What Fun ‘Coupons’ Would Your Kids Love?
A couple years ago, we wrote about coupons for kids — think: “Dad works out with you (push ups, sprints, etc.),” and “Mom takes you out for hot chocolate” — and since then, along with readers, we’ve come up with a few more ideas…
* Choose the dinner menu one night
* Stay up late to play Codenames with mom
* Dad helps you build a fort in your bed, then you sleep in it
* Go to the store and pick out the sugary-est cereal for breakfast tomorrow (Heads up from CoJ reader Sarah: “When we got home with our Trix, Cocoa Puffs, and Reeses, the two-year-old realized they had to wait until the morning to try it and then wept on the lawn in the dark for 20 minutes, refusing all comfort. In everything they do, they never stop being themselves!”)
* Drink Dr. Pepper at dinner
* Walk a friend’s dog around the neighborhood
* Be dad’s personal trainer for 20 minutes
* Mom takes videos of you playing ping pong
* Create a playlist for Saturday morning
* Take a relaxing hot bath with a candle
* A day of NOT having to take out the trash
* Choose dad’s outfit for the day
* Mom watches you play Block Blast for 15 minutes
* Come home to find warm cookies waiting for you after school
* Drive around the neighborhood in pajamas to count the Christmas trees in windows
* Play a big game of hide-and-seek (Pro tip: Anton turned on a “paper rustling” YouTube video on my phone, then buried it in the hamper, so I 100% thought he was hiding in there — BRILLIANT)
* Open one Christmas present early
* A whole can of whipped cream, to be eaten anytime you want
Adds a reader named Sondra: “I have five kids, and my middle son, Sam, gave me a coupon that says, ‘Sam is right.’ He said I could use it to settle any sibling dispute that he is involved in to cause me minimal frustration and stress. It was the best!”
Thoughts? What would you add? More coupon ideas here and here!
P.S. The #1 trick to enjoying family travel, and going on dates with your child.
(Photo by Dream Lover/Stocksy.)
Comments
126 commentsWe do this every year. It is ALL we give each other. My fave during the middle and high school years was “one unreasonable favor or get out of jail free”. We aren’t the family that brings your sax when you forgot it at home or your lunch box or your paper. You get one of these a year. No questions asked. I had to ask my husband to drive my classroom keys to me one time.
My daughter loves: (1) Dance party! and (2) Ice cream for breakfast (MUST be a school day).
I feel the loneliness of being in a new place with kids! I do have one suggestion for making Mom friends. I am kind of embarrassed to share it, but it has worked for me. When you go to pick activities for your kids if you can choose something that you like to do your self. Then get there early, hang around while the activity takes place and or be there early for pick up-don’t wait in the car go in. Lots of Mom’s are trying to encourage their kiddos to enjoy activities that Mom herself loves. This means you will be meeting other Mom’s who already share your own enthusiasms -fertile ground for finding new friends, and you are guaranteed to see them regularly!
When I was in kindergarten (almost 40 years ago), the teachers had the parents make people out of toilet paper tubes when they came in for meet the teacher night. The next day each kid was presented with their paper person. I remember looking at all the ones wearing voluminous tulle skirts, hoping mine was one of those. Well, my dad had gone to meet the teacher and arts and crafts isn’t among his many gifts and talents. Mine came along and it wasn’t quite the aesthetic I had been hoping for. BUT it came with a coupon for a box of orange Tic-Tacs! I was the envy of kindergarten and felt so special my dad had thought to include such a desirable coupon to my 5-year-old self.
This is so dear 🥹
This is just so much fun. I absolutely love it. And Iit confirms what I believe deeply about children, the two things they want most in this world, connection with their parent (s, caregivers), and…………SUGARRRRRRRRRRRR. All the sugar lol.
hahaha I’m currently working on my kids’ coupons and am struck by the same realization!
I so love the aspect of this idea that is focused more on shared time and experiences rather than just things. a few years ago, my parents’ gifted our kids coupon books for experiences that we would do with the kids- the arcade, putt putt, etc – which was so much fun!
