Encourage your children to participate in the making of different crafts to place around the home for the holidays. It places special meaning and emphasis on the holidays. Lock the television in a back room.



Only bring it out for special time that is set aside during the holiday period. The family can use it for a designated movie night.

Be sure to rent special movies on the night. Watch teachable family movies with meaningful story lines.

Bring out the board games. Although it is christmas Monopoly is always a great choice. They may even sell a christmas edition.

Have christmas music playing throughout the house at all times. The children will be humming and singing their favorite tunes.

Encourage inside activities such as ping pong, musical chairs and Simon Says (a great game). They keep the kids active and in a fun mood. These games also teach valuable lessons along with the fun that comes with playing them.

They teach children to accept defeat graciously (depending on the child). They teach how to accept victory without rubbing it into the losers. Obviously parents have to be there to nurture, coach and guide.

How about decorating the Christmas tree with homemade ornaments? That is a great idea. Bring out a few craft books to help with brainstorming ideas. Have a quick planning session. It teaches the kids organizational skills.

Bring out those old unused christmas cards, clothes and anything else that can be cut up to make a craft. Do you have any of those broken colorful floppy disks lying around? Bet you could do a whole lot with those and a bit of glue?

Recycle as much as you can. Do not throw your old wig out yet? That is fair game too! Have you tried looking on the internet for craft ideas? That is the best place to look.

Halloween is long gone but were are those costumes and decorations? Use them now!

With all of this activity the kids are sure to get hungry. Have a special meal or light snacks for them. A nice dessert treat is always welcomed.

Let the girls help out with baking Christmas cookies. Use your famous cookie cut outs.

When the fun time is over let all the kids help to clean up. This will be an important task. The living room will be transformed into the family theater for later on in the evening.

Children should also be encouraged to pursue calmer mental activities. They can write poems and stories.

A parent can start a story and the children can each finish the story in their own words. They can then take turns and read their story to the others.

Encourage the children to think of games they can play the next day. You may be pleasantly surprised what they come up with. Use the christmas holidays wisely.

Tell your children constantly about the things that make christmas time a special time. Lets make this a family filled christmas. You are building memories, men and women.