Tips for making Christmas that bit easier....
All of us could do with a little inspiration, especially at Christmas. So read these tips from other Supernanny members, and hopefully you’ll find one or two that help make your day!
Before the Christmas rush:
Richard says:
Draw names for Christmas presents. We have a large family and each adult draws the name of another adult. He or she then has to buy that person a present. Each child (over eight) also does the same for another child.
This keeps the money spent at a sensible level, and also means that everyone is excited about everyone else’s gift. It also teaches children (and adults) how to keep a secret – as no one is allowed to know who their present came from!
Jackie says:
Keep some spare presents under the tree. Items like a bottle of wine, a tin of biscuits or a selection box sitting wrapped and ready can save blushes when an unexpected visitor arrives with gifts for you and your family!
On the day:
Keep the children amused:
Janet says:
Take raffle tickets and put one set all around the house (having jumbled the numbers up). Then put the other set in a bucket and let the children take one ticket out and then go and find its match. When they return they take another number and so on. The one with the most pairs wins a prize.
David says:
Let the children wrap up miscellaneous items from their room or the house. These can be arranged as a festive centrepiece and everyone can then try to guess what each item is which.
Nicola says:
Play hide and seek with the children's new toys. Give them clues as to where you have hidden them, and let the fun commence.
Sarah says:
Get out and about. When Christmas lunch is being prepared, get someone (Grandpa perhaps?) to take the kids out to the park or even just play with them in the garden. You’ll all be too full after lunch, and it will give those preparing everything a bit of breathing space.
Afterwards……
Vicky says:
Save up odds and ends from Christmas such as wrapping paper, bottle tops and foam packaging in a spare cardboard box. Add some glue and scissors and you've got a child’s craft box ready made. It keeps my children happily entertained long enough to have a break and a cup of coffee!
Sophie says:
Once we took the Christmas cards down, we cut out the nice designs and pictures, added some bits of cracker and tinsel and stuck them onto some card or coloured paper. That way we created our own thank you cards. This was not only good fun for the children, but it taught them that it’s good to thank someone for the lovely presents they've given you.
And Lynette suggests something which we all know, but sometimes forget to do…
My tip for keeping the kids entertained not only during Christmas but as often as possible is to play with them! Often I find that we buy our children endless amounts of toys and games and leave them to either play on their own or with siblings and friends. If parents interacted more with play I think it would be more entertaining.
Have a great Christmas!