The holiday season is many people’s favorite time of year, especially young children. However, as we are already used to in 2020, this year’s celebrations are going to be different. While your kiddos may not fully understand why you can’t celebrate like you did last year, there are ways that you can make this year’s holiday celebrations just as special and memorable as previous years.
At Inch By Inch Child Care in Bedford, we have seen the challenges that this year has brought and how much your kiddos have rolled with the changes. We know this year has been hard for many families and we wanted to help out a bit. We wanted to give you some simple ideas that can help make this holiday season special for you and your kiddos! Read on to learn more and be sure to check out our child care center today.
Start New Traditions
Holiday traditions are one thing that makes the holidays so special. No matter which winter holiday you celebrate, it is likely that your family has taken part in different traditions surrounding that holiday. While some traditions will not be doable this year, it can be fun to start a new tradition! Whether it is baking traditional desserts together, watching movies by the fire in your new holiday pajamas, or doing holiday-themed crafts with your kiddos throughout the day, starting a new tradition can help bring some normalcy to your holiday celebration. Let your kiddos pick what traditions they want to start or try a few different activities and see which one sticks! By trying new traditions to temporarily replace ones that are not doable, you can keep the holiday spirit alive and allow your kiddos to still look forward to the holidays.
Visit Family Virtually
The holidays have always been about family, and while you may not be able to go visit grandma and grandpa like you usually do, try to make it a point to plan a virtual visit with them! Your children may be sad that they can’t see their grandparents, but when you make it a point to video call them and spend time talking this way, you can help keep the special family connection strong, even from afar. Video call your parents while you and your kiddos are baking, opening gifts, or doing holiday crafts. Your children will love showing off whatever they are doing to their grandparents.
Make Family Time
Even though you may not be able to visit your extended family or see grandparents during the holidays, you can still make time with your immediate family! Now more than ever it is important to spend time with your kiddos and loved ones and enjoy the holidays together. Even if it is something as simple as eating breakfast together every morning, your kiddos will enjoy spending time with you and feel closer to you during the holiday season.
Go Overboard
There has never been a better year to go overboard with the holidays than this crazy year! By overboard, we mean over-celebrate. Your kiddos will love it! Watch all the holiday movies, make all the holiday goodies, do as many holiday crafts as possible, read holiday-themed books, and over decorate your home. While it may seem tempting to quietly let the holidays pass and not put too much effort into celebrating this year, your children will be very disappointed if you choose this method. By going above and beyond in your celebration, you can teach your kids that no matter what life throws at you, you can choose to focus on the good and make the most out of a bad situation.
Don’t Make It About Gifts
We know that many families throughout the country are struggling financially at the moment, which can put extra pressure on the holiday season. Even if you are not struggling, we suggest not making this year’s celebration about the gifts. Instead put the focus on the traditions, the family time, the fun, and even helping others in some small way. Let your kiddos know in advance that they may not be getting all the gifts they want this year but instead, let them each pick a few things that want to do during the holiday season. It can be fun for them to choose activities to do with the family.
Make Gifts
Making gifts is always a fun idea, even when we aren’t in the middle of a pandemic. If you haven’t done this with your kiddos before, now is a great time to start. Stock up on a bunch of craft supplies and work with your children to make gifts for others in the family. Whether you make picture frames out of popsicle sticks, paint on a canvas, or try something unique, this can make giving gifts more fun and meaningful. You could do a Secret Santa type of thing and have each member of your family draw a name of someone else in your family to make a gift for. This could be a fun way to do gifts this year and could become a fun tradition.
We know that this year’s holiday season is different and strange, but you can still make the most out of it with these tips! Making the holidays special for your kiddos can help them learn to look for the good in a bad situation. If you are looking for a child care center in Bedford, contact Inch By Inch today.