Educational Tips and Tidbits

Every family needs holiday traditions to bind it together. This year, how about brightening up your routines with a new idea? Try doing something different this season to gather your family together. You might want to start using an Advent Calendar. This is a daily calendar with treats and activities that you use as a family. You can make a simple one that’s great for young children with a few inexpensive supplies.

Get a large piece of posterboard and small condiment cups (like they use for cole slaw at fundraiser dinners, or even ketchup at the fast food restaurants). Cut circles of colored paper to fit the tops of the cups. You’ll need 25 cups and lids, one for each day from December 1 until Christmas. Glue the cups onto your posterboard. You can glue at random, arrange in a rectangle like a calendar, or even get creative and form a tree or a star shape. Inside each cup, tuck a piece of candy, a small treat or other surprise. You can also put a slip of paper with directions for the day’s activities, like singing a favorite Christmas song or visiting a special someone. Number the lids from one to twenty-five, and glue them onto the cups.

Now, starting on December 1, open one cup each day. Enjoy the treat and do whatever the paper says. It’s a great way to gather the family on a daily basis for some wholesome fun, and it will even help youngsters keep track of how much longer they need to wait for the big day.

Want another great Christmas idea? Visit More Than Just Desserts.

*******************************
Return to the Front Page
Contact Me

© 2008 Sandra Fleming

5 Comments »
Filed under: Parenting Corner