We are traveling 1/31 - 2/4. I was thinking of picking up extra little toys at dollar tree for my son to give to other kids in the park. He’s 2 and we are working on sharing and kindness. Has anyone ever done this before? Thoughts?
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Some people have handed out glow sticks. The best ideaI have read recently are “pressed penny starter kits” - little baggies with two quarters and a penny.
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We hand out pins, wands, light up toys and stickers. I do love the pressed penny starter kit idea @PrincipalTinker mentioned. My niece is super shy. Giving items to other children was a great way for her to get beyond some of that shyness.
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If you do this, think through what you will say to your little guy if the child (or the parents) refuse his gift. Just best to be prepared for all kinds… shy children and parents who don’t know how to take generosity.
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That is a good point. We did not have any issues but a very sensitive child might.
A very good point! And also might be a good lesson either way 
Just be aware that giving things can be difficult. Back in the paper FP days, I would give away FPs that we ended up not using. People would actually move away from me, like I was trying to take something from them.
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That happened to me, too. I guess they thought I was trying to sell them.
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I actually had someone ask me “how much” one time when I gave them Splash FPs.
I’d be uncomfortable with a child trying to give me and my kids anything - mostly because I just wouldn’t understand the social context: Is the child giving something away that his parents don’t want him to give away? Is he just trying to show me something? Is it a gift? Is the family trying to sell something? Both me and one of my kids are very shy and would try to be polite while inching away with mild confusion and consternation.
Having said that, sharing from an obvious large and meant-to-be-shared pack of glo sticks may be okay because it would be so obvious what was happening.
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I had this when I couldn’t stay for F! in summer and was trying to give away my vouchers from the dining package. I ended up keeping them.
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hahah This happened to me as well when I was at AK. A guy and his girlfriend came up to me and ask “you want fast passes?” And shows me a small stack of paper fastpasses. I forget the story exactly, but apparently something happened and Disney gave them a bunch as compensation but they just wanted to leave.
But the way he asked I just immediately thought “scam.” I hesitantly accepted them, and I regret I didn’t appear more appreciative, but it felt like a scalper selling tickets outside a stadium. It also didn’t help that I wasn’t aware Fastpasses could be transferred (up until then, all my Fastpasses were part of my magicband). Kinda a sad commentary on where we are as a society, but also a nice reminder that that society doesn’t live in the Disney Bubble.
I think it helps it feel less confusing, like a scam, or like a safety concern for the child when you give away things to people you end up having interactions with for other reasons rather than just walking up to strangers. We brought more than enough glow sticks and stuff like that to share and ended up sharing them with kids that my kids played with in lines and sitting next to us at parades and shows. So it happened through my kids playing with them, other children showing interest, and then us offering to share while asking their parent’s permission first. We never had anyone decline in that context but we were already having conversations and friendly interactions with them. I would be much more inclined to allow my kids to accept in that situation too rather than someone just walking up to us without any other interactions with us.
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Yes! This exactly! Maybe that’s why we don’t normally have any issues. We give items away when sitting on the bus, waiting at the bus stops, in ride lines, waiting on F! Or other shows to start,
A liner gave me one of the passes that she didn’t use for TSMM. It was for up to five guests. Since it was only DH and I, we waited by the umbrella outside the ride until 3 random people were getting into the Standby line. It took a couple tries because most people looked at us like we were nuts but one small family (mom, dad, DD) took us up on the offer. I was happy to let them into the line with us. No need in letting those extra 3 go to waste.
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Thanks everyone! I was thinking more like if we are blowing bubbles in line to pass the time, maybe having some extra bubbles on hand if other kids seem interested. Definitely not just sending my 2 year old up to pack of strangers with gifts in hand : )
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Blowing bubbles in line, isn’t always such a great idea. Bubble popping on glasses can make a mess. Just a thought…
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I like the pin idea. Especially since there is a culture of trading them anyway. It may be easier for people to grasp. I go on eBay and buy a bunch of cheap ones for my kids as souvenirs and to trade. That being said, maybe easier for what ever you are doing to create a mini goody bag with a tag explaining what you are doing. Something like “we are celebrating our daughters first trip and teaching her the gift of sharing. Please accept our token gift and have a magical day!” I would also approach the parent before hand to make sure it is okay. I love this idea! It seems like Disney has been moving a bit away from the level of magic they offered before. It is nice that the guests might be picking up the slack.
I once got a fast pass for Soaring over CA for up to 8 people. We used it for our family of 4, but now wish I had thought of grabbing 4 others. I also got free tickets from someone in Vegas to see Carrot Top. I had the opposite reaction. In hind sight I think they were trying to sell it, but I had a bit to drink and as soon as they asked I said yes! I thanked them profusely and snatched it out of their hand and proceeded on my way. For a brief moment there was an awkward pause, where there appeared to be waiting for something, but I was oblivious in my impaired state. My husband and I talked about it later and think they were expecting payment, but my reaction threw them off.
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I’m a grown-up and tried this three times.
At DHS I went to the dessert party and was given some kind of Star Wars model. I didn’t want it so I decided I’d give it to some kid. Having found a suitable target I offered to a young boy with his mother. He looked bewildered, then delighted. She told him to say thank you.
At UOR I bought a Harry Potter wand but realised it wasn’t a whole lot of fun. I tried to give that away, too. It took three attempts. On the third attempt I think the kid was pleased, but his parents thought I was trying to sell it. They initially couldn’t get their heads past the idea that someone might actually just be trying to do a nice thing and you could see them thinking, “what’s the scam here?”
At MK I had lunch at CRT and they gave us various bits of plastic nonsense. I found a young girl to give them to. Her parents ushered her away fairly quickly.
All three experiences were rather flat. I somewhat grandly imagined making some kid’s day and feeling heroic. In the end I was reminded that we live in a world where no-one trusts anyone else and adults are assumed to be paedophiles.
Your situation is a little different. It’s a lovely thought. But your child may simply learn that people don’t trust people.
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@profmatt, you probably DID make some kid’s day magical, you just didn’t get to see the excitement part. My kids would probably accept the gift with some hesitation (shy), say thank you but appear uninterested, walk away and spend the rest of the day talking about the cool man who gave them a toy. We had someone buy my son a small toy car at a store once and he talked about it for days on end, telling everyone he knew about the experience.
Just wanted to give you one parent’s perspective, and hope you can feel a little heroic a few months after your trip!
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