5 Tips that will guarantee a happy Christmas for your kids

5 Tips that will guarantee a happy Christmas for your kids

Now that school is almost out and we peak into the festive season, the challenge of keeping the kids occupied with activities that don’t solely revolve around television and video games becomes daunting. Filling up the children’s spare time during the school year is always less challenging due to their already long list of schoolwork, sports, their friends and their hobbies, when it comes to Christmas time all these regular activities take the backseat. We thought that this Christmas should be one that gets the family working together and also allows the kids to feel like they are contributing in some way. Ultimately that is what every parent wants to achieve, a home and family that is supportive and giving.

We have prepared the best tips to keep your kids busy this Christmas Holiday. Trust us, if there is one thing that we have learnt from all the mums and dads at GoRhino, it’s the act of transforming the simplest of activities into the most entertaining and learning experiences.

1. Get their creative sides ignited. It is at this time of year that we are reminded that there are many families around South Africa that don’t have the bare necessities let alone gifts and other Christmas goodies. Get the kids working on some DIY projects that can consist of making decorations and gifts. This is a good way of teaching your children the value of giving and sharing. Once completed these could be donated to any shelter or orphanage in your area.
2. Watching an artist perform can be enriching. It is the perfect time of year to get your children exposed to different art forms that are independent of the technological era, so community plays and concerts, and historical landmarks should form part of the ‘To do list’. Even better the kids could volunteer to form part of any community initiatives that are happening during the festive season. This is a great way to get the kids interacting with a team of different individuals.
3. It’s the simple things that matter. Give the kids household items (a newspaper, pens and pencils, plastic cups and cardboard boxes and anything else you can think of) and tell them to build a fort or to come up with a family game that includes everyone. Make it a project for them, tell them that you need their help to keep the guests entertained this Christmas and give them a guideline (draw some inspiration from “Minute to Win It” TV show).
4. Get them active. We don’t want the kids to get lazy during the holidays because that will make it more difficult for them to make the transition back into the new school year. So the best way is to get them playing outside. Create a treasure hunt or an obstacle course in your backyard and get them excited about getting to the end. The key is to make it more special than the normal play session, that’s why you should attach a prize to the activity.
5. Test their culinary skills. Get the kids feeling like junior Masterchef’s this Christmas, allow them to feature their very own dish in your Christmas lunch or dinner menu and get them exciting about preparing their dish from start to finish. Take the safety measures with some guidance when they are operating any cooking equipment. Allow them to research old recipes and get them to name the dish themselves so that they own their task.

That’s all for this week, if you liked these tips then don’t be shy pass it on to a friend or two; click below to share with your friends on the social side!

From all of us at GoRhino happy Christmas planning!