“Mom will talk to you about ____ for 15 minutes.” I recently did this with my nine year old son who is absolutely obsessed with airplanes. I couldn’t care less about airplanes, but I set a timer on my phone for 15 and gave him my uninterrupted attention. I just asked questions and he LOVED being the expert and teaching me. By the end of the 15 minutes I was telling him about DB Cooper and neither one of us wanted to stop the conversation. Bonus: he snuggled with me on the couch later when we were watching shows. Everyone has something they wish they could talk about with someone who is not in a hurry.
This is an incredible gift that he’ll always remember.
Last night my daughter gave me a coupon: Good for one embroidery session. Side note, we are embroidering a gift for grandma’s 70th birthday and this is a new skill for us, so this feels particularly special to me.
As a hand worker, this warms my heart. It’s so very good for all of us to create things with our hands.
Ahhh, she’s going to be so moved! A hand-made gift made by some of your favorite hands is just unfathomably special. My very talented sister sewed me a blouse for my last birthday, and I could barely speak for emotion!
“Sam is right,” hahaha Sam, you are a real one. I love this (and kudos to Sondra for going with it, amazing!)
My two younger brothers and I were all so obsessed with my mom growing up (we still are!), but with three of us kids we didn’t often get to spend one-on-one time with her. Our FAVORITE thing to do was going with her to the food store on Sunday mornings, alone, which was rare! Usually she brought along two or all three of us, but going alone with her was super special. It was sacred one-on-one time where you got to feel like an Adult and help plan the week’s meals, pick out the coveted weekly cereal box, select school snacks and maybe offer some input on the ice cream choice. Every Hanukkah she would give us each a coupon for a Solo Supermarket Date, and then we would huddle around her little desk in the kitchen as she reviewed her monthly planner so we could schedule the use of our coupons. it was the best!!!!
This is so lovely! Jill, would you mind telling me a little bit about why you and your siblings were/are obsessed with your mom? I have a less than ideal relationship with my mom and I am embarking on my fertility journey, and I am looking for pointers. :-)
aww Linds, of course! i think it’s a combo of fun (she always “aimed for yes”), solid boundaries/rules that made our household feel very safe/secure/trusted, and zero judgement. we know we can come to her with any problem and she will work through it with us without judgment. she is also fiercely protective and proud of us, always our number 1 champion. she’s just the best! good luck on your fertility journey! the fact that you’re already thinking about how to be a good mom means you’re destined to be one <3
Aw, this is so very special! I love it. I only have two (elementary aged) kiddos, but I sincerely hope they cherish their time with me like you did with your mom.
Hi, Linds, I’m not Jill but I think I can chime in. I have a less than ideal relationship with my mom, and always have, due to her mental illness running unchecked through my childhood. However, I can honestly say my kids are obsessed with me. Here are the big differences I can pinpoint: 1. I shower them with affection daily, trying to match my expression with their own needs – physical touch, words of affirmation, etc. I give them really genuine compliments without an agenda or the expectation of reciprocation. 2. I listen, REALLY listen when they come to me with their problems. I never try to minimize their concerns. I make myself available to hear all about the playground tiffs, Dungeons and Dragons drama, etc. I especially want to foster a sense of trust now so they’ll come to me with the big stuff later. 3. This is THE most inportant, in my opinion: I have never, not once, lied to my children. I grew up surrounded by lies, half-truths, and confusing secrets I swore when I became a parent never to lie, and the only way to hold steadfast to that resolution had been to tell the truth at all times, even when it’s inconvenient or uncomfortable. No “white lies,” no lies of omission. I don’t sneak information behind their back and if my husband and I are having a disagreement in front of them I’ll explain what it’s about. When my three year old demanded to know the truth about Santa, I told her (and yes, we do magical beings. I consider this more of a cultural brim than a lie). When my son wanted to know what my menstrual cup did, I told him. No secrets. No lies. Please know that if you are even considering how to break generational issues, you’re on the right track. Best of luck in your fertility journey.
Oh gosh, so many typos! “Cultural norm,” please. And to the copy editors out there, I see the rest of them, I swear!
This sounds really special! Way to go, Jill’s mom!
You guys!! These comments are amazing, and I feel like I might cry. This all sounds remarkably doable! As someone who has been in therapy a long time, and even done a certification to be a parent coach, I still get nervous about breaking generational trauma, and all these tips feel manageable. Thank you!
