A Free Printable Coupon Book for Kids That Makes the Best Gift
For a while now, my family has followed the four-gift tradition during the holiday season in order to keep gift-giving from getting out of control. If you haven’t heard of this tradition before, each person gets just four gifts: something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read.
The person who came up with this tradition (and catchy little rhyme!) is a genius. For example:
- We love how the four-gift rule brings a sense of intention to our gift-giving. When you’re giving just four gifts, they end up being incredibly thoughtful gifts.
- The tradition keeps our holiday season from devolving into a materialistic frenzy of more, more, more and helps us stick to a reasonable budget.
- It’s important to my husband and me that we raise kids who appreciate what they have instead of following in Dudley Dursley’s footsteps and throwing a temper tantrum when they end up with 36 presents instead of last year’s 37.
But there’s just one problem with this magical little tradition.
Stockings.
Bonus: As a bonus for joining my weekly newsletter, get a free printable coupon book for kids that will make the perfect gift for your child.
A Tricky Holiday Dilemma
If your family holiday traditions include stockings, they would look awfully sad hanging limp and empty on the mantle.
And so try as you might to keep your child’s gifts under the tree to a reasonable number, your quest to fill the stockings can land you in the same spot of getting stuff just for the sake of getting stuff, spending more than you should, and overwhelming your kids with so many little toys and trinkets that it diminishes their appreciation of the whole lot.
One year, I put together a list of the best non-toy, no-junk stocking stuffers for kids, and sticking to that list fixed our stocking stuffer dilemma.
But one stocking stuffer in particular has proven to be the absolute favorite for my kids (and for me and my husband) – a coupon book for kids.
If you don’t happen to do stockings in your family, this gift is awesome enough to be a regular main-attraction gift too.
Related: Forget the Typical Stocking Stuffers. Here Are 10 Small But Meaningful Gifts for Kids.
Here’s How It Works
As adults, we’re always the one calling the shots when it comes to where we go, what we do, what we eat…everything. For example, kids don’t typically get a say in which errands we run on the weekend or what we have for dinner.
Which is why the gift of a coupon book will delight your child like no other. In her stocking, give her a personalized coupon book for kids she can use to cash in on fun experiences throughout the year.
Your kid will love calling the shots, and on the plus side you get to go along for the fun ride too. You might end up spending a whole day in your jammies, baking a yummy dessert together, or taking a mental health day off school and work (yes, please!).
Not only will this coupon book for kids tame the “stuff” overload that threatens to overwhelm kids during the holidays, you’ll be setting yourself and your child up for an extra dose of meaningful connection throughout the year that will fill both your tanks to the brim.
Related: How to Connect With Your Child: The Magic of the 5:1 Ratio {Printable}
A Free Printable Coupon Book for Kids
Because my little ones adore the gift of a coupon book for kids, I designed a free printable set of coupons for you to share with your child. Get the coupons below so you can brighten your child’s holiday with this special gift.
Case in point: As I was designing this set of coupons to share with you, my oldest daughter Abby peeked over my shoulder and asked, “What are you doing?”
I explained how I wanted to share the idea of a kids’ coupon book with other families, then added some examples to get the point across: “Like you could use this coupon to pick anything you want for dinner one night, or this one to stay up 30 minutes later at bedtime, or this one to camp out in the living room with s’mores…”
“Mommy,” she interrupted. “That’s all I want for Christmas! Just that.”
Here’s a preview for you:
Get Your Coupon Book for Kids
- Get the coupon book. Join my weekly-ish newsletter and as a bonus, you’ll get the printable! Just click here to get it and subscribe. (Want to write your own idea on the coupons? You’ll also get a blank sheet you can print to write in your own coupon ideas.)
- Print. Any paper will do the trick, but card stock† would be ideal.
- Cut out the coupons you want to include in the book. Or if you’re like me and you can’t cut a straight line to save your life, fold and tear to get a charmingly casual look.
- Punch a hole in one corner, then loop a rubber band or a book ring through to connect the cards. A staple in the corner would work perfectly fine, too!
- Drop the coupon book in your child’s stocking, and you’re DONE. Get ready to see pure joy spread across her face!
Want More?
For more meaningful gift ideas for kids, head to 110+ Experience Gifts for Kids That Will Make Your Child Happier and Cut Clutter.
Before you go, get my FREE cheat sheet: 75 Positive Phrases Every Child Needs to Hear
Your Turn
What would you add to a coupon book for kids? Share in a comment below!
Love this idea! Do you give any instructions to the child about how often they can redeem coupons? I can imagine mine trying to do it all in one day.
Kelly, I cannot thank you enough for this coupon book. We put it in our kids’ stockings this year, and it has been a massive hit. Both of them stopped everything when they pulled it out, and read through each of the coupons, exclaiming happily and asking clarifying questions. My 12-year-old daughter is keeping hers close to her chest for now – I know she’ll pull them out at very strategic times – but my 9-year-old son has already used four of his. In fact, he cashed in a mother-son mental health day coupon yesterday (first day back to school after the break – ha ha), and we had the most incredible day together, full of life, love and connection. I had already booked the day off, and was planning to finish a jigsaw puzzle, pack away Christmas stuff, have a yoga practice, and read my book. I ended up doing all of those things, but with a buddy. AND, he walked the dog with me and dragged me out to the neighbourhood park to play one-on-one hockey with him. I admit I had no desire to do that when he brought it up, but it ended up being the highlight of our day. He taught me various shots, we scrimmaged and tripped each other up trying to steal the puck from one another, we teased each other and laughed until our sides hurt, and we came home two hours later with rosy cheeks and in need of hot chocolate. The glow stayed with us throughout the afternoon and evening, and bedtime hugs last night were extra long and plentiful. I could not be happier about how thrilled my children were to receive this gift and about the benefits we are continuing to derive from it. Thank you, thank you!