Helpful Holiday Activities for Children

Christmas is a busy time for adults, and kids are usually in high gear in anticipation of that jolly big guy showing up. With so much to do and all that extra energy buzzing around, why not let the kids help out? Here are a few holiday activities children can handle that will harness some of their youthful enthusiasm!

Let the Kids Decorate the Christmas Tree

Most kids have hung an ornament or two on the tree, that's a given. But why stop at that? Depending on their ages (and height!) kids can handle lots of things when it comes to decorating a Christmas tree. Teenagers can add the lights and hang Christmas ornaments to the top half of the tree, delegating the lower half and easier items to their younger siblings. Give them directions and occasional supervision, but also the latitude to design the tree and see what they come up with. Whatever the tree might lack in perfection, will be offset by the heart it reflects. You can also let them help out with other easy decorating activities around the home.

Have Kids Clean out their Rooms before Christmas Day

In anticipation of all their holiday stash, get your children working on creating a space for it. Have the kids remove clothes that they have outgrown or worn out, and inspire them to let go of toys that they no longer use. Set a date to take all the items to Goodwill or Salvation Army where other children will appreciate their donations. This is a great winter break activity that would make for a logical annual event.

Loan the Kids Out to Help Seniors with their Holiday Activities

Encourage children to help family and neighborhood Seniors during the holidays. Teens can offer to hang Christmas lights, bring holiday boxes down from the attic, create mailing labels for Christmas cards, or change batteries in the smoke detector. Younger kids can help family elders decorate their tree, clean up the decorating clutter and take out trash, help write out Christmas cards, cut sprigs of pine for the table arrangement, make cookies, etc. Just their presence will lift the spirits of a Senior who may be feeling overwhelmed by the holidays, or just lonely.

Have Kids Plan a Philanthropic or Volunteer Gesture

Give your children a dollar limit and challenge them to think of ways to help others who are less fortunate. Encourage them to ask their school and friends for ideas and to surf the web for organizations, charity events and volunteer opportunities. Compassionate Kids is an organization that provides guidance for developing children into community-minded individuals, and their website provides helpful resources. If your children can't think of an idea on their own, have them pick gifts for "Angels" from a mall tree, or suggest they prepare survival bags for the homeless with a toothbrush, socks, mittens and blankets and organize a drop off day with them.

Teach Kids to be Crafty at Christmas for Someone Else

No Christmas would be complete without a few Christmas crafts. Don't make the craft projects too complicated, and give their craft project a purpose. They can create wrapping paper and gifts tags (See "Making holiday gift wrapping paper with your grandkids" for directions.) They can make stockings and/or a construction paper Christmas countdown chain, much like an advent calendar, and present them to residents of assisted living homes. Give them material and pictures to use as examples to create Christmas wreaths, easy ornaments or Christmas tabletop topiaries, and take to a women's shelter or hospital.

Get Children Wrapping Christmas Presents

With gift bags being so popular, don't let wrapping presents become obsolete. Teach them how to wrap a present, including folding the ends and curling that ribbon! Most kids actually enjoy wrapping gifts and can do an amazing job if given basic instructions. When my daughters were teens they wrapped most of the gifts under the tree, including each other's presents. I filled boxes, taped them shut (to alleviate their inclination to spill the beans), and then they created Christmas packages that Martha Stewart would have been proud of!

Let the Kids Cook

Turn your children loose on your recipe books and online recipe websites to find dinner dishes that they think they can make. Cooking with Kids is a wonderful website for kid-friendly recipes and ideas. Tech-savvy teens might enjoy creating a family recipe blog for recipes that are family favorites.

Have the older children create a shopping list and meal plan for the month, involving the younger children too. You might uncover a budding chef while you take a break from kitchen duty. At very least you will create awareness in them of the work involved in preparing a meal and turn them into more appreciative diners!

This holiday season, turn things around a bit. Get the kids busy with Christmas activities at your house, as you complete your holiday shopping and errands. Teach them that Christmas is more than listing what they want in their stockings, and then retreating to their rooms to play a video game. Help them experience the holidays as an active participant rather than just a selfish spectator. This shared family responsibility will make the Christmas holidays a more enjoyable event that kids will recall fondly when they are grown. Have a safe and happy holiday season!