Getting your Kids Involved in Xmas Décor

Christmas is a time of year when family is hugely important. Getting the most from traditions like decorating often means finding a way to share the workload, and get everyone involved.

But exactly how can you encourage the kids to enjoy decorating? Let's take a look.

Make it Fun: Tailoring Tasks to Age

Children of different ages will find it easier to get stuck into particular sorts of task. When the work is engaging without being overwhelming, you've hit the sweet spot. For very young children, simply hanging up a few baubles on the Christmas tree might be sufficient. Older children, however, might want to be more creative, and involve themselves in things like setting the table and stringing garlands.

Entrusting your kids with important tasks will demonstrate that you trust them, and help them to feel involved in the whole affair. But obviously, you don't want to hand them so much responsibility that they feel under pressure.

Let Them Add Their Touch

The best kinds of decorations are the ones that are personal to you and your family. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways for kids to make their own decorations from scratch. You can find plenty of craft shops and online vendors, which offer a range of supplies – including cards, paints, glues and glitter.

Personalising decorations might encourage your kids to get more use out of older items, and reducing waste through upcycling. That way, your Christmas can be that little bit more environmentally friendly!

Decorate Together

There are certain kinds of decorating task that will go by much faster if you have many hands available to get it done all in one go. The most obvious example is probably decorating the Christmas tree. Draping Christmas lights around the tree is much easier when you have a team supporting you – and the feeling of satisfaction you get after turning the whole thing on is difficult to beat.

Here's where delegation comes in: get your kids to decorate specific parts of the home, and give them a reasonable amount of freedom to do it as they see fit. You'll often end up with unique results, and a much greater feeling of homeliness and personalisation.

Keep it Safe with Child-Friendly Decorations

Naturally, you'll want to be sure that your children are kept safe throughout their decorating exploits. That means that any items which are heavy, sharp, fragile, or which involve electricity, are used only under adult supervision. Similarly, crafting tools like scissors should be reserved for older children. Use common sense, and err on the side of caution. The same principle applies, incidentally, if you're going to be getting the kids involved in the Christmas cooking!