The problem with planning for childrens Christmas activities may be knowing when to edit the list. There are so many things that typify this holiday that adults may need to keep a watchful eye on the exhaustion level of all concerned. Plan but dont over plan. Know when its time to just let them be kids. With concerts, plays, Mass, Christmas dinner, family photos and gift giving its easy for over stimulation and utter exhaustion to make everyone miserable. Pick and choose from the long list of holiday options. Opt in favor of those activities which can provide the best positive experiences without making too many demands. Let holiday vacations allow for rest and relaxation at least part of the time. It may be best to simply have one major holiday activity-- a party at home with some friends and family. You can come up with lots of good food and even make this the night that everyone sits down to that Christmas dinner. Go online and find some easy printable Christmas puzzles and games to keep your children quietly entertained for a while. You can also set up an ornament making table. Ornaments can be very simple, made of cut out felt and glitter or paper and a flour/water mixture pressed into a mold and left to dry overnight, then popped out and painted. A good activity might be helping the kids to create treats for the local birds and squirrels. All you need is a pine cone for each child, some peanut butter, and lengths of string and bird seed. First direct the children to tie their string to the pine cone. There should be a little bit of stem that it can be tied to or the pinecone will be partially opened and children can loop their strings around the opened bases of the pine cones. Then adults should help them to slather peanut butter on the outside of the pine cone with a butter knife. Finally the children get to roll the pine cones in the bird seed. When done each child should have their very own bird treat to take home and tie to a tree for the local wildlife. |
