Keeping the kids busy during winter break!
This is the time of year when children will be home for the holidays and parents will be looking for ways to keep their children busy. Don’t stress over how to keep them busy when you are not at home, and don’t let them drive you crazy when you are at home. Plan ahead of time and use the following tips to keep you and your little ones happy over the holiday season.
Leave a List
Children need order and instruction. Don’t be afraid to give your child a list of household chores everyday. Inform them of the consequences of not following through with their responsibilities. Tell them their actions are fundamental in the success of the family’s holiday season. This is not a lie because your sanity is extremely important during this time of year.
Trust Traditions
Young people like traditions and customs. Traditions give them a sense of belonging. Traditions also allow youngsters to create memories. Start at the beginning of the vacation and allow children to get involved in family traditions by giving them opportunities to plan for the holiday events. Have them make presentations in front of the family on how to make customs and traditions in the family better. Children love presentations, especially when they can illustrate with drawings and decorations. Doing this will increase family time and help the young ones learn organization skills. With safety in mind, allow children to help prepare holiday meals, decorate for the holidays and clean social areas for entertaining.
Hope for Hobbies
Picking up a new hobby or activity during the holidays may be a good alternative for children who like to explore. Learning to play an instrument or learning a new activity is a wonderful way for children to explore and grow. Many local museums and youth centers offer holiday camps where students can learn about other cultures while creating arts and crafts.
Some holiday camps offer everything from learning Swahili connecting Kwanzaa, to making dreidels connecting Hanukkah. After the class is over, children can present family members with holiday gifts from what they have learned, such as performing a musical number or creating a holiday ornament. Home-based camps can be easily organized in the neighborhood with a little planning and organization. Work out supervising schedules with parents in the neighborhood and seek the help of your local arts and crafts store for ideas and materials.
Create a Contest
Reward children for how much they have done. Create contests to keep them motivated. You determine the guidelines and the rewards. You can associate a monetary amount or holiday prize for the number of books read, chores completed or plans made. Families of more than one child can produce a family talent show. Contests can be created rather easily with any incentive plan in any event category. The sky is the limit. You decide.
Back to the Basics
Keeping kids busy during the holidays may not be an easy task, but it is well worth the effort. A little creativity and patience can give you the sanity you need to get through the holiday season. The tried and true methods may not be the healthiest for your kids, but when all else fails, load up on food, video games and movies.
