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- 25 Simple Christmas Traditions Your Kids Will Really LoveNovember 11, 2018Looking for some simple Christmas traditions to enjoy with your family! Here are 25 of the best family Christmas activities to make your holidays special! They are all really easy to set up and your kids will love them! Pin now and choose a couple to start making memories this year! Every year, a few weeks before Christmas, my parents took us out into the countryside to pick holly. Armed with leather gloves and pruning secateurs my parents sent us kids out ahead to scout out the best holly bushes.We would fill a bag with the stuff to decorate the house. Holly picking was an important part of my Christmas growing up. It wouldn’t have been Christmas without that outing and it will always evoke very happy memories for me. It’s been 50 years, but I can still remember dressing up warmly and and the thrill of excitement, because it meant Christmas was coming. I raised my boys in a place where the winter is too cold for holly to grow, so we enjoyed different Christmas traditions. Every year, four weeks before Christmas, the boys and I would get out the Advent wreath and set it up with four candles. It was the beginning of the holiday season for us. Each Sunday after dark we would dim the lights and light the candles. I remember how excited the boys got as December progressed. Look at the picture below. See the smiles? The Beauty of Family Traditions That is the beauty of family traditions isn’t it? Those repeated rituals that create closeness and foster a feeling of belonging. I loved how excited my boys got for the traditions we created for Advent and Christmas. We made gingerbread houses, enjoyed favorite snacks as we decorated the tree, and had a corny Christmas playlist on permanent replay. It made the season truly magical and built memories that my boys cherish. Related: 10 Fun Holiday Activities to Enjoy With Your Kids Quite simply any Advent or Christmas activity can evolve into a wonderful family tradition. You can build upon them as your children grow, but often the best ones are really simple. Two things to keep in mind A tradition doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive. It is just something you do every year. Choose traditions that you will enjoy as much as your children, so that it doesn’t become a chore for you. I have gathered together 25 really simple ideas to inspire you. December is usually a hectic month, so I have tried to choose things that require little to no preparation. Most of them won’t cost you anything either! You may find that you are already doing many of these! 25 Simple Christmas Traditions Your Kids Will Really Love Free Cut out paper snowflakes or make paper chains. Go for a walk (or drive) to admire the lights. If you have a nativity scene, set up the stable in a central location on December 1st. Retell the story of the journey Mary and Joseph made to Bethlehem. Start Mary and Joseph on their long journey by placing them some distance from the stable. Every day have your children move the figures closer to the stable, until they arrive on Christmas Eve. Wrap up warmly and go stargazing. Have a family dance party with lively Christmas songs Have a decluttering session to make room for gifts. Give everyone a box and ask them to fill it with toy, book and clothing they don’t use anymore. Donate anything that is still in good condition. Set aside the Christmas cards you receive and open them as a family each evening. When you have finished reading all the greetings invite children to cup their hands together in front of their mouths and whisper, “Christmas love. Christmas blessings.” On the count of three everyone blows the blessings out to all the people who sent cards. On Christmas Eve, just before bedtime, take your children outside and look for the Christmas star (just so you know it’s the brightest one in the sky). When you spot it excitedly exclaim, “Now we know for sure that Christmas is almost here.” Games and Stories Make up a Christmas story round Robin style. Sit in a circle and start telling a story, bring it to an exciting point then pass it on to another family member. The story is then passed in a circle to all members of the family. For example, the story could start: “It was the night before Christmas. Everyone was asleep except for (child’s name). Suddenly he/she heard a strange noise downstairs. She/he crept quietly down the stairs and saw ..” Play a round of Holiday Charades. Tell the kids a story about one of your special Christmas memories. Listen to an audio version of the Christmas Carol or the Best Christmas Pageant Ever. (You can listen for 15 minutes each day and stretch this out over a week.) Read a Christmas story while you snuggle under a blanket. Frugal and Fun Find Rudolph’s nose! Hide a small red ball in the house. The person that finds it gets a small treat and hides it the next day! Go shopping to buy items for the food bank. Let each child pick out several items. Create a holiday playlist with your kids that your family listens to in the car or at home. Drink Hot Chocolate and listen to your play list! Watch a favorite Christmas movie Have a Christmas picnic! If you live in a warmer climate, have your picnic outdoors, and if it’s snowing where you live, picnic by the fireplace or another warm place indoors. Get a few bottles of shaving cream and have family members make a Santa beard on their face. Crazy right? Don’t forget to take pictures!!! Hang Mistletoe and use it often, especially when your kids are watching! Christmas Tree Traditions Put a blanket under the Christmas tree. Lie on it with your kids and look up at the lights. Have your nightly story time next to the Christmas tree. On Christmas Eve pile up blankets, pillows and sleeping bags near the Christmas tree. Read your favorite Christmas story and turn off every light except for those on the Christmas tree. Turn off all the lights in the house, except for the tree lights, and have a sing-a-long with your favorite holidays songs. I hope that this list has given you some ideas that will be easy to implement. Maybe you can choose a few to add to your family memory-making activities this year. Have fun! Need More Ideas? Follow my Christmas Pinterest board Follow Rediscovered Families’s board Christmas on Pinterest. Your Turn Help me add to this list. What Christmas traditions do your family enjoy each year? What family traditions do you remember from your childhood?...
