Fun Ways To Encourage Your Kids To Help Out At Christmas

Posted on Jan 12 2015 - 1:46am by Johnny B

Over the Christmas holidays there are a million and one tasks that need to be done. While you are trying to work your way through your festive “to do” list, your kids are getting more and more hyper as the big day approaches. This stress can be enough to send some parents over the edge. But, there are things you can do to make the holiday season that bit calmer. Why not try involving your kids in a few of your Christmas tasks? Not only will you benefit from an extra pair of hands, it will keep your kids busy. They may also enjoy the ownership and responsibility that comes with their assigned festive jobs. Here are a few fun tasks that your kids might enjoy being involved in. We would be dreaming if we thought our kids would be up for helping with all of these jobs, but even one or two may lighten the load on you and keep them entertained for a little while.

  1. Wrapping the presents

We know, what you are thinking. Wrapping presents is difficult as it is, never mind adding a hyper child or two into the equation. But hear me out. Most kids enjoy trying their hand at arts and crafts. So, you’ll have no problem getting them interested, especially when they see the bright, shiny wrapping paper and tools. To make the process easy and hazard free, it is a good idea to set up a production line. You could start by doing the potentially dangerous jobs like cutting the paper and sticky tape, and they could do the wrapping and sticking. You never know, they might end up doing a much better job than most of us adults do!

  1. Writing the Christmas cards

If they are at the writing stage, another creative task your kids may enjoy taking on is addressing the Christmas cards. This can be a time-consuming job when done alone, so bet you would appreciate the help. I’m sure your friends and family will think it’s a lovely touch to receive a Christmas card with your little one’s handwriting. Writing, sealing, addressing and stamping  provides another opportunity for a Santa’s workshop production line.

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  1. Decorating the Christmas tree

If you are most people and you always leave dressing your Christmas tree to the last minute, then your kids may enjoy helping you getting it done. They may enjoy taking ownership of a lower section of the tree where they can decorate with the items and in the style of their choosing. If there are a few of you involved, it may even be fun to have a competition with Mum or Dad judging the best-decorated area of the Christmas tree.

  1. Setting the Christmas table

This is an easy and fun job for your kids to take control of. As well as laying out cutlery, plates and glasses, they could be in charge of dressing your Christmas table with crackers, napkins and other festive decorations. If they are up to it, you could encourage them to make interesting shapes with the napkins, like crowns. And they may enjoy foraging in the garden for beautiful winter plants that will look perfect on your Christmas table.

  1. Answering the door for guests

When you are rushing around the kitchen, your kids might want to help you by greeting your family and friends as they arrive for Christmas lunch. They may take pride in the responsibility of being the first to welcome the guests, and I’m sure your friends and family will be very pleased to see them too.

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  1. Helping with the Christmas nibbles

Although making Christmas nibbles isn’t the most time-consuming job, when you have everything else going on, it could be a relief to have this job taken off your hands. A lot of kids love getting involved in making food in the kitchen. They could do straightforward tasks such as emptying crisps and nuts into serving bowls. Or, they might want to do something a bit more involved like spreading pate on crackers or preparing mini sandwiches. As a reward for being so helpful, you may want to treat them to a preview of the chocolate dessert.

  1. Handing out drinks and nibbles

If your kids were enthusiastic about the preceding two little jobs, you might want to push your luck by asking them to hand out the nibbles and drinks to your guests. This will allow you to get on with other jobs on your to do list or allow you to spend some time catching up with your family and friends. By this point your guests, I’m sure your guests will be extremely impressed with how helpful and polite your children are.

  1. Tidying up post-Christmas

This may be one of the hardest jobs to get your kids involved in. Your kids are likely to be exhausted from the excitement of Christmas day and, let’s face it, cleaning up is a drag. However, if you put some thought and energy into making it fun, you may be able to coax the young ones to give you a helping hand. Recycling is always a good practice to introduce your kids to. Younger children may enjoy a game of guessing which materials should go into which recycling box. Older kids may need an incentive like watching a family film once all the dishes have been loaded into the dishwasher.

As you can see, there are a number of festive jobs that your kids can get involved in. Some people may argue that Christmas is not a time for giving your kids chores. However, we believe it has been shown that with a little thought, these jobs can actually be enjoyable for young ones. Kids tend to enjoy having a level of responsibility and ownership over in an activity, and these festive jobs will certainly allow for this. They will also teach them good values like being polite to others and helping people out in times of need. And, with their help, you may have a less hectic Christmas.