3 Main Reasons Why You Should Not Open Gifts at a Kid’s Party

Why should kids not open gifts at a kid’s party? Well, there are a few mindful and compassionate reasons why your kid should not open gifts at a kid’s party. Check out this article to find out! 

Do you allow your child to open his gifts right to his party? Or you ask him to do it after the party?

Being a parent to a young child, you must have asked yourself a hundred times already if your kid should open or not open gifts at a kid’s party. Perhaps, you have asked that question much more than Regis Philbin asked, “Is that your final answer” on Who Wants to Be a Billionaire.

Even with the fun and all the excitement in a kid’s party, gifts should not be opened right away. Imagine a pile of presents in front of your child, which he has to open while everyone around him is waiting for his reaction. Dreadful, right?

Besides, do you have enough time for that? Or will your child feel comfortable while doing it?

Preparing a kid’s party is stressful. But the question of whether your child should or should not open gifts at a kid’s party shouldn’t be one of them. 

And while you might find many articles online that support both sides, at the end of the day, it all boils down to three main reasons why your child should not open gifts at a kid’s party. 

Why Not Open Gifts at a Kid’s Party

It Makes Other Kids Feel Bad

A kid’s party isn’t just about your child. It’s also about how comfortable and happy everyone is at the party. 

Opening a gift right at the party can spark a competition, most notably among kids. They compete on whose gift is the biggest, coolest, or simply the best. 

But does that really matter?

When this happens, the kid who brought the smallest or the least expensive gift feels terrible. Worse things worse, he will start feeling uncomfortable during the party.

Opening gifts right at the party can make other children feel unworthy, jealous, and uncomfortable. It can make them feel embarrassed, thinking that their gift is nothing compared to the other kids. 

Doing so brings a different level of discomfort to the person who gave the gift. He might think less of his gift just because what he has is smaller or cheaper. 

On the other hand, your kid might be uncomfortable too. So better yet, do not open gifts at a kid’s party. 

It Shifts the Focus on the Gift

The very reason why there’s a kid’s party in the first place can be easily forgotten, most notably on kids. This is especially true when the focus has been shifted from the party to the opening of gifts. 

A kid’s party should be about the kids having fun and parents having a good time and good food. It should not be about how many gifts have your child received or how much does the party cost.

In case your guests brought gifts with them, it would be better if you set them out of the way as soon as possible. Make sure that your kids wouldn’t get distracted with the presents too.

Also, help him keep his focus on having a good time with your family and friends. After all, it’s your responsibility as his parent to teach him what a kid’s party is really all about. 

Allowing your child to open gifts while the party is on-going would make it harder to shift back his attention to the party. His focus will already be on opening all the gifts he has received. 

When this happens, it would be impossible to take him back and enjoy the party. Sure enough, he wouldn’t stop until the very last piece of the gift is unwrapped. 

Other party activities will be affected as well since the celebrant is busy opening gifts. With it, the time allotted for the party wouldn’t be enough for everything you have planned, putting all your efforts into waste.

It Pressures Your Child

Imagine yourself being surrounded by a lot of people, whose eye and attention are all on you. Would you feel comfortable?

Definitely, no. 

And if you’re not, more so that you kid will not feel comfortable about it. 

Besides, most kids tend to be shy when being watched while doing something, like opening a gift. They become more conscious about what they do and how they will react, which isn’t a good or easy thing. 

With this, they are pressured to react nicely. They are forced to hide what they really feel just to make the people around him feel comfortable. 

Instead of a genuine response, he is left with no choice but to act. 

If your child is an introvert, there is a higher tendency to feel more uncomfortable when opening the gifts he has received in front of the guests. 

Regardless of how polite your child is, it would be difficult for him to hide the big difference between genuine excitement and just being nice. 

This could also make other children bored while your child is silently suffering from giving a consistent reaction of joy. Sad to say, this really happens.

How to Decline Gifts Politely

If you don’t want any gift at your kid’s party, you should tell them as early as possible. Perhaps, you can include it on the invitation. Here are some of the words that you can use to decline gifts politely:

• No gifts please, your presence is more than enough. 
• No presents, please. 
• Your gift of presence is the only thing we want. 
• No presents please, just be present. 
• No gifts please, the only present that we want is you right at our doorstep. 
• He needs nothing more, he has a lot of toys already. Just be with us and have fun.

Conclusion

A kid’s party should be fun. Why should your child spend an hour or so on opening gifts instead of playing with other kids? Sure, some guests want to see how your child will react, but on the other side, doing this is so insensitive to the other guests. 

So, just keep the gifts on one side and open it once the party is over. Sure enough, your child won’t even notice them if he is having fun. But then again, do not forget to thank your guests and be grateful for their effort to bring a gift at your child’s party. 

Related Questions

What should you do if your kid receives an expensive gift?

When your child receives an expensive gift, receive it with the same spirit of generosity as they are given. Don’t think of refusing it because it’s too much. Instead, be grateful for it. 

Also, explain to your child that he just received something so special. Have him thank the giver. But this doesn’t mean that the giver should be treated better than others just because his gift is more expensive. 

Material things are never a measure of how you should treat others. 

Is it rude to not open gifts at a kid’s party?

There is nothing rude about not opening gifts at a kid’s party. It’s ruder if your child will open the gifts in front of all the guests, which might also make others feel bad for not being able to get a gift as expensive as the others. 

Besides, there’s no guarantee that your child will like everything he will receive, which might hurt the person who gave it.