I did fun “coupons” for my kid a few years ago – I particularly remember him using the “pajama day” one that I gave him where he got to say in PJs all day. :) I should do this again for him, teenage version since he’s a teen now! Maybe stuff like “Drink a full sugar Coke,” “Dinner of your choice”, etc.
– explore a plug and cord of your choice – Pinch an ear of your choice for 5 minutes – Pinch your twins ear for 30 seconds (need to mediate wants here) – have your twins hands wrapped so she can’t pinch your ear or clothes or get at your toys – bananas for every meal and whatever is in mommys cup – a toilet role to unwrap 9 months old twins here..
Oh this would get such rave reviews in my house: – explore a plug and cord of your choice
lol Anne I love this! I pictured they were babies right away and commend you for truly seeing them and their hopes and dreams
I love these ideas! We have a 12yo ND son who struggles with cashing in things like this. We’ve learned not to give him gift cards since he frets over using them. Festive holiday candy is saved, the fabulous water bottle sticker is never affixed… I think we’d need to adjust ours to a specific moment – “Tuesday the 12th you get to do this”. For my younger kid, I could see a coupon like “plan a day to be picked up as a walker from school”. Parent schedules are pretty flexible, so with some coordination we could pull it off. Generally he loves rec aftercare, but there is something special about a change in routine!
My oldest also has a hard time using/spending her nice things. (Although this year she pulled out her stash of special water bottle stickers from the last ~5 years, carefully planned their placement, and DID IT! She loves seeing them.) ITA about giving those types of experiences a different way. I would pick out a calendar and schedule some 1:1 time activities onto the calendar and attach 1-2 coupons per month that expire at the end of the month.
Mary you just made me realize this about myself! I was late diagnosed with ADHD (at 40, this year!) and I loathe experience gifts–everytime I see them recommended (on every comment thread, message board, gift guide, etc) I have a negative reaction (like, “how do people actually like those as gifts!?” I can’t tell you how many nice gift cards or coupons or experiences I’ve let expire or never cashed in, and then I feel so much shame around wasting someone’s nice gift. And with my kids (also ND) I worry about my ability to follow through with a gift like that. This is of course different than what you described about your son, but it made me realize my ADHD might have a lot to do with this (and I love the idea of scheduling the specific date/time, I think that would be a more reasonable way for me to gift an experience or coupon to my kids).
Thank you all for articulating what gives me the herby-jeebies about this concept. The shame of uncashed gift cards and vouchers is huge. My (undiagnosed but very definitely ADHD adjacent) mum and I internally collapse with horror at the idea of having something else added to our “to do or feel guilty about list”, forget about them completely and/or then suffer agonising decision paralysis. I’m trying to improve but I’m in my 40s. But hilarious and joyful to read about everyone else’s successes with them!
Thank you for articulating this. I hadn’t realised why, but I know My ND son would definitely find these stressful but the scheduling would make a positive difference!!
Thank you for choosing this picture up above. It totally caught my eye and surprised because this could have been me and my mom. I know this was a deliberate choice and I thank you for it. ❤️
My exact feeling too!!!!! Thanks Joanna and team for the thoughtful selection of cover picture <3
Yes, totally agree. Was immediately drawn to the picture as this could have been my mom and I :)
Came to comments section to say the same thing! I just got back a long trip and have 3+ weeks of posts to catch up on and this was the first one I clicked on because of the photo alone. Love seeing myself and my family in public spaces/forums like this one, sad to say it’s still a new thrill…thanks for the inclusivity, CoJ team!
Yess, great picture! It brought to mind a dear childhood friend’s family. And to the individuals actually depicted here – you’re all so photogenic!
I love the ‘Mom watches you play Block Blast for 15 minutes’ idea! My son is the same way—he always wants me to watch him play his games, and I often have to set a time limit. I sometimes feel guilty about it, so it’s reassuring to know I’m not the only mom who has to put boundaries around screen‑time watching!
When I was a teen or in my 20s, I promised myself I would not waste another minute watching a boy play video games. And then I had a son! I feel the same push pull of limits and guilt with watching the game playing so a coupon is a great idea!
Haha same, this is the one that stood out most to me, my son would love to cash that in. And Erin, “I promised myself I would not waste another minute watching a boy play video games. And then I had a son!” also same.
