Alana King
Well, once again we approach that whimsical time of year when we eat too much food, Mariah Carey makes her yearly income in one month by making our ears bleed, and kids start wondering what presents they may get under the Christmas tree.
However, what do you get the preteen in your life who is starting a whole new phase in the next calendar year? The big jump from primary to secondary school is where we realise that our children start to become individuals who don’t always want to cling to their parents.
Therefore, let me help you in making the transition, by giving you some hints as to what some smart and trendy presents are for the child entering high school in the new year.
While there is no denying that we are enveloped in a technological world, the humble diary is still something into which teens can express their thoughts. Buying a 2024 diary can help you and your child map the coming change in their lives, both in terms of the new commitments they may have with homework deadlines and after-school activities, but also internally, as they start to enter adolescence.
With any luck, you will hopefully teach your child that keeping a diary can help them learn important organisation skills, such as note-taking, and prioritising.
Moreover, it can also be a great way to help them express their emotions through the written word. The days of the teen’s secret diary aren’t lost to yesteryear, even if they thank you for a ‘vintage’ gift when they unwrap it.
If there’s one thing I remember about my high school days, it was the amount of weight we carried around on our backs from one day to another.
While it seems that much of the current curriculum is stored on an iPad or laptop of some kind, the truth is that textbooks will no doubt still be used in the syllabus. And they are always, absurdly, heavy. Couple that on top of a student’s lunch box and other supplies, and it can still be a fair load for a growing spine to carry.
Therefore, a well-fitting school bag that suits your child, and one they pick out with you with a design they like will get greater usage, and you’ll know they will be comfortable with it for at least the next couple of years.
Just like the diary or planner, another good gift to prepare your child for high school can be that of a stylish pencil case and new stationery. These will be essential items necessary to prepare for high school, and ones that will be used often, so why not encourage your kids to choose a nice pencil case to express themselves?
Not only will it help them get a sense of their emerging personality, it will also give them a reason to keep their essential items neat, tidy and looked after – meaning less trips to replace them!
As much as we don’t want to admit that kids grow up, there is no denying that they will gradually want to become more independent.
While this can be done slowly and depends on a level of trust, provided you feel they are ready, there is no denying that come secondary school age, your children will begin making their own way home from school, and starting to hang out with friends more – without you.
Therefore, a wise and practical gift to give your child is a keyring with their own set of house keys. This way, they can let themselves in the house and acquire a little bit more independence. It shows them that you respect that they are growing, by giving them a tiny bit more responsibility.
In the technological world we live in now, we have to acknowledge that not all research is done with an encyclopaedia and not all work is written out on paper. While it is smart to teach your kids to write well and research and reference different sources, there is no denying that the modern classroom heavily incorporates tech-based learning, and much of their work will be typed out using a keyboard.
Hence, when getting the annual run of school supplies, it is a good idea to stock them with a USB Drive or external Hard Disk Drive (HDD) to store their projects from year to year.
I know what you’re thinking, which does what and which is better, not to mention more cost-effective?
Both are storage devices that retain computer and data memory. It really depends on your child’s workload and how much they need to keep. If you want something that is easily portable, for work that is mainly written assignments such as in English and History, go with the USB. They are quick, easy to access and copy files faster. Not to mention, they’re fairly hardy and still retain the data if dropped every now and then.
As your child begins working with more advanced projects, like video and media, an HDD is wise. It has a larger storage capacity, and can hold the data for a longer period of time. However, retrieving data, it is slower, as it has to go through a physical process to access the files (the certain buzzing or whirring noise you hear).
When it comes to preparing your kid for the transition from primary to secondary, guide your children on how to use and become responsible for asking for school supplies they need. That doesn’t mean their Christmas stocking has to be full of basic necessities with no personality or fun. Hopefully, this list of ideas has given you some insight on how you can gift creatively, and practically. Combine the two, and your child will be as smiley and excited to start their first day of high school as they will unwrapping their gifts on Christmas morning.
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