Small Memories

The kids are home for Christmas break and are bored already.  The weather is cold, wet and nasty.  What do you do?  Keep them busy making something with their hands.  Here are some fun craft ideas that kids will love.

Christmas cards are always a great craft.  Provide the kids supplies like construction paper, card stock, scissors, glue, glitter (the bottles of glitter/glue in one package are a very nice low-mess way to dress up a project), pencils, crayons or markers and old Christmas cards.  Let the kids use their creative energy to make wonderful handmade cards that can be shared with family and friends.  By cutting pictures out of old cards, even the younger children can make something really nice (and recycle at the same time).

Snow globes are a favorite holiday project.  If you want to make your own, gather glass or clear plastic containers, like baby food jars or mustard or mayonnaise jars.  Wash and dry them completely.  Gather small plastic Christmas or winter decorations. Try to find some that float. Winter themed stickers or small foam cutouts are also nice. Decorate the outside of the jar with stickers or glue a few of the foam pieces on it.  Attach a couple of the floating pieces (things like snowflakes or stars work well) to string and glue a figure to the inside with the string underneath the figure to anchor it (which will become the base).  Fill the jar with water and some glitter. Carefully glue the lid in place using waterproof glue and let dry.  Once dry, shake it, set it lid down and watch the glitter swirl around.

 Candy crafts can be fun, as well as a tasty gift. A train can be a quick craft that can be used as a decoration or gift.  Use a roll of hard candy (like Lifesavers) for the main part of the train.  Use individually wrapped round candy, like peppermints for the wheels. For the front, glue a square candy, such as a caramel with a chocolate kiss on top.  If you add a string, they can be used as a tree decoration.  Experiment with other kinds of candy to create other things, like robots, animals or even angels.

Garland trees can be a great project. This is especially true if there is limited room for a Christmas tree.  Take a large piece of green poster board and cut a circle, with a slit out to make a cone.  Tape it with clear packing tape.  Take an artificial pine garland and wrap it around the cone, completely covering it to create a small tree.  Fasten the ends in place so it doesn’t unwrap.  The tree can be decorated with lightweight paper ornaments that the children can also make.

Create your own fireplace. A cozy fireplace can warm up any room but not everyone has one.  Let the kids make one. Find a large cardboard box and cut an opening in the one side for the fireplace.  Using sponges, paint bricks on the box, leaving space in between to be the mortar.  Paint the inside black if you want.  Paint flames on the inside back section of the box. Use paper towel rolls to stack up in the fireplace as logs.  Decorate the top to look like a mantel.

Get creative and think up your own Christmas crafts as well.  Children will love the fun involved in creating these crafts and so will you.  You can even give the crafts as a gift which will warm even the biggest grinch.

As the first day of school approaches, children are either dreading or looking forward to it. Their reactions will likely be based on whether they have experience to fall back on or not. If your child is going back to school, they probably have a good idea of the routine, expectations, when they will see their friends. If your child is going to school for the first time, they’re likely feeling a little bit apprehensive. These strategies can be used to help sooth your child’s first-day fears.

Speaking positively about school is one of the best things you can do to help your child combat the first-day-of-school fears. Your attitude and speech about school will greatly affect how they view it. Tell them about your first day of school, and admit to them if you were a little scared. It’s alright for them to be a little frightened, but that once they get there, they’ll soon be so busy having fun that they won’t have time to be afraid any longer.

Many children,who are going to school for the first time, are afraid because they’ll be away from Mom for the first time. You can help them by reassuring them that you’ll be back to pick them up when their day is through. If your child is riding the bus, you can tell them that you’ll be home when they get there. Allowing them to carry something of yours in their pocket might also help to sooth some fears.

Taking your child to school a couple of days before school starts is a good way to ease your child’s fears. If they are familiar with the school, where the bathrooms and lunchroom are, and what to expect, they’ll be more likely to handle the first day well. It would also be helpful if your child were able to visit their classroom and meet their teacher.

Speaking of classrooms, most schools allow parents to take children to their classroom on the first day of school. Check with your school to see if this is possible. Walking your child to his classroom might give him the courage he needs to start the day. After your child has made a friend or gotten involved in something, quickly slip out of the room; don’t stay there too long.

When the school day is over, you may want to either go to school and pick your child up, or wait for him at his bus stop. Ask questions to show that you are genuinely interested in what happened during their day. What did they do? Did they make new friends? Do they have something you need to look at for tomorrow? Brag on your child and tell them how brave they were. Showing interest and asking questions gives the child the opportunity to show off what they’ve learned, and let’s them be a “teacher” for a while.

Finally, start a new family tradition. Plan a “first day at school” party for your family, complete with hats and a cake. Make the day special and something for your child to look forward to when the day is through. Memories of their first day at school should be something to look back on fondly. By following these steps and helping your child with first-day jitters, you can help them look forward to each “first day” for their entire school career.

Here is a special “first day” shirt that will give your child confidence and remind him that he’s ready for anything.