Alleviate Holiday Stress
Any mother will tell you that the holidays, though welcome, can bring a kind of dread. Between shopping, baking for school parties, decorating your homes and yards, attending and hosting Christmas dinners and parties, the stress gets piled on.
Key Points
By the time the calendar flips to the, ‘Oh so jolly,’ month of December, you’ve already mentally filled your days with lists of to do’s. But as the countdown dwindles to the final days before Christmas, the freedom bestowed on your kids for two weeks rushes to the forefront. As you double check the calendar and count, and re-count the days you realize, yes it’s true, they really do have 10 days off from school.
That carefully established routine is about to be thrown for a loop as you valiantly try to keep them entertained. Their Christmas gifts should keep them busy for a couple of days, but don’t count on them to last the entire time.
Here are 10 simple things you can do to help alleviate holiday stress and keep your kids busy.
1. Crafts.
Every child is bound to get some sort of craft for Christmas, whatever it is, stickers, colouring books, or paint, put it to use. Pick a time during the day and have your kids sit down for craft time. Plan out the activity the day before and have everything ready when the time comes. It can be as simple as pasta necklaces. Place the pasta in a Ziplock bag with some food colouring and rubbing alcohol, then pour onto a baking sheet to dry. You can find many craft books in your library, or go online and do a search.
2. Hold a Puzzle Contest.
Have your children decide what the prizes are going to be. Some ideas are baked treats, homemade crafts, or doing a chore for the winner. Try to have enough prizes so that everyone wins something. You can even invite your children’s friends over to join in on the fun. Whoever gets their puzzle completed the fastest, wins.
3. Play Board Games.
Another usual Christmas gift is board games, so dig out a new one out and sit down to play. You’ll be surprised by how quickly the time passes.
4. Outdoor Play.
Bundle up your kids and send them outside to play in the snow. Equip them with a carrot, large buttons, and an old hat and scarf to decorate a snowman with. Make a day out of sledding or skating. A lot of arenas offer free skating for kids during certain hours; a simple phone call to your local arena can disclose those.
5. Make Mailboxes.
Have each child pick a small box that one of their Christmas gifts came in. Cut an opening on one end for the mail and provide paint, glitter and stickers for them to decorate their box with. Write the name of each child on the side. Then each day have them make mail for each other to check the next day. Be sure to include special mommy mail, such as letters, treats, or even invitations to go sledding or skating.
6. Movie Afternoon.
Make fun movie tickets from construction paper and decorate them with glitter and stickers. Then write an invitation inviting them to a movie. You can tell them which movie is being shown and what snacks they will get. You can also tell them to bring a pillow and blanket. Place each ticket and invitation into an envelope and put them into their mailbox for the next day.
7. Show and Tell and Share.
Have your children make invitations to invite their friends over for show and tell. Have each child select something they received for Christmas to share with their friends. Then have them pass around the item to share with each child for a few minutes.
8. Bake Thank-You Gifts.
Bake cookies with your children, and wrap them up with cellophane. Hand them out to all the family and friends who gave them presents for Christmas as thank-you gifts.
9. Treasure Hunt.
Draw a map that will lead the kids all over the house on a hunt for treasure. The treasure can be a treat, like rice krispie squares or brownies.
10. Trip to the Library.
A simple trip to the library is sure to be a hit. Check to see what days they are open and whether or not there are any activities going on. If there is, plan to go on the same day the activity is taking place so that they can join in. Once the activity is completed, have them look for a few books to bring home. Choose a few of your own and have them sit down at home for a story. Then encourage them to read their own books aloud to share with the family.
With the kids free from school, it doesn’t necessarily mean, “time off” from learning. By providing your children with imaginative activities, not only will you keep them busy during the holidays, you will keep their minds stimulated without them realizing it.
