Enjoying holiday preparations with children.
Getting ready for the holiday can either be exciting or overwhelming. Most of us have traditions we look forward to sharing with our kids. Still, sometimes while we’re frantically making our list and checking it twice, it seems like we don’t have a minute left over to spend quality time with our families. However, given the right encouragement kids love to help, letting you finish your holiday prep and make memories at the same time. Here are a few foolproof ideas for getting kids involved this holiday season.
Put them in charge of decorating something.
Have a budding artist at home? Ask them to make a welcome sign for the door, snowflakes for the front window, or a painting for the mantel. If you buy quality art supplies, like acid free paper and archival ink, you can put away your child’s masterpiece and enjoy it for years to come. Years from now he or she will love seeing a sentimental piece from childhood at Christmastime.
Do a family service project.
The holidays are a good time to remind your children about the importance of giving back. Shop together for canned items for a local food drive, and be sure to let your children make independent selections. This will give them a sense of ownership that makes the donation more meaningful. If your children are older, consider volunteering for a day at a soup kitchen or nursing home. Since this is often outside a tween or teen’s comfort zone, ask if there is any cause that’s particularly meaningful to them. It’s a great way to begin a habit of volunteering in the New Year.
Let them help create the holiday card.
If you have an older child, why not let them write the holiday letter this year? Your relatives will be charmed to hear about the year from the perspective of their grandchild, niece or nephew. Suggest a few highlights to include, and then let your child’s voice shine. A younger child might create some custom art for the front of your holiday card. Just scan his or her finished picture and upload it to one of the many websites that allow you to customize a Christmas card with your own image.
Support your friends at the North Pole.
It’s a great time of year to make donation to the World Wildlife Fund. The WWF lets you ‘adopt’ an endangered animal by making a donation. In keeping with the holiday theme, why not adopt a polar bear, a sea lion, or an arctic hare? With the adoption kit, you’ll receive a plush stuffed animal representing the species, a photo of the animal and species card with a few facts, an adoption certificate, and a gift bag. Encourage your children to supply part of the cost of the donation with money they have earned.
Cook together.
To most of us, holidays mean special foods. One of the best ways to encourage a healthy relationship with food is to cook with your children. Holidays are the perfect time to begin. You can pass on family recipes, and see your child take pride in bringing a special dish to the table. Plus, there is nothing that feels more like Christmas than eating the dough straight out of the cookie bowl.
Keep them healthy.
Nothing ruins your holiday preparations faster than a nasty flu. Sometimes the germs can’t be avoided, but there are ways to boost your children’s immune systems and lower their exposure to germs. Keep your children healthy this year by encouraging handwashing, feeding them lots of veggies, and making sure they stay active. One of the best ways to avoid germs, and to avoid spreading them through the family, is to improve your indoor air quality. Respiratory illnesses in particular spread quickly through contaminated indoor air.
By booking a HVAC cleaning appointment with Modernistic today you can improve your indoor air quality substantially, removing germs, dust, dirt, dander, insect dropping, and mold spores. That way, when Santa comes down the chimney, none of the good boys and girls will be up with a fever.
Use our easy online scheduling service to book your appointment today!
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