

I then decorated a box (a shoe box works well) and put the envelopes inside.

We’ll leave the box either under the TV or on a shelf so it can be accessed throughout the year.

Here’s how it looks and the pledges I have made for each month.