We’re going on our third year of doing this. I print them off and attach them to a new wall calendar, one for each month. A few in the past: – watch a “big kid movie” for my oldest – ice cream sundae bar – uninterrupted coloring time with momma – no bedtime for one night (aka stay up as late as you want) – no cleaning the playroom for a whole week – wear makeup to school – stay home from school – pancakes on a school morning – family flashlight tag – go to a drive-in movie – visit the science museum with daddy – add one item to the grocery cart – make a geocache – momma delivers chick-fil-a to you at lunchtime – you choose games for family game night – make root beer floats
This is our advent calendar! The biggest hit so far this year was a picnic on the living room floor and an evening walk with torch lights. (My personal favourite was kids putting parents to sleep, haha.)
I love this idea and will def be stealing a few! Here are my ideas for coupons: -popsicle bath -extra book at bedtime -get to pick the music in the car -back massage or back tickle for 5 minutes -sleep in Mommy and Daddy’s bed -stay in PJs all day Secondly, I’m STRUGGLING and I’ve written here before about adjusting to a new city in a different region with a different culture. I’ve met friends- who like me!- but just don’t feel quite right. I think I should find a therapist because maybe it’s a sort of perfectionism, or maybe I need to move back to the northeast (I’m in the south currently, where I grew up but a different city that is more conventional than my hometown). Annnyway – in the meantime while I’m in the muck- I realize I MUST be uber thoughtful about my mental health and do what is most helpful to avoid full-on depression. What are your go-tos when you’re just in a hard spot in life? I think exercise daily, 5-10 minutes of meditation every day, spend time in the sunlight (go on a walk – even in the cold), see a friend/acquaintance in person whenever possible, I have a part-time job and I might ask to take on more hours, leave my phone in the other room, maybe dance every day for 5 minutes with my kids? Anything else? I’m terribly blue and I feel so guilty because it’s such a fun time of year and my girls are 1 and 4. They’re delicious and so happy with all the holiday festivities and I’m just blah. Thanks in advance!
PLEASE try and leave the guilt behind… remember that more than one thing can be true at the same time. It is a fun time of year, AND it can be hard and overwhelming. Especially to a loving parent that wants this season to feel magical for their children! Also, please give yourself some grace – raising little kids is hard work! (Mine are 9 and 11 and the hard is different… but so much less physically exhausting as when they need you for so much.) I think you have amazing suggestions for perking yourself up. As someone who has struggled with depression for most of my life, I find that it is important to remember that doing those things are what will make you feel better… don’t wait to feel better or to want to do them. The inertia of depression is strong, but you can proactively help to break through.
I’m two years into living in a new country and I feel like I’m just settling in. Give yourself grace, especially the first year. It’s going to be uncomfortable for a while but that’s to be expected. I had a therapist that helped me with the transition, mainly with encouraging me to build a community and do things independently. Good luck! Even if you don’t like this place, and end up moving, I’m sure you’ll learn a lot about yourself and what you want/need.
hey Mollie, I am sorry you are feeling that way. It sucks. I am in a very different spot right now but can relate to you on very different leveles. First of all: I think what you are feeling is normal. your kids are still tiny and life is exhausting. Moving to a new place on top of just the ordinary struggles is tough. so maybe you can give yourself some leeway. I second getting a therapist. I found one after i ended my marriage in january this year and it is so good to have someone to talk to. she gave me some mindfulness and breathing exercises, that i still use, when i am in a situation of dread or panic. It sounds like you are doing all the right things already (you are after all a perfectionist ;)). Maybe find some light entertainment like cosy crime or romance or anything that brightens your mood or at least does not wear you down. And i encourage you to actively fight the guilt regarding christmas. your kids will be okay, if they have an averagely nice christmas this year. i think it is important that they see you taking care of yourself and being true to your feelings and not pretending to me happy, when really you are sad. and as someone who desperately tried to be happy in a place i knew i couldnt be happy in for 12 years: really really consider moving again if you dont like where you are. You do not have to make everything work. it is okay to try and find out that some things are not for you. take care, cat
My go-tos when life is difficult: Lap swimming, going for a walk alone or with a friend, coffee, unlimited library books (getting into a rhythm of requesting things I really wanted to read from the local library was a game changer), calling or texting my sister or my mom, making one avocado’s worth of guacamole, putting a bath towel in the dryer until it’s hot and wrapping up in it, having a Friday evening drink with my favorite neighbors. And yes to therapy. It’s a longer-term investment but so worth it. Also, give yourself grace about feeling bad at this time of year. The holidays can be fun, but they can also be a crapton of work, especially when you have small children and are expected to produce a bunch of “holiday magic” for them.
