Tell your child that not all items on his list should be toys. Suggest non-material things to request – like a special one-on-one time with mom and dad or a fun picnic in your backyard.

Ask your child to write down the gifts she wants most. (ex. TOP 5 things I want for Christmas) Make sure her list contains some items he needs, such as new sneakers or new bag for school.

Try not to take your child through a toy store between now and Christmas- It’ll only feed his desire to be showered with playthings. (Like adults, we want to buy the things that we see in the mall but we have “self-control” unlike our kids.) But to take him for a stroll inside a bookstore; it will inspire him to ask for some books that he sees.

Make your Christmas different by teaching your child how to donate old toys, clothes etc. to charity. Let your child experience the true meaning of Christmas.

Christmas time is just around the corner. This is the time that the family gathers around the table to enjoy each other’s company. Dad sets up the Christmas tree, and mom prepares her dinner specialty. Now, what are kids supposed to do while mom and dad is busy? Tips on what children can do while their Christmas treat is being prepared:

• Let them help. -  There are simple things that you can ask your children to do. For example, they can sort out the decorations while dad is setting up the Christmas tree. They can also help mom by preparing the table and making sure that everything is neat and tidy. The key here is to keep them involve.
• Let them have their own movie time – There are a lot Christmas movies for your kids to watch. This will help them capture the Christmas spirit.
• Let them create their own decorations – After watching, you can ask your children to draw their favorite scene from the movie and then use it for added decoration. You can also ask them to make their own Christmas cards that they can give to their relatives or friends. Prepare all the useful stuff that they will use for their own Christmas decorations like colorful markers, art papers, scissors etc.  This will keep them busy and at the same time develop creativity.

These are just few of many things that your children can do during the Christmas season. The challenge is to be resourceful and allow them to develop their creativity.

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Helping your little one’s ouchie

Buddytops.com introduces a new line of adorable plush animal hats for children of all ages. Intended for warmth and daily wear, each Buddytop also comes with a short lesson that teaches young kids honesty, perseverance, respect, and other merits.

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This idea works for everyone, because it really doesn’t have anything to do with Easter.  And even if you don’t celebrate Easter, or you’ll celebrate it this coming Sunday instead of yesterday, the ingredients for this activity are cheap and will soon be cheaper, as egg-coloring kits go on clearance all over. 

Kids love to color and decorate eggs.  They make intricate designs with that white wax crayon, then wait patiently while holding an egg half in one color, only to turn it and hold it patiently half in another color.  And if your house is anything like ours, your kids like to color hard-boiled eggs much more than they like to eat them. 

But seeing how cheap eggs, vinegar, and dyeing kits are, why not stock upon these supplies and color some eggs at other times of the year, too?  For example, if you only use the red and blue tablets, you can have red, white and blue eggs for Independence Day.  Then if, kids don’t eat them, you can make egg salad or deviled eggs from them for that family picnic. 

How about orange and green colored eggs for Halloween?  Brown and yellow for Thanksgiving?  Red and green for Christmas?  Purple and pink for Valentine’s?  Purple and green for Mardi Gras?  Even if they don’t eat them all, you still haven’t spent very much money, and they get potentially hours of enjoyment decorating them. 

So, the next time you’re at the store, pick up a few of those egg coloring kits on clearance.  Pull them out in the middle of summer for some special occasion, or for now reason at all.  It will give your kids a creative, inexpensive activity, and bring a little more color into everyone’s life.