What your little sister will remember isn’t the gift. It’s the afternoon you actually played with her.

Children keep company rather than objects. A present gets absorbed into the pile within a month, while an afternoon where somebody older gave their full attention and never checked the time gets filed as evidence that they matter. Attention is harder to give than money, which is exactly why it registers. Younger siblings keep that score without knowing they are keeping it.

Clear one hour this week for whatever your little sister actually wants to do, even if it bores you. Play it by her rules. An hour is small enough to find and big enough that she will remember who spent it.