YMMV depending on your availability and interests, but if you can I highly encourage you to take a class doing something you love! I’ve taken adult ballet for years (off and on, harder when pregnant or nursing) and this year decided to join a ladies salsa team that meets for 75 min once a week. When I tell you that hour is my therapy, my group fitness, my meditation, my socializing…! Salsa class does a lot of heavy lifting and is the best cardio workout I’ve ever had to boot. :) My mom (retired) takes a painting class and also adores going to her class!
Some mood picker-uppers for me lately: Get enough sleep, do some vigorous exercise, and read romantic fiction (I don’t read it super often, but recently I borrowed “Bringing Down The Duke” on Libby and thoroughly enjoyed it 😅)
Sam is a clever one!
Sam is brilliant! I love that coupon idea so much. Go middle kid!
You can also suggest that the kids give you coupons, which is an easy way for them to give you a shared experience that you want. My “always says no to shared activities” teen usually gives me coupons for a couple of hikes, family walks, and board game nights, which he doesn’t particularly love and I do. My nephew has given his mom a coupon to “ask him three questions about school” which is brilliant.
oooh, interesting! That seems like it could be really insightful, too. I’m going to ask for this in my stocking! :)
I did a custom advent calendar and mixed various screen time coupons: movie night (he picks the movie ), 30 minutes screen time of choice, etc. My ultimate genius move was, since it’s aligned to the calendar, I could plan which day things got used, so last Saturday was “video game marathon.” He plays video games with my husband so I got the gift of a solo day to get stuff done!
Not exactly a coupon, but my son loved cheese, and so we would get him a gift card to a local cheese shop. He LOVED the experience. The cheese shop staff were kind and took him seriously. Like the adult customers, he had a card in their file that listed his purchases and preferences. And it was a fun thing that we could all do together as a family, and then get a baguette, and go home and make a big special production about enjoying his selections.
This is so charming!
Our kids have loved: Family dance party Breakfast for dinner Just the two of us (making plans to do something one-on-one with parent of choice) Art lesson (the child teaches the family) Sweet treat (can be baked or bought) Breakfast in bed These are things we do sometimes anyway, but the kids love thrill of having the coupons and deciding when to use them
My only advice here is to add expiration dates – after 5 days of dust storms at Burning Man, my husband’s sister pulled out a coupon he gave her when they were kids with a promise to brush her hair … and no expiration date! It was hilarious and he honored the coupon, knotted hair and all!
This is amazing! hahaha, well played. Also a good time to reference this gem: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/oh-crap-my-mom-just-cashed-in-all-her-mothers-day-coupons
hahaha I think this is actually an argument for NO expiration date.
– A trip to the bookstore to pick out one book – Ice skating at the outdoor rink and hot chocolate afterwards (this is the one I dream of being able to do with my kids some day) – Favourite foods dinner party (they pick out the menu a few days ahead of time) – Waffles and Ice Cream for breakfast (this was only had on our birthday’s as a kid)
Waffle ice cream breakfast! I love this idea!
Not sure how old your kids are, but I encourage you to start them on skating! (I grew up in Canada, so I learned young, I think at 4?) My kids took a while to figure it out but they love it now and it is something they’re happy to do with me at 12 and 15.
Hi, I really don’t get this coupon thing… might be cultural? I like the ideas, small, sweet gestures of love the parents show their kids, why transforming them into trading/tendering actions? I would have felt so bad as a kid thinking my parents were “gifting” me their time to watch me play, etc. I do remember fondly so many things like the ones described here, but they happened spontaneously.
oh yes of course we do a million things spontaneously and woven into every day as a family. but these aer extra little fun things they can request. anton always wants to borrow my phone to play block blast but I rarely let him — and now with a coupon he could get 15 minutes PLUS me watching him! that’s how I think of these — little fun extras, at times of the child’s choosing.
This sounds like a Holiday Aunt project: leave coupon books in the stockings and let the parents deal with the fallout (and wondering who in the heck did it).
