Purses for Kids

Teaching Responsibility

• Purses teach children responsibility by asking them to accept control for the item and the contents. Kids learn to evaluate when to take the purse and when the activity risks leaving the purse or losing track of the personal item. Teaching basic responsibility allows children to build self-confidence, and gives parents an opportunity to compliment children on self-management, according to an article on the University of Tennessee Knoxville website. A purse need not be an elaborate cloth or leather accessory. Decorating a plastic bag with a zip-lock top offers an inexpensive way to introduce your child to carrying a bag or purse. Budget holders make losses less important financially, and teach lessons about when to bring a purse and how to keep track of the item during activities.

Safe Storage

• Kids typically ask adults to hold items during a trip or activity, and allowing your child to carry a purse or a personal bag helps teach the importance of selecting items to carry. Some trips demand important equipment such as sunscreen, library cards, sunglasses or a telephone. Unnecessary items add bulk and weight to a bag, and your child quickly develops the ability to sort between the frivolous and the important to pack in the purse.

Bag Designs

• Ask your child to select or make designs for the bag and shop for the construction materials to give the bag special importance. The hours spent making the purse help children avoid neglecting the bag by leaving it at school or on the bus. Help children design and select materials so the bag is age- and size-appropriate, to avoid an overly large or heavy purse. Select interesting materials and manufacture. Knit and crochet projects help children focus and develop manual dexterity. Recycled materials, for example, introduce environmental awareness. Make special purses or bags for the seasons or holidays, including a bag featuring a flag for the Fourth of July or Veterans Day, or a purse with a pumpkin for Halloween.

Avoid Personalization

• KidsHealth, a child development website sponsored by the Nemours Foundation, reminds parents to avoid including your child's name on the exterior purse design or including this information inside the purse. This identifies your child to strangers. Lost purses also allow the finder to know your child's name and contact information. If you want to include personal information to return the purse when lost, use your information, including an employment number and address. This encourages good Samaritans and discourages others with less honorable motives.