A seven-year-old draws her cousin's name and keeps the secret for exactly four minutes, until the cousin walks in. Nobody minds.
The game works anyway, because the rules that matter to a child are short: one name, one small gift, one surprise. Kids love secrets and draws.
These four rules are written so a child can understand them. If you're organizing, the guide to running a draw with kids covers how to set the budget and dates.
The rules, explained for kids
The gift doesn't have to be expensive
You don't have to spend much. A drawing, a bracelet you made, a decorated card or something small bought with your pocket money are all good gifts. What matters is thinking about what the other person would like.
A grown-up helps, you choose
A grown-up can take you shopping, help you wrap it and remind you of the date. But you choose the gift.
Keep the secret for a few days
Don't tell anyone who you got, except the grown-up helping you. If someone asks, you can say “it's a secret”. It's only a few days, so it's not that long.
On gift day, thanks and patience
When you open your gift, say thank you to the person who gave it, even if it's not what you expected. And when you give yours, let the other person open it without rushing.
For the grown-ups
Don't ask kids to guess who gave them their gift, and don't make them keep a secret for weeks: draw names a few days before. If a child tells a sibling, that's fine; the exchange still works.
Let the app do the draw
Cuchumbo runs the draw in a minute. Adults organize it and help kids with the email and their personal page; nobody, not even the organizer, sees who gives to whom.
