Gifts to Send to Your College Student! They Could Use a Surprise From Home.
As summer comes to an end, college students across the country are settling in. For most students, this is the longest they have been away from home. According to HAP Balanced Living, 30% of all college students experience low-levels of homesickness, and 69% of first year students experience severe homesickness. KidsHeath.org says that the number one remedy for homesickness is to bring a little bit of home with you. So, in order to help your kid get settled and comfortable in college, send them a little bit of home along with some extra college goodies and essentials.
Chargers are an essential part of the college experience. With technology becoming more and more popular, classes are making the switch from paper to computers. Moving from place to place makes it very easy to misplace things. In addition, depending on your kid’s class schedule, they may not have time to run back to their dorm for a charger. Giving them an extra computer charger will be a lifesaver. Also, extra phone chargers will never hurt.
Noise Cancelling Headphones
College is loud! Dorm room walls are notoriously paper-thin. Compared to at home, this noise is a big change when it comes to focus and privacy. Apple’s new airpods have a noise canceling setting, however those can be quite pricey. JLab Epic Air ANC are noise cancelling, good quality, wireless, and more than half the price than Apple Airpods. Plus, since they’re cheaper, it’s as big a deal if they get lost.
Hometown Foods
Everyone has a few famous hometown foods from wherever they’re from. New York has bagels, St. Louis has gooey butter cake, Ohio has Buckeyes, and so much more. If it’s possible, try to gather some hometown treats that you can send to your kid!
Unfortunately, most colleges do not allow candles in dorm rooms. It’s a safety hazard, blah blah. Most people usually sneak them, but dodge the risk of getting in trouble and send your kid an air freshener. Make sure you send a scent that smells like home, because sometimes a smell can go a long way. Bonfire smells, winter smells, anything that can remind them of their hometown.
Gift Cards for Local Restaurants
Sometimes, all your kid will want is a home cooked meal. Or really, just anything remotely better than the dining hall food. But, that can get expensive! Surprise them with some gift cards (or just money) for them to go get a couple nice dinners or lunches. They work hard in college, and may not have a ton of time for a real meal. Make your kid and their stomach happy with this gift! If you are not sure what is around the college, I would recommend calling the school directly and asking them. I'm sure they would love to share their favorites!
College gets messy; especially when you’re living in a tiny box. Your kid will (hopefully) be running out of wipes from trying to keep up with the mess. And it’s likely that the grocery stores won’t have a good stock of them. While this may not help cure homesickness, it’ll help make their new home feel and look better.
This may be a more expensive gift, but it’s worth the price. The Skylight Frame is a picture frame where family and friends can send pictures to a specific email. The pictures create a never-ending slideshow. Anyone will like this gift, but it’s perfect for college kids because they don’t have to ask for photos that much. Plus, they're already framed!
New Shower Shoes
Along with homesickness, community bathrooms are one of the worst parts of college. They’re gross, and who knows what those floors have seen. Good quality shower shoes are essential. However, so is a backup pair. If something happened to the original pair, your kid may not have time to find a new pair. And, they should avoid borrowing a pair at all costs. Walmart has a great selection of cheap but good quality flip flops/ shower shoes.
One way to package your gift box to send to your college student is to use Disguise The Surprise dividers to separate some items in a shirt box. Great way to fit some gift cards, money, flip flops, air freshener, college swag items...anything. Here is an example layout below. Click here to shop Disguise The Surprise.
These are just a few ideas that would be sure to bring a huge smile to your kids face. Sure they are having fun, but we can all use a bit of that home town, mom love at any given time.