Outside the Box: 10 Gifts to Give Your Children Today that Will Help Them TomorrowJust because it’s wrapped in pretty paper doesn’t mean it’svaluable. Sometimes the best gifts aren’t appreciated until thechild is older because they’re not “hands-on” toys,clothes, or accessories. Here are 10 gifts that are worthy of your financial or time investmenttoday because they “pay off” (sometimes literally, sometimesfiguratively) in the long run. Responsibility. Have you ever met a teen that has no chores? Whose parents do everythingfor him with little or no appreciation? Or who gets everything she wantsAND a brand new sports car for her birthday? Teaching your children responsibilityis a gift! By coddling a child, you do them a disservice to be preparedfor life outside the home. Encourage them to volunteer, help around thehouse, get a summer job, and take responsibility for their actions andtheir future. Teach them to balance a checkbook, pay their bills on time,keep commitments, and be punctual. Responsibility is as much about valuingyourself as it is about valuing others. It builds independence, whichis crucial for relationships, college, work life, and mental health. A savings account or savings bonds. Consider opening a savings account or purchasing savings bonds for yourchild. Although savings accounts don’t typically earn a ton of interest,you’ve got time on your side because, depending on the state, yourchild can’t touch the money until they’re 18 or 21. A savings bond (treasurydirect.gov) earns interest over a period of time (from a year to 30 years) and startat just $25. Brain training. Unlike tutoring, which focuses on reteaching subject matter, one-on-onebrain training strengthens the underlying skills that help us think, learn,process, memorize, and recall information. Personal brain training differsfrom online and computer-based brain training in that its programs useintense, customized, game-like exercises to strengthen the student’scognitive skills. These include auditory and visual processing, logic& reasoning, processing speed, attention, and memory. “Braintraining can help struggling students become better learners in ANY subject,”says Tanya Mitchell, Vice President of Research & Development forLearningRx (LearningRx.com), a brain training company with 80+ centers across the United States.“On the flip side, it can strengthen the brain skills of giftedchildren, who want to better prepare for college-level classes, but mightnot otherwise be challenged enough at school.” Memberships. Teaching your children outside of school is a gift itself, and what betterway to do that than with memberships to the local zoo, history museum,children’s museum, or performing arts center? A love of reading. Does your child have a library card? What about a subscription to “Highlights,”“Ranger Rick’s Nature Magazine,” or “NationalGeographic”? Do they have access to e-books? Head to a used or newbookstore, create a local book exchange with other parents, or find outwhen the library is having its next paperback sale. Few loves will takethem further in life than a love of reading! Failure. Watching your kid fail is hard, even heartbreaking. But it’s a necessarypart of life. How else do they learn from their mistakes? Part of thebeauty of failure is that it encourages us to take risks (just think howmany times successful entrepreneurs and inventors have failed!) and learnthat we can survive the results, no matter what they may be. As WayneGretzky said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Health. Put your kids on a track toward good physical, emotional, and mental healthby staying active as a family, eating nutritious meals and snacks, andproviding a supportive environment in which you’re an active listener.Enroll her in sports, sign the family up for a healthy cooking class,buy him a gym membership, or let them attend a fun, active summer camp!What you do now can set the tone for a lifetime of health and wellness. A college fund. Don’t count on scholarships or financial aid to pay for college.Investing just a small amount of money each month can really add up whenthey’re ready for college. Almost every state now offers 529 plans,which can offer special tax benefits. Purpose. Whether through religion, faith, teaching, healing, or serving others,finding your purpose can be exciting and liberating. You can’t tellyour child what their purpose is, but you can help them understand howlife-changing it is to discover it! Understanding what you’re hereto do can help you make difficult decisions. Dr. Ken Gibson, author of“The Purpose-Directed Business,” (www.purposedirectedbusiness.com) explains purpose this way. “A guiding purpose will unify your thoughtsand make sense of all the competing voices calling you. A strong purposewill help you know which opportunities to avail yourself of and whichones it’s OK to say no to.” And since life is all about decisions,what better gift to give your child than to encourage them to find andlive their purpose? Your time. This is probably the most valuable gift of all. Eat dinner as a family.Read to them at bedtime (or have them read to you). Go camping togetheror just stargaze from your backyard. Teach them to bake, ride a bike,and write a thank-you note. Let them know through your words AND youractions that they areyour greatest gifts!