Are you in need of a break from your regular homeschool schedule? Me too! But when it comes to deciding how to inject a little Christmas fun into our days, I can become overwhelmed. Yes, there are TOO MANY ideas to sift through!
But sift through them I did and I created a plan for five days of Christmas fun for elementary school kids that doesn’t require lots of prep time or expense. You can do a whole school week of fun or have a fun day once a week. You may not want to do everything I’ve chosen, but at least you have a good starting point for your own plans. Here we go!
The Plan
Download the PDF and you’ll have all the links you need when you need them AND a supply list for each activity. Don’t want to purchase the books? Check your church library or substitute books you already own. I got all four of the Hallmark videos listed for under $8. But you may be able to find them on Netflix. You could easily substitute movies you own, get movies from the library, or check your TV listings and record movies you’d like to see.
I don’t know about you, but with all the holiday happenings, my hot spots have been blazing out of control. What’s a hot spot you say? FLYLady would tell you it’s a place in your home where you tend to drop things and run. Unless you regularly clear these places or devise a plan for keeping them clear, you can have a hot mess. In just a few simple steps this week, we’ll take care of our hot spots.
#1 List all hot spots; identify the worst
With your family, make a list of all the places where stuff tends to accumulate. In our home, that’s our entry way, dining room table, upstairs landing, and entrance to the storage area. Right now the worst is the entrance to the storage area.
#2 Clear a hot spot & prevent it from heating up again
Work on your worst hot spot today. Declutter it and clean it. Teach the kids where to put items. Our dining room often becomes a hot spot because the kids don’t know where to put the mail that is often left there. I have been teaching them to put it in my mail slot in my kitchen. Problem solved. Need ideas for managing paper clutter? Be sure to read my advice on Davonne Parks’s blog.
How can you prevent it from becoming a mess again? I have two suggestions. First, come up with a practical way to collect the clutter. For example, I repurposed a toy chest into a place for winter coats in my entryway. The kids don’t want to take the time to hang them, so I accepted that and allow them to stuff them out of sight. Do you need a basket to collect items that can be sorted later? Ask the kids and your spouse what would work and give it a try. You can also find great hot spot prevention ideas on my Organized Homeschool board on Pinterest.
You can always evaluate the success of your first effort at controlling the hot spot later and try something else if need be.
The second suggestion I have is to make clearing the hot spot a chore that is done once or twice a day. Our entryway is assigned as a chore twice a day, for example, and these two suggestions have kept the area from becoming a disaster.
#3 Clear another hot spot & prevent it from heating up again
You guessed it. Now that you’ve addressed your biggest hot spot, move on to the second biggest.
#4 Clear another hot spot & prevent it from heating up again
Now you’re a pro. Clean a third hot spot and determine a way to keep it clean.
Do you have any hot spot dilemmas? Areas that you just can’t seem to keep free of clutter?
Finding a stocking stuffer or inexpensive gift that won’t end up in the trash can be a real challenge. That’s why I am excited about Lilla Rose hair jewelry. I was asked to review the product and give away a piece of the winner’s choice at the perfect time for you Christmas shoppers. Enter to win the giveaway below (ends Sunday Nov. 30th @ 10 p.m. Central), but notice the amazing Black Friday sale! You’ll want to order one of these for every girl and woman on your shopping list.
I let my daughter pick out what she liked and this is what she chose. I think it’s so pretty but in a more subtle way. She can easily put it on herself at 10.
This is definitely not a gift that will be thrown away! Here are some more pictures of Lilla Rose hair jewelry and ideas for how to wear them. I received a Flexi-O clip and can’t wait to try it on a scarf.
You’ll want to enter the giveaway below and shop the Black Friday sale. The Everyone will be asking where you got it!
Be sure to use the sizing guide before ordering so you’re completely satisfied with your gift! Giveaway winner will be able to choose their piece and the appropriate size.
It’s Thanksgiving week in the U.S. If you did the Thanksgiving challenge, you’re all set to use the time to teach kids how to cook. Yes, you can count it as home ec! I remember cooking for Thanksgiving with my mom and I know my kids will remember it, too. It’s a time for making memories and delicious food, too! Here are the easy steps to take this week.
#1 Find books or videos that teach cooking
I’ll be sharing some great kid cooking pins on the Organized Homeschool board. Be sure to check them out!
There are many kids’ cookbooks out there, but this is the one I’m buying for my daughter for Christmas. It gets good reviews from most, so we’ll see!
