The following is a guest post from Amanda! I am quite proud of myself that I’ve started my Christmas shopping (usually unheard of) next- bring on the decorating and the re-arrival of our Elf on the Shelf!
It’s a fact that kids are not only a curious lot, but are also creative. Sometimes they do things that even astound the parents.
When it comes to Christmas decorating, children have their own ideas and choices. While parents may prefer to have the traditional decor, the kids may want a funny snowman or something of that sort.
Christmas decorating can be a great way for the family to spend time together and beat the holiday stress. Do keep in mind that involving your children into decorating means they will need your help initially to keep the activities fun and safe. But as they grow up, they won’t be needing much of direction or assistance from your end.
Here are a few simple Christmas decorating ideas that you can indulge in with your kids…
1. Bowls and Baskets: Get your kids to fill up bowls and baskets with Christmas trinkets. This is an ongoing activity that they will enjoy doing since it involves arranging pine cones, adding beads, etc. If your kids are young, avoid giving them any glassware since it may not be safe.
2. Green Decoration: You can have your kids go collect pine branches or holly from the yard, which they’ll definitely have fun doing. If not that, you can always buy some holly and other greens. You can even get fake greenery from the craft store if that goes well with the kids. The idea is to get them involved in the little things during the decoration process.
3. Window Decoration: Children love taking the charge, so why not get them to decorate their own bedroom windows? They can experiment many different ideas such as sticking up paper made snowflakes or other holiday themed signs. You can even buy some fresh plants for Christmas to place by the window to get the holiday mood going.
4. Paper Garlands: A nice little decoration idea is to string paper garlands across their bedroom. The kids can create these garlands themselves, which makes it a fun activity. Just see to it that you string the garlands safely because you don’t want the children to entangle themselves.
5. Gingerbread House: Creating a gingerbread house can be one of the most exciting decorating activities to do with your children. You can either build it from scratch or purchase the ready made parts. Either way, you’ll enjoy seeing your kids use their imagination to decorate the house, which can be displayed on the coffee table or the countertop once completed.
Doing the Christmas decorations with your children can help you create memories that will last for a long time. So go ahead and let your kids explore their creative side and get the most out of their holiday decoration activities.
We have some of our decorations up already–the tree and some older stuff that we collected in the years before Matt was born. This is the first year that he has shown any interest in anything remotely involved with Christmas and he is crazy about the lights and the tree. I can’t wait to make some decorations and start new traditions with him this year.