10 Social-Distancing Gift Ideas for Adoption Triad Members

With six months into the COVID-19 pandemic and no end in sight, we’re all getting a little restless. If you have a strong open adoption, going this long without seeing your triad members can be tough. After all, an open adoption relationship is like no other, and it’s one that you cherish as a birth parent, adoptive parent or adoptee.

With the holiday season coming up, how can you continue to safely social distance but still let your loved ones know you’re thinking of them?

This guide will help. Keep reading to find 10 great ideas for social-distancing and virtual gifts for your adoption triad members.

1. Create an online slideshow.

Everyone is familiar with the joys of a photobook from Shutterfly, Snapfish and Google Photos. Take it one step further and make those photos into an online slideshow!

A slideshow offers a few benefits a photobook cannot — the chance to intersperse short videos, voice recordings and links to related content. It’s is a great way to add your personality to your photo gift and make your triad members feel like they’re really there with you.

Check out these services to start yours:

• Adobe Spark
• Clideo
• Kizoa
• Times of Your Life DVDs
• VistaPix Media

2. Put together a home movie.

There’s nothing quite like a home movie. Gather your family members and put together some scenes you’ll look back on and smile. You could go simple and record your family’s everyday activities, or rope in some tiny directors to write and act out a mini-movie. Whether you’re sending to birth or adoptive family, a home movie just can’t be beaten.

3. Give them a meal on you.

While lots of people have been trying their hand at cooking and baking during COVID-19 (sourdough bread, anyone?) there’s always a night where putting together dinner is just too much of a bother. Enter the services below. Whether you want to provide some new recipes for budding cooks or to save a busy parent’s weeknight, send along a gift card to:

• Blue Apron
• Dinnerly
• DoorDash
• Hello Fresh
• Home Chef
• Grubhub
• Postmates
• Snap Kitchen
• UberEats

4. Sponsor their next movie night.

It seems like there’s a new streaming service every day — so there’s no shortage of options for your triad members to have a movie night. Send them a gift card for one of these services, Venmo some popcorn and soda money, and set up a mutual time for you to watch a new show or movie together (virtually, of course).

• Amazon Prime
• HBO Now
• Hulu
• Netflix
• Sling TV

5. Support their bibliophile tendencies.

Quarantine has led plenty of people to rediscover hobbies they didn’t have time for before. If someone in your adoption triad has read through their entire bookshelf in the last six months, give them some new options with digital subscriptions.

Find out which of these services is your triad member’s preferred:

• Audible
• Book of the Month
• Call Number
• Fairly Loot
• Kid Curated Books
• Kindle Unlimited
• Used Books Monthly

6. Connect them with their favorite celebrity.

Not for the budget-minded, Cameo allows you to hire a celebrity to send a personalized message to a loved one. Got a triad member who adores a musician or actor? Give them a gift they’ll never forget and cherish forever.

7. Put together a local scavenger hunt.

Feeling creative? If you’re familiar with the area where your adoption triad members live, why not personalize a scavenger hunt for a little social-distancing fun?

Reach out to local friends and family to help set the hunt up, and make sure to video call them as they follow your clues!

Not sure where to start? Check out these kits:

• Cajo Games
• Clue
• My Mystery Party
• Ready-to-Go Scavenger Hunt Kit (8+ Years)

8. Let their playlists go ad-free.

Everyone loves music. The ads that come along with free services? Not so much.

Give the gift of uninterrupted listening with gift cards to:

• Spotify
• Apple Music & iTunes
• Tidal

9. Send a handwritten letter.

With all the options for fancy gifts out there, it’s easy to forget how heartwarming snail mail can be. Taking the time to sit down and write out a letter to a triad member shows just how much you’re thinking of them. Add in some photos or other collections from your day, and you’ll spread joy easily.

Want some cute stationery for writing back and forth? Check out these sites:

• Kawaii Pen Shop
• Muji
• Paper Source
• The Paper Store

10. Schedule a triad video call.

Not all gifts have to cost money. In a time where human companionship and touch are needed more than ever, don’t underestimate the importance of connecting with the birth parents, adoptive parents or adoptee in your life. Schedule out a time where you can all sit down and catch up on each other’s lives. You can always incorporate one of the ideas above as an activity to keep the conversation going.

It’s the thought that counts when it comes to gift-giving. Don’t overthink it; do what feels right for your open adoption relationship.

Any other social-distancing or virtual gift ideas we missed? Drop them in the comments below!