There are plenty of kid cooking videos on YouTube, but you might enjoy teaching the kids how to bake a turkey. Although I don’t use this exact approach, it’s a pretty good basic video.
#2 Involve kids in table setting and cooking
I like to keep Thanksgiving as low stress as possible, so I do much of my cooking and table setting the day before. Teach the kids how to help and they will be even more excited about the meal. If you aren’t eating at home, you can still have your child help prepare a dish or two to take with you.
My favorite thing to have my children help with (the same thing I did as a child) is tear the bread for my mom’s stuffing recipe. But now that my kids are older, they like to help with just about everything. If your children are quite young, I promise you there will soon be a day when they can be a big help.
#3 Thanksgiving
Enjoy the holiday! I am so thankful for my readers. There are few bigger blessings for bloggers than to have people read what they write. Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and sharing.
#4 Put Thanksgiving items away
Put all the special dishes and decorations away (unless you’re celebrating late) and you’ll be ready to decorate for Christmas whenever you choose. The day after Thanksgiving is our decorating day. It’s such a blessing to have the children help decorate. If you’re decorating this week, ask the children where things should go. You’ll be testing their memories, their decorating skills, or both!
How do you get your children involved in Thanksgiving preparations?
I made dinner for the family and after we ate, my son said, “Thanks, Mom! That was really good!” His siblings chimed in with their thanks and I marveled. While my children have a variety of habits that leave something to be desired, they have had this habit of expressing gratitude to my husband and me for quite some time.
I am delighted by my children’s thankfulness, but I didn’t know where it came from until recently when I decided to ask them, “Why do you say ‘thank you’?” I was surprised by what they had to say. Maybe you will be too.
#1 We’re homeschooled.
“We spend so much time with you,” my son said. “And we aren’t around kids who aren’t thankful.”
I have made it clear to the kids that I homeschool as a sacrifice of my time and money because I love them. I know I had a selfish motivation in telling them this: I didn’t want them to complain about school when it is true that I sacrifice for them everyday. My husband has affirmed this truth to them.
Before jumping to the conclusion that homeschooling means grateful kids, I wonder if the connection is the sincere belief that my husband and I are deserving of gratitude? There are so many hard-working, self-sacrificing parents who don’t homeschool who also feel like they still aren’t giving their kids enough.
What if, regardless of how your children are educated, you communicated your firm belief that you’re deserving of gratitude from them?
#2 You discipline us.
At first I thought my son meant that I punished them for lack of gratitude, but then I remembered watching one episode of Nanny 911 with him. A four-year-old on the show called his mother a witch with a ‘B’ and my son was aghast. I told him at the time that this is what our family would be like without discipline.
When the kids were younger, I do remember promising a consequence for lack of gratitude. We had gone on an expensive, time-consuming outing and the kids were whining about snacks, rather than thanking us. I said that if they weren’t going to be grateful, that we wouldn’t be doing this again.
But that discipline can’t explain the attitude my children have today. Thinking back to Nanny 911, I see gratitude requiring respect. If our children’t didn’t respect us, why would they be thankful to us? And if we didn’t discipline them, why would they respect us?
I’ve gone through all kinds of phases in my beliefs about child discipline, but one thing remains: I believe discipline is the product of love and time.
If you love your child enough to take the time to discipline him, he is more likely to respect you and be grateful to you.
#3 You say ‘thank you.’
If I were asked why I have the habit of expressing gratitude, I would say I learned it from my mom. In this sense, my kids are just carrying on a family tradition.
In another sense, I have tried to be mindful of thanking my children for doing their chores, expressing delight when they do special things for me (and rewarding them with the Caught Being Good app), and thanking their father in front of them.
However, this explanation of why they’re grateful has reminded me to be careful of complaining–something I do too often.
To raise grateful children, say ‘thank you’ often.
#4 We’re Christians.
This explanation of my children’s gratefulness brought tears to my eyes. The attitude was, “Of course we’re grateful!” They didn’t give me a theological exegesis on their gratitude; it was just an obvious connection for them.
While I have taught the Bible, trained character, and taken my children to church, I have no responsibility for this source of gratitude. Honestly, that’s a relief. God has changed my children’s hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit in ways that go beyond expressing gratitude. That truth gives me peace as I deal with other behavior problems.
Regularly pray and ask God to give your children grateful hearts.
Has anything else encouraged gratitude in your children?
