Day 8 was an easy day for our advent activities, no planning just family fun. We attended our local Christmas parade tonight.
Although we were all very excited, I wasn’t sure how the night was going to go. You know the scenario…big plans for the night so you want your kids to take a good nap, and then nobody naps or eats dinner. Luckily, we got great seats, and the girls were so enamored with the lights that they loved the whole thing.
We are lucky to have many local parades nearby, but another idea would be to let the kids make up their own Christmas parade. This could be as simple or elaborate as you and your kids want.
- Your family could dress up and parade around the house or backyard while singing or dancing to Christmas carols. I know my girls would especially love this, because dress-up is an almost daily activity around here lately.
- If there are other families with kids in your neighborhood you could plan a neighborhood parade night.
- Your kids could also make up their own parade with their stuffed animals and dolls. This would be A LOT of fun for them! You could gather a few shoe boxes or large toy cars and let the kids decorate them like Christmas floats. Then connect them altogether with yarn or twine, and let your kids guide their parade through the house. Actually, I think I just might have to work this into next year’s advent list! By then both girls will be more able to enjoy and participate in the decorating of the mini-floats.
Less stress, more connecting this holiday season? Yes, PLEASE!
From the arrival of fall to Halloween to Thanksgiving and Christmas, the last four months of the year can be a wonderful opportunity for making family memories and spending time together, but they can also be stressful as we try to collect ideas, recipes, and activities to try together.
Stephanie Morgan, founder of Modern Parents Messy Kids, a site that’s been voted Best Craft Blog in Parents Magazine and one of babble.com’s Top 50 Craft Mom Blogs, recently released a new eBook to help us have a little less stress and more time to connect with family this year, and I’m so glad to be an affiliate for such a great resource.
Stephanie’s goal is to make it easier on all of us to enjoy the holidays with our kids. Hands-On Holidays is 100 pages full of her family’s very favorite ways to connect as a family over the holiday season. I love the convenience of having so many ideas in one place, and most of them are simple enough for even my toddler to participate in.
The book includes picture book suggestions, DIY decor, activities, and treats. Bonus sections also offer even more ideas to enjoy. Click here to view more details.
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JDaniel4's Mom
We went to parade, but I love the idea of holding one of our own.
Shaunna
Thanks! I think it could be a lot of fun. By the way Lovey is still raving about the parade today, I think we may end up trying out one of these ideas sooner than I thought.