Whether you’re a parent, a guardian or someone who simply enjoys ‘looking after your sister’s children and then handing them back when a tantrum starts’, you can’t deny the pleasure that comes from watching children experience the magic of Christmas.
That warm fuzzy feeling you get seeing them follow Father Christmas’ snowy footprints down the hall, the excitement they experience unwrapping stocking presents, or the meticulous inspection of reindeer carrot remnants is like no other.
But one problem we all run into is when our children, overwhelmed with excitement and choice, unbox every new toy on Christmas Day, leaving nothing new to enjoy in the days and weeks that follow. We all dread hearing the words “I’m boorrrred” in a drawn out whine. So, to help parents the world over, we’re sharing some of our top tips to help you avoid that very situation, and keep your kids entertained that little bit longer over the holiday period and into the New Year!
Out of sight, out of mind
Now, we’re not suggesting you hide presents from your children but with a plethora of toys and games to choose from, it’s no surprise their attention span leaps from item to item and they want to play with everything one after the other. So after the initial unwrapping and excitement, leave out a small selection of toys for immediate use (typically this might be something particularly novel, like an action figure or a toy) and, while they’re busy playing, seize the opportunity to pack away items that could be played with down the line (like board games or crafts of any kind).
In doing so, children will still have plenty of things to play with long after Christmas Day and a wide variety of activities to keep them engaged.
2. Plan a New Year Party
With only a few short days in between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, planning other activities like a New Year’s celebration is a wonderful way to stagger the use of toys and break up the post-Christmas period.
Now, Lord knows we can barely keep our eyes open past 9pm so this needn’t be an until midnight affair but get the children excited by letting them help coordinate New Year festivities at home. Tasks such as the below will give them a sense of responsibility and pride in their own work, as well as allow their creativity to shine through and help focus their attention on something new once Christmas is over:
Picking out their favourite activity (ies) for the evening. This could be simple, like choosing a favourite board game to play with family members, or for more of a creative approach, encourage your children to devise a new game for everyone to participate in.
Making decorations like bunting, paper chains, or even glittery invitations and posters to ‘advertise’ the shin dig beforehand!
Simple party prep, like blowing up balloons and laying out place names at the dinner table,
“Catering” - okay, we don’t even want to think what canapes conceptualised by children would entail but you can still let them get involved in ‘catering’ by encouraging them to pick out a meal or snacks that are their particular favourite, and letting them help shop for and prepare the items.
3. Get Crafty
Call us old fashioned but it’s always nice to receive thanks for a gift you’ve given and doubly so when that comes in the form of a homemade thank you card.
Arts and crafts are always a great option to keep children busy and enhance their creativity and thank you cards are a simple, yet lovely place to start.
A simple pack of card is all you need and the rest is up to you (or, more specifically, your children). You could simply use pens and pencils to draw on the cards, make the most out of leftover wrapping paper, Christmas cards, magazines or newspaper cuttings to form a collage, or add a touch of sparkle with glitter. The world is your oyster on this one!
4. Playdates with family or friends. While this may sound obvious, it’s one that many people often forget about over the Christmas period but it’s the perfect opportunity for children to take a moment away from presents and engage in social interaction with other kids. In doing so it also spurs their imagination through play and teaches the importance of sharing each others’ toys.
5. Get outdoors! It’s perhaps a bit wishful thinking to say ‘make the most of the snow and take the children outdoors for a wintry adventure’ or ‘take them tobogganing’ but we definitely encourage you to get out and about for a walk as often as possible over the festive period. Not only will it break up or fill part of the day, but it’s also a great opportunity for children to be in nature and see wildlife that they may not have experienced at other times in the year.
If sledding and snowball fights aren’t on the cards then even something as simple as ‘spot the robin’ is a fun and engaging game that will make a wintry walk all that more enjoyable!
6. Just Dance. No, this isn’t a statement, we’re talking about the game. This one is absolutely hysterical both to watch and to participate in and all players have to do is mimic the dance routine they see on screen. Just Dance is a good form of physical exercise and will keep everyone toasty warm on a cold afternoon, it’s one that the whole family can get involved in, it will tire kids out (particularly useful if you’re looking for a mellow evening), and it’s so entertaining that it’s an easy way to pass the time.
If your family owns a console of any kind, you can buy the games here or, if you’re not console-owners, then you can find routines on YouTube just as easily.