Ooh, I love this! Too bad all my nieces and nephews are in their 30s now!!!
That’s amazing!!! I might need to do that. I picked up the kids (niece and nephew) a little something on my recent work trip. I’m wrapping that for Xmas and they each also get an “aunt Jane” day this winter.
THIS!!!! You are my kind of cool aunt.
Oooh, a “Freaky Friday” coupon would be fun. We recently did a “Freaky Friday” night where we watched the movie and “switched places” so my daughter got to make the “parent” decisions, e.g. what pizza toppings to order, what to do after the movie, and, riskiest of all, what time to go to bed! Thankfully, after eating pineapple-pepperoni pizza and playing all her favorite board games, she announced at 8:51 p.m. that she was ready for bed. At six years old, she felt like she had stayed up all night, hah.
I was sick last Easter and didn’t get candy in time to fill the eggs. In a last minute scramble, I made coupons for my three young girls like, “make everyone do a silly dance,” or “you get to pick the music in the car on the way to school!” and they FREAKED OUT over them. They’ve been talking about them all year, so I’m putting a few in their stockings. The oldest is getting, “stay up after your sisters go to sleep to watch a grown up movie with Mom and Dad,” while my four-year-old is getting “you can stand in your sister’s room for 2 minutes without punishment.” It’s the best.
Laughing out loud at the truth of getting to stand in your sister’s room for two minutes without being annihilated as the ultimate gift.
omg, like Ella said, i LOL’d at the novelty of getting to stand in your sister’s room for 2 mins. especially as a mom of an older brother, younger sister sibling duo, i totally get this. amazing!
Thank you for the lovely South Asian representation in the photo!
What wonderful ideas! My heart is heavy with all the horrific and senseless violence that has consumed our humanity this holiday season. Bondi Beach massacres, Rob Reiner and his wife, Brown University school shooting, flooding and continued violence in Palestine, devastation in Sudan and Ukraine. And yet there are these warm pockets of love and light as everyone does their best to cultivate magic and wonder during this time. The Both And of it all 🥹
Very much this. It’s been a time of such intense lows. Thanks heavens for the sweet highs.
I’m with you on this ❤️
I hear you and agree, AMK. I feel moved to share more pockets of love and light: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/15/everyone-should-play-our-part-20000-australians-heed-the-call-to-give-blood-after-bondi-beach-terror https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/bondi-beach-ahmed-el-ahmend-gofundme https://www.facebook.com/ABCNews/posts/a-menorah-was-projected-onto-the-sydney-opera-house-sails-after-at-least-15-peop/1279599384026939/ Mia Tretta, survivor of two school shootings, speaks out for gun control https://www.democracynow.org/2025/12/15/brown_u_shooting_mia_tretta
@Dawn thank you for sharing these beautiful pockets of love and humanity ❤️🥹🫶🏽
This year we’re giving our teen daughters a coupon to go out for lunch and a movie together. Hopefully it will strengthen their bond and show them how it will be in the future when they are grown.
Oh this is fantastic. I will do the same for my nieces, but with a manicure and lunch/afternoon tea. Something they would never ask for, but would love!
My teenage daughter took my 10 year old son to Wicked: For Good and those few hours at the theater really bonded them and reset their (sometimes contentious) relationship. Highly recommend!
I am one of 4 and we used to get a can of whipped cream in each of our stockings! The true gift was having something all to ourselves to eat at exactly our own pace! Highly recommend
I give my daughters and all the young cousins individual mini fruit loops in their stockings and other sugary things, like their favorite sodas, that are not typically allowed in the house but also they don’t need to share with anyone
Sam! My heart. What an amazing, classic middle kid move.
100%
I love this idea, but how do you deal with not being able to do something at that moment or even that day? Example, what if everyone has to wake up early and the kid pulls at a coupon at bedtime? Or what if the kid uses a “breakfast for dinner” coupon, but you don’t have those items in your house? I can see my son’s position being that he is using the coupon and there shall be no excuses for delaying the execution of the coupon.
Add simple rules to each of the riskier coupons like, “breakfast for dinner, present this at least x days before you want to use it.” Adding a time box helps kids understand that planning ahead is important and gives them something to look forward to. Planning is also part of the fun. You get to make a shopping list and menu if it’s breakfast for dinner, plan what movie to watch if you’re doing grown up movie night (give acceptable choices depending on age), and let children have a sense of control over something when they don’t get to do that that often. It’s special and part of savoring the experience.
