The holidays can be stressful as parents and grandparents search for meaningful gifts children will cherish. As administrator for Arizona’s Education Savings Program, AZ529, I have four suggestions to support children’s wishes for what they want to be when they grow up through thoughtful holiday gifts.

The first step is to make a tax-deductible contribution to an AZ529 account, or to another 529 account. Contributions from parents, relatives and family friends provide gifts with long-term meaning for their littlest loved ones.

If giving children a card that says, “I helped you save for college,” seems less than magical, here are some ideas that will delight youngsters while strengthening their futures.

1. Career costumes: Give a chef’s hat, astronaut costume or another career dress-up option with a note saying you believe they can be whatever they wish, and you’ve given XX amount of dollars to their AZ529 plan to help them achieve their dreams.

2. Career exploration: Give an interesting book about a future career with a bookmark note sharing your AZ529 contribution.

3. Split it 50/50: Instead of buying a large gift, take half the funds and contribute to their 529, while using the other half to buy a less expensive gift.

4. Experience the future: Take children to a museum or activity that helps them better understand a future career, or purchase a season pass to the Science Center, Natural History Museum, Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix Zoo or other destination, then login online together to see the funds deposited into their AZ529 account.

Visit www.az529.gov for more tips to save and to help children realize their career and college dreams this holiday season.

Editor’s note: State Treasurer Kimberly Yee is administrator of the AZ529 Education Savings Plan. Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org