Fun Things to do With Your Kids at Christmas!!
Christmas is a few days away and whether you are finished with your shopping or not, it’s super important for all of you to engage in some fun activities as a family. One thing we always did when my kids were little, was bake cookies and decorate for Santa. It was a chaotic time with my son Matthew who has ADHD getting super hyper before we began because he was so happy he could not restrain himself. Impulsivity proved to be a really hard thing to deal with. Fights erupted when he would take something from the other 2 kids, but it all worked out in the end. Fight the urge to fix everything. If the kids are happy with their creations, then that’s all that matter 🙂
Cooking with your kids is another fun thing we used to do in the kitchen.
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Have a recipe with pictures is crucial so your kids when sensory challenged or not, stay on task.
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Read through the recipe and give out specific tasks based on their ability and their age.
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Have safe utensils for them to complete their task. Nothing is more frustrating than telling your child they can do something and then you take that job away from them because there was not a safe utensil to complete the task.
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Make things simple. Don’t stress about how things look. Remember, if they are happy, then you are happy 🙂
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Document with pictures !!!
Every year each child gets a new ornament to put on the tree. Mom and Dad too 🙂 It doesn’t have to be a big expense either. When my kids were little, we would make the ornaments.
Matthew LOVED Thomas the Tank Engine, so that’s what we made. Daniel and Caitlin were very easy to please, so Santa, angels, reindeers all proved to be a fun thing for them to make.
Here’s a recipe for Edible Ornaments: https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/edible-ornaments/view-all/
The reason I include this is that when Matthew was 3, I decided I wanted to be crafty like my friends, which by the way, I am not, lol. She gave me a recipe that had glue in it and well let’s just say I should have had a different option as Matthew was the one child to not want to put food in his mouth, but he was fine putting dough made with glue in his mouth :/
Watch for Santa on the Official NORAD Santa Tracker: https://www.noradsanta.org/We have done this every year and it’s so much fun and it’s free. Check it out.
Read the Christmas Story from a child’s book that has a ton of colorful pictures so your kids can engage with the story on their level.
No matter what you choose, have fun and make memories.
As a mom to a child with ADHD, I’ve been there and want to serve you well while you navigate this journey. Please check out my other blog posts for support and more tips.
Free Gift for You! 5 Ways to Keep Your Child with ADHD Calm & Focused!
Until next time,
Mary
About the author: Mary is a wife of 22 years and mom to three children, one who has ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder. She is also a Certified Health Coach and loves to serve her clients through a Free Facebook group, Online and In-Person Individual Family Coaching and Group Coaching programs. She is also a self published author of “Food & The Brain” a book about how food affects our brains and the creator of “Grocery Store to Table” a program with a proven approach to helping your child accept new foods into their diets.
