Ask the Horizons Team: With the holidays coming I need gift ideas for my 6-year-old son with autism.
Question:
I’m sure you get asked this question all the time, so I hope you have some good ideas for me. With the holidays coming I need gift ideas for my 6-year-old son with autism and my 9-year-old niece with Asperger’s. I’d like to get them gifts that they will enjoy but will also help them progress developmentally. Any and all ideas you have are appreciated!
Thanks – Joy in Richmond, VA
Answer:
Hi Joy,
You are asking the question that is on everyone’s mind this time of year! We have provided gift ideas in various editions of the ezine over the years, and people always find them helpful. We like to recommend gifts that allow kids to think, engage with others, and build their brains and bodies! Here are a wide variety of things you may want to consider:
- Tickets/passes to places such as the local zoo, museum, aquatics center, bounce party, etc. These allow for fun and engagement throughout the year, and are great to pull out on weekends and when the kids are off from school!
- Snap Circuits – awesome building sets at various levels of complexity
- Games from companies like Blue Orange (www.blueorangegames.com) and Think Fun (www.thinkfun.com). Some of our favorites are games like Rush Hour, Spot It, Bendominos, Swish, Pathwords, and more!
- Art supplies such as clay, markers, chalk, drawing paper, glitter glue, etc.
- Items that encourage movement such as kid’s stilts, jump ropes, hula hoops, yoga balls, balance boards, etc.
- Cooking items – kids’ cookbooks, apron, chef hat, cookie cutters, etc.
I hope some of these ideas are a good fit for the kids in your family. Happy Shopping!
-Nicole
