Are you already preparing for Christmas? Here are some creative ways to get your kids involved!
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It is a bit of an understatement to say that children love Christmas. Children are not only happy about the visit of Santa Claus and the opportunity to open presents on Christmas morning, but most of the little ones are enchanted by the twinkling lights, fascinated by garlands and wreaths and enjoy the Christmas tree balls.
But Christmas doesn't come by itself. On every Christmas rubber dinghy bouncing happily in the front yard there is an adult exhausted to drag it from the attic and blow it up. If parents could involve their children in preparing for Christmas, everyone in the family could enjoy the holidays a little more. Here are some tips on how to get kids involved in decorating so it's faster and more fun for the whole family.
Let them choose decorations
The best way to get kids involved in anything is to give them some authority, and the same goes for Christmas decorations. To start with, you can take your little ones to a store with you with a wide range of inexpensive Christmas decorations and let her pick a few pieces to add to your family's Christmas collection. Then they will be thrilled to see the decorations they have chosen amidst other Christmas decorations in your home.
Another way to give your children some autonomy with certain decorations. If your kids are young – ages 2 to 5 – you can give them two or three options to choose from to make sure decorations don't end up all over the bedroom floor. However, if you have older children you can trust them to place the decorations in sensible places, so give them the space to make those decisions.
Choose a decor that won't break
Even the most cautious child sometimes has accidents. If you set up your great-grandmother's china crib and your child breaks one of the camels, you are responsible for ensuring that fragile and valuable objects are within reach. Until your children are old enough to control their behavior with fragile objects without your supervision – i.e.
Fortunately, there are plenty of no-break Christmas decorations that your kids can absolutely handle without your careful attention. You could Start with the outdoor Christmas decorationsthat tend to be large and sturdy to withstand the winter elements. You can also look for cheap, even economical, Christmas decorations that won't harm your wallet or heart if they break.
Plan decorative Christmas crafts
Most children love a craft, and most crafts can be kept as keepsake decorations for years to come. It therefore makes perfect sense to involve your children in the design of the Christmas decorations, which saves you time and money and includes your little ones in the preparation of the Christmas season.
You can you will find endless lists of Christmas crafts for children on the internet. Some of my favorites are:
- Twig ornaments. You can make trees, stars, and other ornaments with sticks found outside and Christmas string.
- Tin can Christmas tree. Apply green paint to empty aluminum cans of different sizes. Stack the cans and use other craft materials – yarn, felt balls, beads – to decorate the tree.
- Toy bell. Buy a small toy that reflects your children's current interest, like trucks or dinosaurs, and paint them a Christmas-themed color, like gold or green. Put it in a cloche with a pine cone, pine branch or other festive item.
Don't be obsessed with decor
The most important basic rule for anything to do with the house with children is: don't expect it to be perfect. Just as you don't assume your 3 year old will be able to place hospital corners on their bed, you can't imagine your kids knowing exactly where each piece of Christmas decoration should go without you showing them . Since helping your kids is meant to decrease, not increase, your workload, relax and put your decorations where they can.
Santa will probably still come if your kids don't help you create the Christmas decorations, but he might be a little happier if they do. With a little ingenuity and a lot of patience, you can have your little ones decorated for Christmas.
