That time of year is coming soon. Christmas that is. I love Christmas. My favorite part of Christmas is the excitement that the kids have. Children view Christmas as a very magical time. When I look at the excitement on a child's face, I know that it takes magic to put it there. In fact, I love a child's excitement so much that I try to do everything that I possible can to get more of it. I will come up with every family activity that I possibly can to get my family to the peak of excitement. So, here are some of my ideas.
In a previous article, I discussed the benefits of baking cookies at Christmas time. This has been a long tradition in my family. In this article, I would like to present some other Christmas activities for the family. Some of these may seem obvious. However, new parents may not realize how quick and easy some of these activities can be.
One of the most popular Christmas activities is crafting. Crafting covers a large area. The key here is to break down the crafts by age group and occasion. For instance, I have a toddler. For her, I would look for Christmas crafts that would include coloring and using a glue stick. You can find a number of activities for her on the Internet or at a crafting store. I have gotten some great ideas from an online book called "Christmas Fun Activity Book for Kids". It has pages to color, mazes, connect the dots, easier crafts and favorite Christmas songs.
The older children in the family, ages 7-10, like to create the crafts and then give them as gifts. Some of the items that they have made include candy holders, ornaments, gift baskets, cookie jars and other decorations. Crafting is a great opportunity for family bonding. When finished, the children are very proud of themselves. Creating these items really helps to build self confidence in a child.
Then if/when your child gives an item as a gift, the person getting the gift (i.e. Mom, Dad, Grandma & Grandpa) has an invaluable gift that they will display with pride every single year.
A great resource for crafting ideas and plans is a book that I found on the Internet called "The Ultimate Christmas Craft Collection". It has over 80 great craft plans.
Making Christmas dinner can be a family activity as well. For many families, Christmas is the most celebrated meal of the year. Including everyone in the preparations will be a great learning experience as well as a bonding experience. Each person can select some of his/her favorite recipes to include on the festive table. A good place to find recipes for traditional, non-traditional, and child-friendly dishes is a book called, "The Ultimate Christmas Recipe Collection." Some of the recipes include the traditional: baked ham, egg nog and fruitcake. Non-traditional recipes like baked oysters and basil-stuffed lamb roast. Child-friendly recipes such as macaroni and cheese, Christmas pudding, fudge and cookies are included as well.
Lastly, I love to read the children Christmas stories. Classic Christmas stories warm the heart. You can read them to a room full of guests or to a child while you snuggle under a warm blanket together. What a wonderful feeling. A great place to get stories is the "Traditional Christmas Story Collection".
I hope that your Christmas season is full of blessings.
This article was written by Sandy. I am a parent who is concerned with giving my children the best start in life. Since my first child didn't come with a manual, I have found other parents' advice invaluable. I would like to pass on what I have learned and hope that other parents would like to do the same. I have recently been reminded of how important my family is and that my family should always come first. Please visit my blog at The Family Comes First. Hope to see you there.
Sandy
