Best gifts may be the least expensive

The best gifts are not necessarily the most expensive, according to Rudy Ortiz. In an interview, the former preschool teacher and now director of the First Things First Yuma Regional Partnership Council said he finds preschoolers are more entertained by the packaging toys come in than the toys themselves.

In his experience, inexpensive toys, such as blocks, bubbles and even cardboard boxes, are the biggest hits.

Interestingly enough, Parenting.com wrote about a preschool teacher from Ohio. Pete Kaser replaced all the toys in his classroom with raw materials, like cardboard boxes and tubes, styrofoam and paper.

“Not one of them complained about not having the toys,” he told Parenting.com. The cool part was that the quieter kids stepped up and became the leaders during the activities, he said.

I agree. It's fun to watch kids' creativity come to life as they stack boxes and build rockets and castles. Let their imaginations soar, without busting the budget.