Introduction
Christmas time is all about being with friends and family and reflecting on the reasons that we have for celebrating this very special time of the year. All of us like for our homes to look festive during the Christmas season; why not involve your children in some kid friendly decorating activities?! You can make fun decorations and have fun being entertained with your children at the same time.
Instructions
It may take some initial effort on your part to get the ball rolling on the creation of Christmas crafts with your children. However, you are only limited by the scope of your imagination when it comes to thinking of some ideas of what you can do to help your children make Christmas decorations. In case you are having difficulty thinking of how you can get started, here are some pointers.
How to make your Christmas decorations more Kid-friendly
1.Involve your children in the process : Ask your children for their opinions when you are contemplating what sorts of things to make as decorations. Involve them in the creative process from day one. If you come up with an idea, run it past them to see if it is a concept that they understand and if the project excites them. They will be more interested and excited about a project if it is one that they helped to think of on their own.
2.Use materials that are familiar : You can make the creation of Christmas gifts more kid friendly by simply using materials that they are familiar with. Using the tools (such as paint, paper, scissors dry cereal, yarn, etc.) that they are in contact with on a daily basis assures you that they will remain safe and encourages your children to think of new ways to use the things that they already have laying around the house.
3.Allow your children to do something nostalgic : Any decoration that was made by a child has special meaning and nostalgic significance. Coloring outside of the lines, misspellings, and other flaws add to the character of the decoration. In the next years as you pull out these decorations, you and your family can enjoy looking at how they have grown. You may even decide to make this activity into a new family tradition.
4.Keep safety in mind : The term “kid friendly” is often synonymous with safety. Your kids cannot enjoy the time they spend making decorations if those decorations are unsafe. Try to avoid using any type of decorating tool that is made out of glass, has metal hooks, would compromise the stability of the Christmas tree, or requires electricity or some other power source to operate. Also consider what types of materials may pose a choking hazard and avoid using such materials. Instead, think of materials that can be used to make the project safer. For example, you can use ribbon to hang ornaments and pictures instead of using metal hooks or pins. A general guideline for choking safety is that if an object is smaller than the child’s fist, it is a choking hazard. Obviously, as your children get older some of these safety concerns will no longer be issues that you will need to worry about.
More suggestions
As you start involving your kids in more of these kid friendly decorating activities, remember the activities that your kids really enjoyed and those things that you could probably do without next year. Keep an eye on what types of things they are good at and what sparks their interest. From this you can have the foundation for using your imagination to create even more fun and kid friendly Christmas decorations.
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