Keep shopping trips fun for kids by keeping them short.

When it comes time to head out to the mall and shop for holiday gifts, do you put in a call to the babysitter or arrange for your spouse to watch the kids at home? There’s no doubt that present shopping is quicker and easier when the kids aren’t with you, but taking them along can be an important way to teach them about money and help foster a spirit of giving within them. By following a few hints from an old pro, you can turn a potentially frustrating shopping experience into a fun and festive one.

Jennifer Bunt’s experience with children started at the age of 12 when she began babysitting. Years later she gave up her teaching career to work as a nanny for a celebrity family, which allowed her to travel the world while she created fun and exciting experiences for her charges. Today Bunt is married with two children of her own, and she works hard to keep her kids’ days filled with entertaining and educational events, from field trips, crafts and cooking to just playing. Here she offers some advice for holiday shopping with your children:

• List and budget. Have your kids make a list of everyone they would like to buy gifts for, and then set a budget for each gift. Since children may have difficulty understanding how credit cards work, it may work best to give them cash to buy with.

• Catalogues. Before you head out to the mall, Bunt recommends shopping in catalogs. Kids can sit down at home, flip through the pages, and circle the items they want to give to friends or family members. You can get a lot of shopping done without the hassle of walking around the mall, where your kids are likely to get fussy and bored.

• Short trips. When you do go out to stores, make things as fun, and as short, as possible. Make sure the kids bring their lists, and decide in advance which stores to visit. Put time limits on the shopping, and make a bunch of short trips rather than one marathon session that could wipe out everyone’s energy and enthusiasm.

• Rewards. Bunt also thinks it’s a good idea to build in rewards. Let your kids know that if they find a certain number of items on the list, you will take them to the ice cream shop or to the toy store, where they can browse for gifts that they want for themselves.

Family Education: Holiday Shopping with your Kids in Tow
www.familyeducation.com/article/0,1120,1-10952,00.html

About.com: Christmas Shopping Strategies
interiordec.about.com/library/bl_cmasshop.htm

Federal Trade Commission: Holiday Shopping Tips
www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/holiday/

Better Business Bureau: Shopping Tips for the Holiday Buying Rush
www.bbb.org/library/holidaytips1099.asp