We all love the festivities, the gifts, the food, the drink, the decorations, parties and fun but don't forget what Christmas is really all about.
Lets start with a box that your child can use throughout advent to collect memories of all that goes on...including special cards, invitations, photographs, gift tags, party streamers, cracker prizes and lots, lots more. Let your child decorate the box however they wish...just provide lots of strong white glue and seasonal papers, sequins, stickers ...anything that makes the box look really special.
Here's mine and I shall fill it full of Christmas 2017. The only thing missing will be my older daughter and family who will be in Australia celebrating Christmas...I shall have to make do with photos of their festivities.
I found a lovely gift tag that reads: After the gifts have been opened. After the tree is gone. After the carols have faded. May the happiness linger on. It certainly will if you help your child to collect lots of Christmas memories this year and create a lovely memories box.
I have been asked about ways to explain the Christmas story to children...have a look at the Bible Society web site because there is a lovely video called The Greatest Story. I used it at Messy Church December 2017 ...it follows the same model as the 'We're going on a bear hunt' story.
I also used the most amazing book for years when I was teaching called Haffertee's First Christmas by Janet and John Perkins. It is out of print now but can be bought on Amazon for pennies. It has 10 chapters that takes you through the preparations for Christmas and is a delight to read especially to
children aged 5 to 7 years old.
Lots more ideas:
- Have a clear out and donate outgrown toys to the charity shop...they could make great presents for other children. I am an avid charity shop visitor.
- Raid the pantry for canned and dried foods and donate them to the local Food Bank (supermarkets and churches often have a donation box that you can pop them in)
- Do some Christmas baking.
- Get an adult to read the story of the Nativity from the Bible ...try Luke's or Matthew's gospel. By reading it from the Bible it helps children understand where the story is from and the importance of this wonderful book.
- Explore the nativity scene, either a 3D Nativity set or a picture. Talk about the characters and retell the story in a simple way that is age appropriate.
- Make paper crowns and pretend to be the wise men visiting Jesus.
- Make sandwiches and cut them into star shapes...in fact have a STAR day and see how many star activities you can include.
- I quickly made lots of stars using different materials and embellishments...this is a great challenge and can provide lots of decorations for the Christmas tree.
Wow, I've just had the Avon catalogue pop through the door and it has a frying pan that makes star shaped pancakes and fried eggs!
I got a bit obsessed with stars and began to make them out of different fabric. They are just lovely to touch and would be a great addition to a treasure basket for a toddler or even to be used with the elderly who enjoy tactile experiences.
- Have you tried painting bread with milk using a fine brush and then toasting it...give it a go. If you also add food colouring to the milk and paint a number of colours and patterns on the bread it can be very exciting...just don't make it too wet. You could paint some lovely seasonal designs on you breakfast toast.
- Make a Christmas tree decoration using lots of collage materials.
- Using an ice cream cone, some icing and little edible balls you can help your child create their own edible Christmas tree.
- Using a see through zipper pencil case put in lots of Christmas related items for children to sort...I have included 2 of each so they can be matched. A couple have a twist though such as the Elsa disks have different pictures on the back and only one gingerbread man is red on one side...spot the difference!
- Hop in the car in your PJ's and drive around to look at the Christmas lights.
- Decorate a Christmas card for your teacher or babysitter.
- Make a paper snow flake to hang in your bedroom.
- All wear a Christmas hat ALL day if you dare.
- Have a Christmas film night at home with cocoa and popcorn.
- Dance, sing and be really silly to the cheesiest Christmas songs. Make some pretend microphones and turn it into a Christmas addition of the X Factor!
- Play a board game if the children are old enough to cope...and adults are brave enough to loose!
- Make a bird seed feeder for the garden or the local park.
- Make the longest paper chain in the world and have fun decorating the house with it.
- Create a miniature Christmas grotto or Nativity scene in a shoe box.
- Get an adult to fill a sock with unusual Christmas objects and play at guessing the object simply by the sense of touch. You could try a bauble, a bell, a candle, a piece of holly, a star, a crown, a baby doll...don't forget to discuss why it is included in the collection...great to develop communication skills.
- Dress up as one of the nativity characters...if they look good take a photograph...it could make a great home mad Christmas card for Grandma and Granddad.
- Create wood block snowmen with a babies glove as a hat. I just used white spray paint and glitter, felt markers and a scarf of ribbon.
- Have you heard about Christmas Eve boxes...it seems a lovely idea to me. Fill a special box with things that will help your kids get ready for Christmas day. Here are some ideas...don't choose all of them or you will need a transporter!
Here is a lovely Christmas Eve box I bought from the Post Office (at Langley Mill, Derbyshire).
I shall continue to add ideas over the next few weeks...if you want to join in just message me, I would love to hear your ideas.
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