It's All About the Christmas Tree
Tis the season for the overly excited kids, snow days, and very thin parent patience. We had an unexpected snow day this week, the week before winter break, and the kids were growing restless. They’d already watched a movie and were onto some sort of tv show. I’m in a boot and can’t go outside to play in the meager amount of snow we got (nor do I have any desire to go outside right now anyway). So, I started to take mental inventory of crafting supplies we had that I could craft into some sort of activity that would occupy them for more than 5 minutes.
We’ve all seen images of felt Christmas trees for kids to decorate over and over. Well, I don’t have one, and I don’t have any felt. But I did have a big roll of brown butchers’ paper in the garage! So, I hand drew a Christmas tree and had Marshall help me color it green. Then I cut it out and taped it to the playroom wall.
Letting Them Be Creative
Here’s where the genius part of this activity comes in. I tasked the kids with making decorations for the tree. I gave them blank paper and told them to draw, color, cut, and tape them up. Now, my kids are 5 and 7 and I somewhat trust them with scissors (they live upstairs, but they can have them if they ask). If your kids are younger, or you just don’t trust them with scissors or tape, you may have to help a little more.
But, for us, it provided hours of quiet time. Time where there was minimal complaining, bickering, or fighting. They decorated the tree and called us down to look. Then I tasked them with making some presents to go under the tree. Marshall decided that they also needed to make a plate of cookies and Adelaide suggested milk to go with it. I’m thinking we have another hour or so of quiet activity!
Parenting WIN!!!
Our kids love being silly and we love them for it!
Gingerbread Houses
We let our kids build their own gingerbread houses, so this is a perfect option to include with a Christmas tree activity over the holidays.
SLIME!!
This is an activity our kids loved! They spent so much time squishing and stretching this gooey material over and over again.
Take Your Kid Out for a Date
We have a few activities that always lead to a lot of fun. Usually, they revolve around some combination of the library, pizza, ice cream, and comic books.