Many years ago, I read an article in a Christian parenting magazine about giving children just three gifts each: a gold, frankincense, and a myrrh gift to imitate the gifts that the baby Jesus received from the wise men. With the time and money required to purchase and wrap multiple gifts for each of my six children, I embraced the idea wholeheartedly!
Our tradition is to open these three gifts on Christmas Eve after church. We exchange the same three gifts for the adults as well, while explaining the significance of the gifts for the newborn Savior. I have had fun wrapping the gifts in corresponding papers (gold, white, and normally a deep purple).
If you share our tradition or you’d like to start it, I have some gift ideas to share with you for each type of gift.
Gold
The gold given to the baby Jesus was used to provide for him while He and His parents were in Egypt.
This is usually the easiest category to buy for. This is either the most valuable or most desired gift. If your child has expressed a desire for something, this will be his gold gift. Or you can choose the most valuable (or if your child is young, the largest) gift you plan to give and it will be her gold gift.
If you have no idea where to start, I recommend looking at my list of the 60 Best Christmas Gifts for Kids. These are gifts that my children used and loved the most over 16 years of Christmases. I recommend choosing one of these gifts if you aren’t sure what to buy over the “hot” toys of the season. Most of theses popular toys I’ve purchased have ended up being recycled quickly.
And don’t forget money! My daughter wants money so she can buy her brother’s iPod. Gift cards are an option for gold gifts that teens may appreciate. You may even want to buy stock for children and let them watch how their money (hopefully) grows in value. Investopedia has great advice for giving kids financial gifts. This year, most of my children want an experience gold gift. They are excited about having ski passes for the winter.
Frankincense
Frankincense was used in the temple to impart a fragrant offering to the Lord.
Frankincense gifts have to do with our relationship with God. When the kids were younger, I found every type of Bible toy, video, and game at ChristianBook.com.
For example, I bought this Full Armor of God play set for my two older boys and it lasted through tons of playtime for all the children.
Of course, Bibles and devotionals have been another popular choice for frankincense gifts. I love that you can find Bibles by age and can read reviews of them at ChristianBook.com.
But you can only buy your kids so many Bibles! Other gift ideas are jewelry (for both boys and girls), book lights with Scriptures on them, and Christian t-shirts. Of course, you can find these at ChristianBook.com as well.
One of the more meaningful frankincense gifts I’ve given the children is a gift in their names to other needy children. You can print a picture of the gift given in their honor and wrap it and then discuss what it will mean to the children who receive the gifts. The World Vision catalog is a great option for this.
I have one other idea for frankincense gifts that I haven’t used yet and that is a gift that will enable our children to use their gifts or talents for the glory of God. For example, my son plays guitar for our church, so I have a guitar gift idea for him. Children don’t have to be using their gift at church in order for you to give them a frankincense present that relates to their talent. But it would be a great opportunity to discuss how we invest the talents God has given us.
Myrrh
Myrrh was used for purification of the body (as described in the book of Esther) and for preparation for burial.
Myrrh gifts are gifts for the body. I bought a lot of bath soap for this gift category. When the kids were younger, I included a lot of bath toys, too. Body sprays, lotions, and nail kits also make great gifts for teens. Walmart and Bath & Body Works are my favorite stores for getting deals on these gifts.
But I grew weary of taking the myrrh gift so literally. I began to expand it to include anything to care for the body. The broadest category to expand to is clothing. I had a lot of fun a couple of years buying the kids matching sports team outfits.
Teens usually like clothing, especially if there’s a receipt. A clothing gift card will work if you’re worried. Fun pajamas can be a great gift for younger kids. I loved buying pajamas that did double duty as costumes from Disney. Another clothing idea that was a hit was buying (from the store or a seamstress) matching outfits for my daughter’s My Twinn doll.
Winter is the time of year we redecorate, so when we’ve redecorated the kids’ rooms, their bedding has been their gift. We have also given the kids personalized towels and blankets as gifts.
I have a new idea for the kids’ myrrh gifts this year and that is anything having to do with exercise. A nice water bottle, exercise equipment or DVDs, or a new sports bag would make a great myrrh gift. A Zamzee (a fitness monitor that you can link to rewards) would make a fun myrrh gift as well.
Now over to you. What do you give as gold, frankincense, and myrrh gifts? Let me know in the comments.
I’m a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six. My life can be a little crazy, so I look for sanity-saving ideas to use and share. I hope you’ll read my About page to learn more.