- Best Positive Words For Kids: 70 Affirming Things To Say Right NowNovember 2, 2018Our words have a powerful impact on our children. They can build them up or tear them down. Check out our list of 70 positive words for kids. Use a few of these phrases every day to build your children’s self esteem and confidence. Have you ever recognized your own voice in your child’s play? Children are wonderful mimics. They absorb everything that is going on around them and then mirror it in their play. This is particularly true of words. Our children will copy our vocabulary, our accent, and any particular phrases we say often. Sometimes it can be quite funny. Other times it can be downright uncomfortable. Our kids pick up and carry our words with them from a very early age. The power of positive words Think about this for a moment. Our words have tremendous power, so with a single sentence we can Affirm Heal Encourage Give hope Convey love Tell wonderful stories Express understanding Forge Connection And those are all good things in families right? But as we all know words can also be damaging and harmful. I recently watched a compelling video that talks about the power of words. Take a few moments and watch it now. Pretty thought provoking right? This video really made me think about the way in which I used my words. As a mother it challenges me to consider the impact of MY words on my children. Take a few moments to reflect on the ways your words are affecting your relationships with your children. Do your words Build bridges or walls? Display forgiveness, or harden hearts? Convey irritation or love? Build up or tear down? Express acceptance or shame? Make our children’s day? Quite simply, positive words from significant adults do wonders for children. Do you remember the words of encouragement you received as a child? Did you have a parent, teacher or other family member that built up your confidence and helped you believe in yourself? Unfortunately the reverse is also true as discouraging words have the power to destroy confidence. This is powerful stuff and kids will carry these positive (or negative) words for years to come. We need to be louder than all the other voices As your child grows and moves out in the world, they will start to listen to the voices of others. The harsh voices of bullies and the even shriller voice of social media and commercials. Here’s the scary part – many of those voices will tell our kids they don’t measure up. We need to be louder and more persistent than those other voices. Let’s go on the offensive and let our kids understand how truly amazing they are. Ready to get started? Below, you’ll find a list of 70 positive things you can say to your children. Related: How to Discipline Without Hardening Your Child’s Heart 70 positive words for kids to start using today Words of praise Praise is a powerful thing, but it has to be used carefully or it can have a detrimental effect. Remember the 3 principals – be short, sincere, and specific. Most importantly it is vital to praise the effort or process, rather than your child’s talent or intelligence. Read 6 proven ways to encourage Kids effectively (without side effects). Here are some phrases you can start using. It’s generous of you to …. I’m really impressed with how hard you worked on …… You’ve worked hard on (describe project) and you’re doing great. I like how you use words to describe your feelings. You’ve really persevered at ….. look at what you’ve accomplished so far I can see you’ve put in a lot of effort at….. you can do it. I appreciate what a good (name trait) you are. It was really helpful when you You really worked hard on…… I’m proud of you I appreciate it when you … You figured it out ― that’s awesome! I saw how you (name action) for (name friend). You are a really good friend. You are getting better at I appreciate the kind way you responded just then. Positive words to use when things are not going well In general making mistakes is an important part of growing up. Mistakes can be one of the most effective teachers your children have. Children need to be reassured that mistakes are not the end of the world, that every situation is redeemable, and that they will be loved no matter what. Here are a few phrases to use when your child is having a hard time or has made a mistake. There is no mistake bigger than my love You are learning You are growing Let’s come up with a solution together Can we start over? Let’s take a deep breath together How can you try this a different way? I know we can fix this together. Tell me what you’re thinking I like the solution you came up with. I admire the way you are handling this challenge. Let me know if you need any help. Your determination helped you overcome this obstacle. Thank you for persevering to solve this problem. You can say yes (to something you feel you deserve). I love you, and I know you are doing the best you can. Can you pinpoint when things got off track? What can you learn from this? What do you think you can do about this? It looks like you’re having a difficult time. Can you tell me about it? You can say no (to your friends or things that make you feel uncomfortable). You can do this. If not today, we’ll try again tomorrow. You can change your mind Everyone makes mistakes. That’s how we learn. You can listen to your heart. It knows what you need and deserve You can do this, (child’s name). I believe in you. Encouraging words to use when you want to build confidence We all want to build our child’s confidence. Here’s a few ways to cheer your child on and let them know you are proud of them. Can you teach me how to .. When you ….. That was a really good choice. Your opinions matter to me. I have faith in you. You can ask for help when you need it. What do you think? We are a team and I will always have your back I learn a lot from you I’m excited about doing this with you Let’s do it your way I’ve noticed that your (friends/brothers and sisters) really enjoy being with you! That’s a good question It’s OK to feel . . . Your (kindness/honesty/thoughtfulness)serves as a role model to me. Thank you for reminding me how fun it is to play. We can do this together. Watching you grow up is the best Thank you for sharing this with me. I was just telling (name of important adult) how proud I am of you Encouraging words to use when you want to show love Loving words can be used liberally throughout the day. They are particularly good phrases to use at bedtime or when you are sending your kids off in the morning. I love to watch you …. You are valuable to me. Your ideas are wonderfully creative. I enjoy spending time with you You’re an important member of this family I trust you! We feel blessed to have you our my lives. I am so glad to be your mum/dad. You make me smile. I will never stop loving you. You are special to me I love you just the way you are right now You are important to me. Just before I finish this post I just want to remind you of something important. We all live through days where everything seems to go horribly wrong. We wake up with the best of intentions and yet events seem to conspire against us and in frustration we can find ourselves yelling or spitting out harsh and damaging words. Do not despair, for even on those hard days we have access to the most powerful words of all. We just need the courage to speak them. “I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me.” Getting Started So are you ready to give it a go? You have 70 examples of positive phrases you can use with your kids. Think about how you might sprinkle these phrases throughout the day. Add a couple from the list each week and find ways to use them. Then watch your kids grow. Trust me. You’ll be glad you did. Your turn? Do you have any favorite words of encouragement you like to use with your family? What are your best positive words for kids...

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