Making Their List And Checking It Twice

It’s a holiday tradition. Dreamy-eyed children making their holiday wish list, hopeful their selections will magically appear under the Christmas tree.

So, what's topping kids holiday wish list this season? Parents take note, it may not be what you think. According to the recent KidzEyes.com Holiday Wish List Survey, time-honored gifts like sports equipment and clothes are going to appear on more lists than high-tech video game systems. When asked what presents they would like to get this year, kids said they would rather get sports equipment such as a bike, skateboard or scooter (37%) or clothes (36%) over a video game system (28%).

However, according to kids, its not about getting it’s about giving. Taking the saying it is better to give than to receive to heart, kids are prepared to be generous in the gift giving category this year with more than half of those surveyed saying they will give more than 10 gifts to family and friends this year.

C&R Researchs KidzEyes.com, a specialized research service for the youth market, surveyed kids to see what gifts they had set their eyes on, what they thought would be the hot seller and gift giving plans. The survey also asked kids their opinions on wish lists and other holiday traditions.

We conducted our annual Holiday Wish List Survey to see what it is that kids really want for the holidays this year, said Robbin Jaklin, senior vice president C&R Research. Not surprisingly, the results show significant differences between girls and boys and demonstrate that kids have strong opinions about what they want and it may not always be what we think. Armed with these insights, adults will be able to give kids a gift theyll cherish.

The annual KidzEyes.com Holiday Wish List Survey uncovered a variety of interesting facts - heres a peek at what kids said.

Wish List Head Start

The KidzEyes.com Holiday Wish List Survey found that eight out of 10 (85%) kids aged 6-15 make a holiday wish list. And, they’re wasting no time. A total of 41% of kids got an early start and have already made their list. Taking it as seriously as homework, 28% of kids aged 6-15 started their lists in September, while 13% dreamt of things to add to their list during summer break.

For the nearly 60% of kids who have yet to put pencil to paper, 48% plan to start their list in November - half of those children will wait until after Thanksgiving -- while a procrastinating 19% won’t start until December. Not surprisingly, girls (87%) are more likely than boys (83%) to make a list. And, the majority of younger kids (6-10) make a list (90%) compared to 78% of older friends and siblings aged 12-14. Furthermore, kids on the West Coast (64%) are more likely than those in the Northeast (51%), South (60%) and Midwest (63%) to say they have not started their list.

Boys will be Boys

Not surprisingly, boys and girls have fundamentally different ideas about what presents they would like get. According to the KidzEyes.com survey, girls would most like to get clothes (51%), music (41%), dolls (38%) and a computer/computer games (20%). Boys, on the other hand, would like to get completely different presents, listing sports equipment (46%), video game systems (43%), video games (35%), and toys/games (33%) as must-have gifts.

What’s Hot, What’s Not

Who says what’s hot is what kids really want? Not kids. The KidzEyes.com survey found that what kids really want is different from what they think will be the hottest gift this year. In fact, while kids listed sports equipment and clothes most often as gifts they would like to get, when asked to predict what will be the hottest items on this years wish list, video game systems (23%) was cited most often. Sports equipment did make the list with 14% of respondents putting it on the hot list.

Best of the Best

Even with the advances in technology, kids haven’t changed that much. When asked what was the best holiday gift they ever received, kids named bikes (12%) and a skateboard, scooter, snowboard or surfboard (6%) as their all-time best. The video system category received only 15% of the votes versus sports equipment as a whole (21%).

Kids certainly arent shy or subtle when it comes to letting you know what presents just dont make the grade. According to the KidzEyes.com survey, kids rank socks and underwear (14%) as one of the worst holiday gifts they ever got. But, kids are more grateful than we sometimes give them credit for, 21% said they never got a gift they didn’t like.

Money Talks

When asked to choose what is the best kind of present to get from a list of categories, girls go for the wallet, naming money (22%) as tops. More than one-third of boys (36%) said video and computer games are tops, versus only seven percent of girls who agree.

After money, girls rank music and CD players second (16%), followed by toys (15%), and clothes (10%). Boys on the other hand give the second slot to money (15%) followed by sports stuff (13%) and toys (12%). Music doesn’t even make the list for boys, as only 4% give it a best rating. For young kids (aged 6-10), there is little difference between the desire for video and computer games (22%) over good old fashion toys (20%). For older kids (aged 11-15), money ranks highest (27%).

Kids Play Santa

Roles are switching with more kids planning on giving gifts this year than simply being on the receiving end. More than half of all kids surveyed said they will give more than 10 gifts this year, however, more girls (53%) than boys (48%) plan to do so.

With all those gifts to give and a limited money supply, 44% of kids surveyed said they would buy some gifts and make others. Only 15% of kids said all their gifts would be homemade.

Deck the Halls

According to the KidzEyes.com survey, kids think stores should wait until after Thanksgiving (38%) to put up winter holiday decorations. More than one-quarter (26%) said early November is acceptable, but only 9% voted for October.

Also see: christmas kids toys

About The Author:

Britt Halle is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.1st-in-toys.com. Find all the toys you wish you had as a kid. Fun and educational toys found here.