To encourage the kids to spend their Xmas money how I feel is more suitable?

[ChocolateCoins19]

Not so much ds he's a teen and will use his towards designer type clothes that I draw a Limit on

The 7 Yr old and nr 2 Yr old had a lot of toy store vouchers.. Haven't fully counted but in region of 200. Plus a bit of cash

The 7byr old got a switch for Xmas and a couple of games but isn't on it loads so no point in spending loads on more games. Plus can download games with some Dow load vouchers

Both younger ones have so many toys. The 7byr old only plays with the same few and despite always wanting stuff when she's saved or been given it. She doesn't play it. She likes to just know it's there.
2 Yr old has far too much its now been divided to GPS houses.

Anyway we got a house this Yr.. 1st garden
I got a few pre owned bits end of summer.. Freebies, play house, ride ons and mini slide

I said to dh maybe encourage them to use vouchers for garden toys.. Goal post, swing ball or whatnot for the older one.
Not so sure about younger one as I know some people have brought for her upcoming 2nd birthday
DH thinks they should choose what they want which I know will be more dolls, ponies etc that will absolutely not get played with.
I said on dry days they can go out in garden wrapped up and they'll have the selection. The garden is big so lots of room for all their things

When I said draw a limit in his stuff I mean to what I contribute. If he wants the extras or whatever he puts towards.. This is never for essentials.. I mean as in his god knows how many pairs of trainers or whatever

2 year old won't have a clue, give them a tenner to pick something while shopping with 7 year old, wait to see what they get for birthday and then use The rest for something decent for the garden or a bike etc. 7 year old is encourage in the direction of outdoor stuff that you think they'd like but also give them an amount to splurge, £20 or so.

I don’t think it’s a bad idea. You can encourage it, if they really don’t want these things then you can’t force it.

Good luck :)

YABU. You can suggest garden toys as an idea to them, but if they say no or they would prefer X, it really is up to them. It’s their Christmas money and it’s good to learn money from a young age.

I’m with DH in that they should choose. If you want garden toys then surely that’s the items you purchase as gifts yourself.

As long as you are encouraging it and including them in picking/purchasing then definitely YANBU.

Just don’t take their money and spend it on something for them and take all their agency away.

Stick it in the bank
They sounds like they have huge amounts of toys already and fuelling the buying of piles of pointless plastic would leave me cold.

Teach them about saving and let them open accounts and go and pay it in minus say a fiver that they get to blow in a local shop.

You can make a goal post out of anything and my kids always mostly played with a few old kitchen spoons and bowls and a bag of sand in the garden! Honestly plastic garden tat is as bad as the indoor stuff.

Let them choose one thing for themselves and the rest whatever garden toys they like.

That’s a huge amount of money for that age. I don’t feel they’d be able to judge properly how much to spend and on what. Garden toys are a great idea.

I always encouraged mine to save their bday money. They had a separate savings account. Their current accounts had their pocket money paid into once they were teens and they used it as they wished
They largely forgot about the savings accounts once they got older and used bday money for clothes and stuff

So when the eldest two turned 18 and I reminded them about the old savings accounts they were delighted as they have almost unwittingly saved hundreds of pounds. One had a holiday with it.

Half it.

Spend half on what you need and half on what they want.

You can’t stick toy shop vouchers in the bank. They got vouchers, and only a small bit of cash. How long before they expire?

Well for a 2 year old you should just save the money and buy him something you think he needs/wants. The seven tear old depends - is he likely to go into the store and spend all his money on tat he won't really play with? If so do the same as you would with the younger child. If he's more mature and considered let him spend it as he sees fit (or perhaps give him little bits at a time if there's nothing big he wants).

Don't spend cash for the sake of spending it, put it in the bank until they want something. Just keep an eye on the expiry date for the vouchers and keep an eye on the stores not going out of business.

They might be more interested in outdoor stuff when the weather improves. At the moment it's cold and wet and they don't want to go out. When it's warm and sunny they might be more open to outdoor toys.

They were given toy shop vouchers in order to go and choose their own presents, so you let them spend the vouchers as they wish, and bank the cash.

The fact they were given toy shop vouchers is interesting- do you have form for deciding what the kids should spend their money on?

Honestly, I'd 'buy' the vouchers from them by putting the equivalent amount of money into savings for them and use the vouchers myself. They don't need more toys.

Both me and dh have a massive family. My ds birthday is two weeks after xmas he just turned 9 and between xmas and bday he got £510. If left too his own devices he would spent it all on lego that would get played with once then scattered around, lost then -get stood on in the middle of the night-

Honestly, I'd 'buy' the vouchers from them by putting the equivalent amount of money into savings for them and use the vouchers myself. They don't need more toys.
What on earth would a grown-up want to buy at a toy shop with vouchers?

Depends which toy shop it is, and when they expire. Could you get something like a scooter or bike from the toy shop? Other things that might get a lot if play value are things like dress up costumes and lego or playmobil sets (which can be quite expensive), and are east to sell on once grown put of (so will be used again by someone else). It is a good idea to get garden toys that everyone can play with, and letting the 7 year old pick something would be good, but maybe set a limit. The 2 year old won't care!

Do you know anyone buying anything from the toy shops that can us the vouchers and give you the money? Then let them use some and put some aside

What willa 2 year old spend 200 quid on they will have no clue just guide the children to the area of shop you think is appropriate and if that is outside toys well all is good.

Buy them back as gifts for other children at birthday time.

I’d save them until the summer/weather improves and go from there. They are more likely to pick garden stuff then.

they don't have to spend it right away? maybe hold onto the vouchers for a few months, children change interests pretty often at that age. so when in a few months time a new dolls or tv character toy comes out they can buy it. or once it's actually sunny they might want a garden toy.

my dds got Christmas money (£25 each) and are saving it until something new related to their interests comes out (dd2 is 7 and loves lol dolls and I think some new ones are due out in feb/March time)

I'd try to exchange most of the vouchers for cash if you have friends who'd buy them off you. Keep about £20 of vouchers and let them spend those however they choose. Put the cash in their bank accounts.

If you're not able to exchange the vouchers then I'd definitely encourage them to get something big for the garden. Given the choice, they'll fritter £200 away on plastic crap that they won't play with.

If they refuse to buy things for the garden, then don't go and buy them yourself - let them see that it was their choice (maybe not the 2yo so much, you could get them a couple of small things).

Get a trampoline, mine play on theirs all year round, suitable for all ages. I definitely don't think they should have free reign to choose, guidance is the whole point of parenting!