Tips and tricks to keep kids involved on Christmas Day

This content was originally posted in 7DAYS UAE website at: Tips and tricks to keep kids involved on Christmas Day Christmas is a family time and while kids will have all their new toys and gadgets to play with, how do you also bring them in to the festive gathering to join in family fun? Luckily we have Andalene Salvesen, Big On Children’s Super Granny, to help us with this one. The renowned parenting coach has plenty of tips and tricks to keep the younger members of the family happy and involved. Let’s break it down by age group… Five and under Andalene says: Children at this age get bored very quickly and activities need to be changed continuously. Pre-planning is essential. Create different ‘work stations’ that would be appropriate for different ages, for instance, the five-year-olds could blow bubbles for the younger ones; there could be an art table with creative crayons/ pencils etc. You could involve the older children to organise games for the younger ones. A treasure hunt is always a favourite. They could follow clues that are in picture form, for instance a picture of the fridge then when they look in the fridge, there is a picture of a table… and so on, until they find their treasure. Remember though, even though it’s Christmas, keep the sugar and food colourings to a minimum for this age group as it will affect their behaviour, which will then disrupt everyone’s fun. Six to 11 Andalene says: Making home-made crackers is a lot of fun for this age. Provide them with pinterest ideas for the outside and possibly personalise the inside. Board games are also great. They teach children to wait their turn, help them to learn to lose and be happy with those who win. Laughter creates a bonding opportunity and board or card games offer plenty of that. If there are lots of people, put names into a hat and have a few different games going at the same time. Teenagers Andalene says: Preparation for the big event is always fun so include your teenagers. Make a list of the tasks that still need to be completed and let them choose which one or two they would be willing to take on. It could be decorating the plates with the starters, keeping the younger ones busy or being the DJ for the day. I also think teenagers should make or help prepare at least one of the dishes for the day. Smartphones should not even be an option when celebrations are happening. This rule can be clarified before the big day and together you can discuss and decide what a suitable time of the day would be to spend texting and connecting with their friends. The rest is spent with the family. Big on Children’s Super Granny is in Dubai until December 22. For information on talks and home visits go to munchkins.me/events Read the original story at: Tips and tricks to keep kids involved on Christmas Day