How to Have Safe Family Celebrations this Holiday Season
So…2020, right? We’ve experienced so many shifts to our typical life from reimagining our home-life, school-life, church-life, and just about every other part of our lives. But, especially as parents with little ones to keep in mind, we have to be resilient and always make the best of our situations. As this tumultuous year comes to a close, how can we reimagine this holiday season in a way that will be fun, memorable, and exciting? Here are a few ideas:
Merry Movie Night!
Invite your children to select a movie line-up for a fresh and fun way to celebrate the holidays! You can print out the movie covers of your favorite holiday films and then as a family, vote on the movies and glue them to the calendar. I encourage you to go all out by creating movie tickets, a concession stand, and turn off all the lights! You could even dress up in themed costumes to make it a truly memorable experience!
We Wish You a Zoom-y Christmas!
This can be done with students in a virtual classroom or with your family and friends! Coordinate a holiday sing-along or talent show over zoom! Grab a group of friends, family members, or even a group of students, and decide on a date for the big show. Perhaps you can pick a favorite seasonal song and put on a concert, or dress up in a themed costume or even practice a new choreography. For added fun, have a special panel of guests act as the “judges” to make it even more involved!
Run, Run, as fast as you can… it’s a scavenger hunt for the Gingerbread man!
Grab the gumdrops, licorice, and candy galore…and hide them all over your home. Create clues that will send your children to different locations all over the house to find the run-away gingerbread person! As your children arrive at each location, they will have to search for a component to build a gingerbread house or person that you’ve hidden. Then, they’ll need to read a clue to find out where to go next! Once they’ve collected all their items…the last step will reveal the gingerbread person (maybe a stuffed animal or even a printed picture) and then they’ll bring it all to the table to decorate!
Recycled ornament challenge!
Ask your children to get creative and host a recycled ornament challenge. I find that attaching the term “challenge” to anything gets children extremely excited to participate! In this challenge, provide children with the same art supplies (paint, tape, markers…glitter if you live on the wild side) and tell them they must make a creation with something that is recycled. Perhaps your child will use an empty Juicy Juice box or egg carton (or both!) to create their ornament. Be sure to include the year so that you can keep this ornament for years to come.
Expand Your Littles’ Holiday Horizons
As an educator, I’m always looking for teachable moments for little ones. And the holidays are no exception and a great opportunity to teach them about various holiday celebrations that happen during this time. Encourage your child to look at the holiday season from a global perspective. Not everyone celebrates the same holidays - and that’s ok! You and your child can research other holidays or interview people about holidays that they might celebrate. This is a powerful way to be more inclusive and will allow your children to gain different perspectives on what happens outside of your home.
LaNesha Tabb is a wife, a mom, a kindergarten teacher and an education expert with Juicy Juice. Check out her blog Education with an Apron and be on the lookout for her new book!
