Valuable Life Lessons to Teach Your Kids This Christmas
Christmas has become a day of complete extravaganza for many families and it can be easy to forget the simple things that the big day used to be all about.
If your kids are like mine, you may feel like they are kind of missing the point of the holidays, and their wish list seems to be getting longer every year. I’ve put together some great life lessons you can easily teach your kids this holiday season.
Giving is More Rewarding Than Receiving
One of the easiest lessons to teach at Christmas but, quite often, one of the most overlooked.
As parents, it’s easy to get swept up in finding your kids the perfect gift, to see their smiling faces on Christmas day but in all that bedlam, what are you really teaching them? It’s important to teach your children the joy of giving as well as the excitement of receiving.
Try to get them excited about choosing the perfect gift for their friend or grandparent or anyone else they love. Make sure you talk to them about what that person loves and what might be really useful for them. Then let them buy the gift with you and even get them involved in the wrapping.
When the big day comes, they’ll be thrilled to hand over their carefully selected gift and see the joy that giving a gift can create.
It’s Not Bad to be Different
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer may be a fun Christmas story, but it’s also a useful tool to talk to children about being “different” from others.
Point out that everyone has their own unique personality and, just like Rudolph, maybe they just haven’t found their special skill yet. Talk about how the other reindeer teased Rudolph about his nose but that in the end, he saved them all.
It’s also a great opportunity to talk about bullying and being kind to others.
The Importance of Family
What better way to spend Christmas than surrounded by your closest family? Sometimes kids can feel like parents, and everyone around them, just don’t understand.
Use the holiday season as a chance to spend quality time together as a family and create conversations around the importance of having your family and all the things you do for each other.
Play a game where each person talks about something they love about another family member. It’s a great way to get children to realize that they can lean on their family if they ever feel overwhelmed.
Being Thankful
It’s easy for kids to get over-excited and rush through opening presents in a whirlwind of Christmas wrapping and tissue paper. Teaching them about being thankful at Christmas may seem like an enormous task.
This year, try to get your kids to slow down a little and really appreciate things. You could “drip feed” gifts throughout the day, rather than having one giant free for all in the morning. Give a few presents then let them have some time to explore their new gifts and really appreciate them.
Christmas is also a great time to teach kids to be thankful for the bigger things in life. The holidays are a great opportunity to give to those less fortunate and talk to your kids about all the things they have that they are grateful for.
Our Impact On Others
A great life lesson to teach your kids at Christmas is how much of an impact they have on others! The best tool to do this? The Grinch movie!
We all know that the Grinch hates Christmas but, in the movie, he is inspired to enjoy Christmas when he sees the Whos being positive and it has a great impact on his life.
It’s a fantastic opportunity to show young children that they have a great power to change people’s outlooks and actions.
The True Meaning of Christmas
Christmas is more than just a fun tradition where we decorate, bake cookies, and exchange gifts. It’s much more than ugly sweaters, and a Christmas tree. While it is all of those things, the real reason for the season is Jesus’ birth. As a Christian, I have taught my kids that this is the true meaning of Christmas, and anything else is just for fun.
In years past we have read the account straight out of the bible (in the book of Luke) on Christmas Eve. When the boys were little we would go as far as baking a cake for Jesus, you know for His birthday, and of course devoured it.
Now that they are older, we head to Christmas Eve service at church after a tasty dinner. Then we sleep in on Christmas morning and open presents just before breakfast.
Whatever stage your kids are at, if you believe, then teaching them the real meaning of Christmas is so important.
It’s Not Too Late To Teach Your Kids Valuable Life Lessons This Christmas
It’s easy for us busy parents to get lost in the shuffle of the holiday season. With so much on our plates, Christmas has become a day where many families can easily forget the simple things, and why the day is so special to begin with.
This Christmas, take a few moments to meditate on why we celebrate, and what we can do to focus on what really matters.
What valuable lessons can you suggest to make this Christmas the most meaningful for your family?
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Valuable Life Lessons to Teach Your Kids This Christmas
Barbara is the mom behind the blog. She began writing in 2012 as the creator of Hello Life, a craft & lifestyle blog. As life evolved, and her kids became more involved in sports, she aimed to create a site that would resonate with moms like her, and in 2017 Modern Sports Mom was born. Like many of today’s mamas, she loves being creative, cooking, and fashion, and when there are a few minutes to spare, a good book. A baseball and football mom, she is fueled by her strong faith, dedication to her family, and coffee. Lots and lots of coffee! Barbara lives in California with her husband, kids, dog, and cat.