I’m not a mom but my nephews are the world’s greatest negotiators so if we did this, we’d need some fine print—your kid sounds similar! Maybe “you must give 24 hours notice to use a coupon if it requires supplies, and it can’t be used to get out of—or be tired for—school things?” I think the rules then become part of the fun/if not part of the fun, part of the schtick of the gift?
This is where “Terms and Conditions” come in
You describe my worst nightmare! (Lack of adequate notice to properly / practically plan without added stress 😅) I think the beauty of these is you have the ability to pick ideas you are comfortable with so you could do ones that aren’t going to backfire if they come with minimal notice! Or you set terms for how the “cash out” takes place – ie at least 24, 48, ___ hour notice and expected turn around time for doing them :)
We just add that as a caveat – that they have to be used at a reasonable time and make sense, we weren’t just handing them unlimited power. They understand and we’ve never had a problem with it. (i.e. “I want breakfast for dinner tonight!” “Okay, but all we have is cereal, do you want to wait til tomorrow night when you can have pancakes?” or, “Just remember, if you want to use that coupon, make sure we can do it first!”
Most coupons I receive have restrictions……maybe include a disclaimer: “Subject to parents’ approval and possible scheduling difficulties.” If you’re sincere in wanting your children to enjoy using these coupons (and I’m sure everyone here is) I’m guessing your kiddos will understand an occasional deferment. Just make sure to use that particular coupon ASAP.
We gift each child a calendar and then put a coupon on the calendar- so it’s already specified by month & then I just have that thing in my mental model of what might happen that month so I’m a little more prepped. And they are usually so excited that it happens within the first week.
Terms apply! Put them in the fine print, so to preserve your sanity. List hours of operation for when the kitchen is open for business. Other options, for example: “Requires 24 hours advance notice”, or “Limit one per weekday” or “valid weekends only”, “Reservations required”, or “Cannot be combined with other offers”, “Valid in-house only”, or the highly adaptable “Your mileage may vary”.
I would just pre-set the ground rules on the coupon itself. For a food coupon, maybe *must be given 24 hr notice.
The “choose dad’s outfit for the day” one is my favorite. Id love to see pictures of the results!
I did two different week-long series when my daughter was three where she picked out my outfit each day. The rule was I had to wear her choices all day long. It was amazing as her taste is fabulous. My five year old son took photos of each outfit and I posted them online where friends and family looked forward to seeing what combination I would have to wear next. The kids loved it and is a favourite memory of mine ♥️ Highly recommend.
5 minute back scratch Stay up 15 minutes past bedtime Extra dessert Teeny tiny things for parents, HUGE for kids
I recently did coupons for my kid and they included: one extra-long bedtime snuggle day of no chores design one dinner add one item to the grocery cart one batch homemade chocolate pudding one hour of extra playtime with mama …and then he turned around and made coupons for me! They included breakfast in bed, one “surprise soup,” one water fight, and him taking over gardening for a day, among some slightly more abstruse ones like “retrieve a handmade sword.” I’m looking forward to my sword!
I’m LOLing over retrieve a handmade sword”!!!
Ditto this! My daughter (7 yo) gave her dad a coupon for a “family trip to the Arctic Circle”…? Uh…thanks!
OMG I love this exclamation mark. I took my kids to the dentist yesterday and my nine-year-old was chatting with the hygienistabout a bow and arrow he was making (news to me). Then he said “wait mom, don’t listen. Forget you heard that!” so apparently I’m getting a bow and arrow for Christmas.
What I have given adults: 1. Surprise Day: My husband and I will declare a day in the future a Surprise Day where one party plans a fun day and the other is not told what will happen. 2. Project work: Offer to help someone help completing a project that could fit within a 2-3 hour timeframe.
We did a similar thing that we called “Rockstar Day” where we try to pack the day with that person’s favorite things. It’s really fun to personalize the rockstar day to each family member.
I think my kids would love: -Declare it a Delivery Night (obviously it would need to be played before I start cooking dinner) -Miss the rest of the school day after a dentist/doctor appointment -mom or dad puts your blanket in the dryer before bed and delivers a warm blanket to you -request mom or dad to pick up donuts or bagels before they wake the next morning -plan an outing with friends where we do BOTH pick up and drop off
Love this list!!
