Christmas Holidays with the Smalls
Ages: 5, 3.5, 2 and 1
I was recently told not to stop the kids talking about what they wanted for Christmas, as it’s the beauty of being a child.
Fair enough.
I won’t stop them, but as I’m pretty tired of hearing about what they want, I decided to do a Christmas count down for the 7 days before Christmas, to give them a bit of focus that wasn’t solely about themselves. I had a look online at some ideas and sort of mashed a few together to make something we could open as a little family each morning. My biggest (5) finished preschool on Tuesday, the week before Christmas (Christmas day is Wednesday this year) so it worked out quite neatly!
Note: This countdown isn’t restricted to seven days… I just happened to get my act together the week leading up to Christmas.
METHOD:
I made 7 tubes out of card to fit large paddle pop sticks then wrapped them in fabric, like a bon bon.
Each had 3 sticks inside –
🎄MAKE
🎄DO
🎄GIVE/BE KIND
In true DIY style, we strung the bon-bon type packages on a string beside the dining table, so one could be revealed each morning - it was a really fun start to the day!
My biggest is into lists, so it worked to stick the pop-sticks on the window each day and as they were completed they go into the ‘DONE’ jar.
I also created a jar of spare ideas in case anyone was looking for something to do at any point.
I’m delighted to say it’s been great! My husband has been pretty busy with work, so not around as much, but this little system has given us some structure when the smalls are getting over each other and playing round the house.
Tip – I took photos of what’s inside each day to make sure I have everything needed the night before… I can only imagine opening them and realising we don’t have all the bits wouldn’t go down too well with the troops.
Another easy and fun thing I’ve set up for the holidays are our Holiday Tables.
These are literally 2 Kmart trestle tables that I set up in our main/kitchen area in the holidays – one that is covered in paper for pasting/drawing etc and one that is for puzzles/beading/play dough/sensory activities.
The kids LOVE these tables and really look forward to them coming out when holidays begin.
I don’t know why the kids love this idea so much – perhaps because it’s open ended, doesn’t get packed up and it’s in the busiest area of the house… cos they always want to be close, don’t they?!
The best thing is, the dining table stays clear!
Enjoy planning your own Christmas countdowns and starting little traditions to look forward to.
It really is a wonderful time of the year!