Goldfish Swim School is the sponsor of our gift guide for December!
This holiday season, give the of swim lessons — a gift that truly lasts a lifetime. Goldfish Swim School is offering a limited number of holiday gift packages that include swim lessons and other bonus items. Swim lessons provide essential skills and confidence that will stay with them for a lifetime. Kids learn safety skills while having fun, making friends, building confidence and learning life lessons. Kids love Goldfish’s fun, tropical environment and 90 degree pools. Parents get the peace of mind knowing that their loved ones are accomplishing an essential life skill based on our proven curriculum. There’s no better gift than that!
The $200 Holiday Package includes:
- 2 months of group lessons
- Waived annual membership fee
- 1 family swim punch card
- A Bubbles plush
- Goldfish water bottle
- Towel and a tote
Visit the website or call (716) 265-4819 to order your package. Offer is valid until 12/31 or while supplies last.
My kids always want whatever the “hot item” is that retailers are pushing BUT, a few weeks after the holiday, that same MUST-HAVE gift ends up in a pile of clutter some where in my house.
Does this sound familiar? The solution…ask for non-toy gifts this holiday season! Non-toy gifts that are fun 4 kids are a great way to reduce holiday clutter and give your kids stuff to do throughout the year after the holidays have come and gone.
Here’s a list of non-toy gifts that are Fun 4 Kids in Buffalo! Feel free to share it with anyone who’s buying your child a gift this year.
Non-toy gifts 2019: 15+ ideas to make shopping easy.
Swim Lessons
Swim lessons are the perfect activity for the winter months. We’ve got many great resources for swim lessons in Buffalo. Some of the most popular include:
Goldfish Swim School – Williamsville
Michael Phelps Swim School
JCC
YMCA
Also, many Community Education programs offer swim classes as well.
Lessons & Equipment
If you are buying for a child that is in to a sport or activity, or wants to try something new, consider contributing to their lessons or getting them additional lessons to support their hobby. Also, for some sports, equipment is expensive (like hockey!) so a gift card to a store where someone can purchase equipment or actually purchasing the equipment needed is great too.
Some lesson ideas include:
Skating
Horseback
Classes
There are several places in and around Buffalo that offer different classes and lesson-like programming such as:
Rolly Pollies – RPWNY has 3 convenient locations and features programming for children up to age 12.
The Little Gym of Williamsville
The Cooking School at Tops
Hyatt’s – Art Lessons
Betty’s Music Together
Fashion LabNY
Yoga Classes – Yoga Parkside and Lizzie’s Little Yogis are two places that are popular.
Memberships
Here’s a list of places that are fun 4 kids that also offer memberships that allow you to visit throughout the year:
The Buffalo Zoo
The Buffalo Museum of Science
Albright Knox Museum
The Strong Museum
Explore & More Children’s Museum
Gift Cards
Gift cards are great because they can used at any time throughout the year. Consider gift cards to:
Barnes & Noble
Ice Cream
Movie Theater – Going to the movies can get really expensive, so a gift certificate to the movies makes a great non-toy gift parents can enjoy too!
Target – Think clothes, toys, school supplies!
Any of the attractions listed below.
Tickets to a Theme Park or Attraction
Billy Beez
Bounce Magic
Get Air Buffalo
Just Fun Family Entertainment Center
Sky Zone Buffalo
Fantasy Island
Darien Lake
Lasertron
Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto
The Strong Museum of Play
Explore & More
Maid of the Mist
Lego Land in Toronto
Great Wolf Lodge
Cave of the Winds
5 Wits
The Warrior Factory Buffalo
Tickets to an Event
In addition to visiting an attraction, there are a lot of one time events that pop up throughout the year and of them happen around Christmas which makes giving tickets to them easy. Here’s a few ideas:
- Polar Express Train Ride
- Nutcracker performance or holiday themed play
- Disney on Ice (Disney on Ice usually comes to Buffalo in January each year.)
Performances
The Theatre of Youth and Shea’s Performing Arts Center both have kid-friendly performances throughout the year. Check their sites for upcoming performances, but theater tickets are a great way to provide a child with a unique experience throughout the year.
Sporting Events
Think Sabres games, Bandits games, Bisons games etc. We even have some great college teams to check out and don’t forget how close we are to Toronto! If you have a little MLB fan in your life, the Toronto Blue Jays play all the big names just a short car ride away.
Indoor Water Parks
There are quite a few indoor water parks within a reasonable driving distance from Buffalo. Visit our Business Directory for a list.
Subscription Boxes
Subscription boxes like Birchbox and Graze are still popular for adults and companies have started launching subscription boxes for kids too. Subscription boxes allow kids to receive items in the mail each month. Here is a list of subscription boxes for kids.
Craft Kits or a Camera
Craft kits or supplies were also a popular suggestion. Lastly, one reader mentioned a digital camera which I thought might be a great idea for older kids.
Tourist for a Day
A great gift idea that kids could enjoy over the summer is visiting Niagara Falls and exploring some of the attractions there. The Maid of the Mist, Cave of the Winds and even the Whirlpool Jet Boat could all be experiences that make for great gifts. End the day with a stop at the Rainforest Cafe and you’ve given them a Tourist for a Day experience they’ll never forget.
A Piggy Bank or Bank Account
Starting a piggy bank or bank account is a great way to teach children about money and saving. Plus you can gift them the first deposit to get them started.
Coupon Books
Kids love having choices, at least mine do anyway! Consider creating a coupon book with things they can “cash in” like 15 minute later bed time, one on one day with Mom/Dad, extra screen time, have a friend over, etc.
Travel Items
If your family travels, even if it’s just overnight, consider getting the kids their own travel items like suitcases, a good tent, travel games, a sleeping bag, etc. These are items that could end up being part of their best childhood memories!
The best part about most of these suggestions is that buying passes or gift cards to the places suggested will help support local Buffalo businesses!
Book an Overnight Stay
If your kids are like mine, they like to stay in hotels. They especially love hotels with an indoor pool or other unique amenities. Booking an overnight stay at a hotel is a great gift. You can spend quality time and let the kids enjoy the pool. Check Groupon for inexpensive options and the Palms Indoor Waterpark in Batavia can give you the best of both worlds…a hotel stay AND and an indoor water park to enjoy.
Ornaments
They may not appreciate it now, or think it’s overly “fun” but another popular suggestion on this year’s Facebook post was giving children ornaments they can save when they have their tree. This is something we do. My family gives the kids an ornament that usually relates to something they are “into” that year or something that represents them in someway. I have a storage bin for each child and put their ornaments in every year for safe keeping so one day I can just hand the bin over!
That’s my list of non-toy gifts 2019! Did I miss anything? Let me know and I’ll we’ll include it next year.
