Teenagers can’t afford to buy expensive gifts. So what do you do if you want to give gifts to the important people in your life? In fact, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on holiday gifts. There are many cheap ways to do that. Here are some make­-it­-yourself gift ideas to try:

To your mum and dad:

You can decorate a photo frame, sing a song or write a letter to your mum and dad. You can also draw a picture for them if you like that better.

To your teacher:

Sometimes students put their pocket money together and buy the teacher a holiday gift. Some kids also give individual gifts. You can send a nice card with the words of thanks inside. You might even write down the favorite thing you’ve learned in the teacher’s class this year. It will make the teacher feel happy.

To the kids who need a friend:

The holidays are a good time to think about people who are lonely. Maybe there is someone in your class who doesn’t seem to have many friends. Try to do something for this person. It could be giving a Christmas card or just chatting with him or her. It’s a small thing, but it could mean a lot to someone who feels a little shy or sad at school.

21 CENTURY

JUNE 1, 2021

Researchers have found that play is good for people of all ages.

Play is necessary during childhood. As children play, they learn how to make friends and relate to others. They develop their imaginations (想象力) and become more creative. Kids carry these qualities (品质) with them as they grow older.

The spirit of playfulness continues through the teenage years into adulthood (成人期) , the famous company Google, for example, keeps a lot of toys and games at different places in their offices and encourages people to use them. Their motto is “Work hard. Play hard.” They know that people often get their best ideas when they are just “playing around” and let their imaginations go wild.

So next time you have to solve a difficult math problem or can’t think of a topic for an article, take a short play break. Do a little dance or play a quick game. Then come back to it. Maybe you’ll be surprised at what your brain can do.

“I don’t like my parents. They always tell me I should do this, and should not do that. It sometimes makes me angry,” said Wang Ping, a middle school student in Guangzhou. Do you have the same problem? Perhaps your parents had the same problem when they were your age long ago. Why does it seem that some parents are not so friendly in their children’s eyes?

One of the biggest problems is when someone becomes a parent, he/she likes worrying about things. They worry about everything about you from the time you were born. They do a lot for you, though something would make you angry, because they care about you and worry about you. They worry about your choice of friends, food you eat, your work at school, how much sleep you get, etc. All these things are part of your life. They want you to grow up healthily and happily.

So how can you make things easier on yourself? It’s easier than you think. Just make sure your parents know what you’re doing. Get them to know your friends. Phone them if you stay somewhere else late so that your parents don’t call every hospital in the phone book looking for you. Say sorry to them when you make mistakes. Take responsibility (责任) for what you have done. Talk about your ideas with them. They may talk about theirs with you.

Most of all, try to think about why your parents do this or do that. They are still practicing being parents and need help you can give them. Someday, when you become a parent, they may be able to help you know how to get on with your children.