A Child Wish Book
Teaching Delayed Gratification

We have found a wish book for each of our children is a great way to help teach them delayed gratification. They love occupying themselves cutting and pasting pictures of their 'wants', using shopping outings to 'hunt' for what they would like to include in their book.

What a great way to learn what they really like and want.

Wishbooks--Delayed gratification
Basics & Benefits
  • Make a celebration specific wishbook for each child
  • Use blank paper folded and stapled together
  • Add colored paper for their Christmas or Birthday wishbook
  • Personalize by adding cover pictures, stickers & your child's name
  • Find out what your child 'wants' for their Birthday and Christmas
  • Use store outings to build & add to their wishbook
  • Pick up extra catalogs and product magazines from the store
  • Wishbooks--great 'delayers' & helps avoid child pressure buying
  • Use home online searches to help build their wishbook
  • Focus on looking for & finding wish items, not store buying
  • A great useful & practical tantrum free store shopping tool
  • Helps to let you leave a store on a good note
Our kids work together cutting, gluing and talking about their wishes while building their books at home and they are way more 'civil' in a toy store--even working together, encouraging each other and putting toys back on the shelves with no fuss. I really enjoy watching our older kids showing by example to the younger ones how to search for great finds in a store for their wishbook, collecting pictures, store catalogs, price comparing and noting down information for specific items. Delayed gratification in action--a lesson I am re-taught whenever our kids go out to a store, especially the toy stores.

A little time, guidance and preparation up front goes a long way to keeping peace at home & in the stores. Guide them with great ideas to include in their wishbook. Saying: "What a great find! Now we know which store has this.", "Let's be sure to add this one to your wish book." Give them leading statements like "Is this a good one for your birthday or for Christmas?"

Start a wish book today, have fun and enjoy shopping together without the need or pressure to buy something every time for the kids.

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