3 Holiday Activities Your Kids Can Help With

Hanging Ornaments on the Tree

Decorating a Christmas tree is one of the great joys of the season, so make sure to get your kids involved. If you’re nervous about them handling fragile decorations, pack two boxes: one with breakable ornaments and another with more robust pieces for little ones to hang. Encourage them to choose their own spots for their ornaments; you can always lift them up to reach the top branches. Put some carols on the stereo and share the stories behind special decorations as you trim the tree.

As with any job involving electricity, actually hanging Christmas lights is a job for adults. However, that doesn’t mean kids can’t be involved in the process. Trusting them to plan your lights display will show them you value their opinions and trust their judgment.

If you need new lights, encourage your children to be part of this process. Let them browse through a website like Christmas Lights Etc with you and pick out their favorite types and colors. When your lights arrive, let your kids decide where they should go. Perhaps they could draw a picture of your house with the light display of their dreams, or they could simply direct you as you hang up the lights. Remember to observe safe practices and don’t overload power points. If your children’s plans are too ambitious, it’s the perfect time to teach them about electrical safety.

Setting Up the Nativity Scene

Take time to remind children of the true meaning of Christmas as they set up your nativity scene. Some families set up their entire nativity at once as they decorate the rest of their home. Others treat the nativity like an advent calendar, adding new figures to the scene gradually as they appeared in the Bible.

Most nativity sets aren’t fragile or full of small parts, so trust your children to set up the scene on their own. Then, take time to congratulate them and ask them questions about the figures they see. You might also note different features like the modest barn, which shows the baby Jesus’s humble beginnings, and the different skin colors of the three kings, which shows the different lands they came from. Through this discussion, your nativity scene can become much more than a mere decoration; it can be a valuable teaching tool.

When everyone pitches in, the task of readying a home for the holidays is far less stressful. Make sure you share the load so you can take time to really enjoy yourself this festive season.