It just isn’t the holidays without family time. With all the decorating, shopping, wrapping, cooking, baking and everything in between, family becomes a little hard to fit in. However, it is important to remember that you can still get things done while spending quality time with your children. Research shows that families who spend quality time together have a stronger emotional bond and better communication skills. The holiday season also provides great opportunities to expose children to new ideas and information, reinforce skills and knowledge, and encourage creativity, which supports their success in school! As you are shopping, baking and celebrating special traditions, here are some ideas to mix in holiday activities and quality time while getting things done.
1. Create a Budget — Encourage your kids to write a list of the people they want to buy gifts for. Then have them allocate a certain amount for each person on their list. While shopping for gifts, help your kids keep track of spending and their remaining budget.
2. Cook Together — Include your children in meal prep and baking for holiday gatherings. It’s a great way to have fun and teach kids about cooking and nutrition. While you’re cooking, you can practice math and reading skills—and demonstrate cool science concepts through various cooking techniques.
3. Make Holiday Greeting Cards and Gifts — Have your kids write holiday cards or letters to family and friends. It’s a great opportunity for children to practice their handwriting, as well as their grammar, spelling and creative writing skills. Also, making gifts at home is a way to encourage creativity! This doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Check out Pinterest for ideas and use what you have.
Happy Holidays! Share your favorite children’s holiday activities with us in the comments. Bonus points if they help reinforce learning or add to the holiday festivities in some way.
I love the awesome habits you’ve laid out for great gift giving habits for life! Thank you.