The holiday season seems to start earlier and earlier every year. As soon as you got over the Halloween frenzy, the Christmas rush is on you! It feels for us that we are sometimes caught in a never-ending loop of buying & wanting. And it's not just the grown-ups - kids feel this stress and take it on themselves as well. Wouldn't it be fantastic if we could find a way to have our kids look to others with kindness as well as enjoy the excitement of writing to Santa?! We have chosen to add a special element of giving & gratitude to our countdown to the holidays with a DIY Kindness Advent Calendar for Kids.
This Kindness Calendar can be printed out and used instead of OR in addition to a regular advent calendar. You can put it on the fridge and cross of an item every day, have your kids choose which item they want to do that day, or go down the list in order. You can also cut the items into strips and put one in each compartment of another advent calendar instead of (or with!) a treat. There are enough ideas that it's okay if you need to skip a few or if you want carry it into the new year!
The point is to have the whole family think of ways that we can make the season bright for others and spread the magic of the holiday season.
Here are some ideas (see the full list below):
• Deliver cookies to your neighbours
• Find two of your toys to give to a local children’s hospital
• Sharpen all the pencils in the classroom at recess
• Make Christmas cards for your neighbours
• Sort through your toys & donate to charity any that you no longer play with
• Write kind chalk messages around your neighborhood
• Write a letter to a family member telling them what you love about them
• Leave a beautiful homemade bookmark in your library book and give one to the librarian
• Deliver cookies to your neighbours
• Tidy up a room in the house
• Play with someone new at recess (someone who looks lonely)
• Be a holiday helper – volunteer to deliver local christmas cards
• Donate books to your school library
• Make a bird feeder
Be sure to tell us how it went! Happy Holidays!
Wondering what to do with the kids in Metro Vancouver this weekend, or what to make for dinner? You can find it at HealthyFamilyLiving.com! From the Sunshine Coast to the Fraser Valley, we’re the best online resource for busy parents looking for practical tips for healthy, active, sustainable living. For the latest on family events, outdoor adventures, birthday parties, camps & classes and kid-approved recipes, follow us on Facebook and sign-up for our parent-approved e-newsletter!