I did this one year for our “making gift” tradition where we make one person something. I had a few vouchers written for my daughter and one of them was for getting her nails painted and I called the salon “Mum’s Toes”. When it was opened and read out loud it sounded so gross and we all cracked up laughing and we still talking about “mum’s toes” if you’re cheering anyone up. Fancy a trip to mum’s toes? Ewwww hahaha
Hahaha I lol’d!
Hahaha I’m cracking up over here! I’m picturing a bright red, block letter sign over the storefront of Mum’s Toes in a shopping center!! Thanks for the laugh, Ceridwen!
Yes! This has become our family tradition that I LOVE-Will be adding a “NOPE” section to our coupon book for chores like emptying the dishwasher or taking out the trash in addition to our trip to the record store/ book shop, redecorate the dollhouse, date for burgers and fries, etc. Inspired by our daughter’s coupon books for back rubs and hugs.
My fav as a kid was a breakfast for dinner coupon. I, like the 2 year old weeping on the lawn, am ready for sugar cereal 24 hours a day. Longing for breakfast reminds me of this old Portlandia sketch https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CFXAD4ouHCw&pp=ygUUcG9ydGxhbmRpYSBicmVha2Zhc3Q%3D
I was pretty sure I knew what this sketch was before I clicked the link, Michelle! I love it! A Portlandia rewatch was my comfort viewing this autumn. This one has always stuck with me as being highly relatable – getting the coffee ready for the next day, thinking about what to have (or order, if it’s the weekend and we’re going out for breakfast). Ooh I’m excited for breakfast tomorrow! ☺️🥞
perfect timing as I am planning on writing out our coupons this evening! my kid’s favorite stocking stuffers! we have also done: mani/pedi with Mom (it’s a win for me too); your favorite meal for dinner (with a few days notice required); golfing with Dad; trip to the ice cream place; no chore day; kid choice family activity.
10 min dress-up disco party 2 desserts Foot massage get-out-of-picking-up-toys-free-card Not a free or coupon idea (and not great for christmas) but my favorite gift my mom gave me was re-doing my room as a suprise one weekend. New bedding, a change of wall color, and a new lantern light… still thrills me just thinking about it. I was in middle school, i think.
welp, we basically have already given our child every one of those gifts WITHOUT the coupons…
Overachievers! That is a lucky kiddo. :)
hah, I thought the same thing! Other than the last two, I’m not sure my kids would think those ideas were particularly novel. Eek. Some great ideas in the comments for some that felt like out of the ordinary things though. Thanks for the idea and jump starting the conversation, Cup of Jo!
I was thinking the same thing!!!!!
I was thinking the same thing! I definitely felt like I was missing the boat/oh—this is how other people parent realization. The nope option someone mentioned could be a workable coupon for chores.
Ha ha. Honestly though… they don’t care. It’s the thrill of the voucher/coupon. I have genuinely given my kids vouchers for things they regularly do anyway (a trip to the library was one) and they’ve still been delighted with them….
Same. It’s tough. We live an unconventional, homeschooling, half a year traveling type lifestyle so the kids get these things on a normal basis. I love the idea though and wish things could be more desired like it was for me as a kid. I do think solo dates with mom or dad to get a special dessert, or watching a movie alone with parents would be cherished. Anything to have all attention on one really!
Read Mom and/or Dad a bedtime story. Dessert for Dinner night Dress Mom/Dad for work day Help a neighbor day Plan a family vacation one town over from where you live Take an art class together Create a family quilt out of old clothes Start a window garden Build a bird house Try a new food day Create a cardboard puzzle together My favorite was when the kids cooked dinner challenge without using the stove, oven or microwave. Weekend overnight. Interesting meals! My nieces giggled for hours fixing a meal/plan while I was gardening. So fun!
dinner challenge! love that :)
A carpool without speaking!
Too funny. I drive the middle school carpool for my daughter, her friend, and two neighbor boys and I think they would LOVE this coupon. I am always asking them questions and soliciting input on things (best holiday movie, favorite cookies, favorite musicians). I’m genuinely interested in their world, they are over me.
Ha ha brilliant!