Dozens of Simple Activities for Kids to Do During the Holidays November 12, 2016 By Bekki 2 Comments This content may contain affiliate links.Inside: 5 Steps to Homeschool through the Holidays plus dozens of learning activities wrapped in turkeys and trees.The day after Halloween is like the trash compactor scene from Star Wars. The Christmas fairies have completed their magical decoration party. Every square inch of retail space is covered with tinsel and eggnog. Commercials promise Christmas joy and the Holiday toy of the year lures your child every time they watch a show. The Holidays beg us to slow down, sip cocoa, and find a new gadget to make gift wrapping less stressful. Photo by Luis Llerna But we are homeschoolers. We just found our rhythm. The kids are finally settled into this learning at home “thing”. We just breathed a sigh of relief. Homeschooling does not appear to be a fatal disease. We will survive the process of teaching our kids math! Thanksgiving? Christmas? While I love you in spirit and truth, you threaten my homeschooling mojo. Family, friends, food, music, cocoa, decorations, carols, hymns, caroling, celebrating, remembering, rejoicing, and chaos. I love the holidays and everything and every One they represent. Myth: You can fully embrace the holidays without losing your stride with school. Be inspired: The holidays are meant to capture our attention. · We are supposed to slow down. · We are supposed to pause. · We are supposed to bow our hearts and knees. If we didn’t have Thanksgiving to celebrate, many of us would not see our extended family. While that may seem like a blessing in disguise, it is not.If we didn’t have Christmas, we would have more to worry about than the lack of presents under the tree. The Central Focus of the Holidays Should be God and Family. Are you old enough to remember John Denver’s Song Grandma’s Featherbed? After supper we’d sit around the fire, the old folks’d spit and chew Pa would talk about the farm and the war And granny’d sing a ballad or two And I’d sit and listen and watch the fire till the cobwebs filled my head Nest thing I’d know I’d wake up in the morning In the middle of the old feather bed. John Denver Songs warm my soul. His lyrics help us ‘feel’ the warmth of family. I stumbled upon an artist who illustrated his lyrics and wrapped them into wonderful Children’s books. Can you say delight? Imagine Life without Thanksgiving or Christmas. This is me making a huge pouty face:(. Without Thanksgiving and Christmas, you might miss time with family. Your kids would miss the hum of adults chatting about the farm and the joy of playing with cousins. They would even miss out on hearing granny sing. My boys talk about their Grandma’s voice. She loved to sing, even though she was tone deaf. If the high notes of an opera singer could shatter glass, grandma’s singing could shatter ear-drums. The boys loved it. Her joy was contagious and the memory of her voice warms our hearts like hot soup on a cold winter’s day, years after her entering eternity. Our lives press in on us- especially during the holiday. School lessons, chore lists, dance recitals, work deadlines, taxes, bills, menu planning, potty-training, play dates at the park, finding time to shower without little ones scratching through the bathroom door. Give yourself permission to slow down. Thanksgiving and Christmas are the highlights of the year for our family. Hands down, it’s our favorite time of year. The aromas, laughter, musice, pie, games, crackling fire, turkey, pie, family, friends, worship, and pie. There’s nothing like a season of focusing on thankfulness, mouthwatering food, a short to-do list and great company. Everyone prioritizes the Holidays. Just for Fun: Download Thanksgiving Jokes- Cootie Catcher {Printable} So how do you incorporate learning into Holidays? Be empowered. Weave the holidays into your school planner. For every activity you add, take a “regular” activity away. It’s all about balance my friend. Trying to do traditional learning during the holidays is like trying to eat melting ice cream while using a treadmill. Impossible, but makes a hysterical YouTube video to post on Facebook. {1:22-minute mark} Heads up: You have about 18 Holiday Seasons to pass on your traditions and beliefs to your children. Avoid the “school Trap”- Plan ahead. Be purposeful. If you are not careful you will be trying to corral your kids to the kitchen table to complete a math worksheet and take a spelling test before having to load them into the car to do the Thanksgiving Dash or cramming lessons right up to the moment you begin singing “Silent Night”. Is that what you, what I, what we want our kids to remember? Related: Holiday Learning Planner {printable} at the bottom of this page. 5 Steps to Homeschool Through the Holidays Create a holiday learning Notebook Download your Holiday Learning Planner below. Plan a few activities into your calendar immediately. (remember to remove or push back other activities to make room!) Print a few activities and begin. Set a calendar reminder for October next year so you can begin your holiday planning early! Don’t throw the curriculum out with your skinny jeans. Dozens of Simple Activities for Kids to Do During the Holidays Thanksgiving/Fall Fine motor development: lacing, hole punching 7 Thanksgiving Science Experiments 90 Thanksgiving Jokes for Kids 77 Thanksgiving Coloring Pages Table setting placements Coloring Pages Arts and Crafts Disguise a Turkey Handprint crafts Costumes for dress up Thanksgiving Apron Craft Fall Sight words Make Pilgrim hat Make Native American Headdress 21 Math Activities for Kindergarten Reading and writing Thanksgiving movies Thanksgiving Math History of Thanksgiving Science Experiments Menu planning for beginners History of Thanksgiving Kitchen Skills: Knife Skills, meal prep, cooking, serving. Seating place cards Books about Thanksgiving Go for a Walk Life Skills Manners Role Playing, The Magic Greeting every child should learn before visiting family Thank you cards made by little hands Manners Kitchen Skills: Knife Skills, meal prep, cooking, serving. Thank-you cards Skits Teach kids how to entertain younger kids Budgeting Meal planning- how to organize a holiday meal Letter to self- Create a Time capsule of Writing Christmas and Winter Winter Keepsake booklets Snow day Activity Roll a Snowman Don’t forget handprints! Letters to self- Create a time capsule of writing Books about Christmas Celebrating around the world Christmas movies Christmas Math Thank you cards Kids can Make Advent and Jesse Tree Activities Holiday books History of Christmas Kitchen Skills: Knife Skills, meal prep, cooking, serving. Letters to self- Create a time capsule of writing The Holidays are wonderful. We should pause, we should set traditional school materials aside as much as we can allow. Teaching our kids to prioritize family, friends, traditions, and rest is our responsibility. Teaching them life balance is our duty. If we simply add more and more and more to our already busy lives we will find ourselves crying out to R2-D2 to turn off the trash compactor so we do not get crushed, or even trying to eat ice cream on a treadmill. “O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.” Download your FREE “Holiday Learning Planner” {Printable} Preview of the Heart of Homeschooling God’s Way Master Class. We need to STOP measuring success by grades, achievements, awards, and worksheets. Enroll in the sneak peek class here.
[…] Finding Gifts that Bless our Kids and Inspire Creativity, while simultaneously Avoiding the “Red Shirt Face” is worth the moments spent finding just the right mix of awesomeness and creativity. Photo by Jakob Owens But keep the camera ready. Trust me, if you catch your son with a crazy expression on his face, you’ll want to frame it. That “crazy red shirt face” may turn out to be one of the favorite family memories too. Related: When the Holidays Mess with your Homeschooling Mojo […] Reply
[…] Share on Facebook Share Share on Pinterest Pin it Share on TwitterTweet url_twitter = 'http%3A%2F%2Fabetterwaytohomeschool.com%2F2016%2F11%2Fsimple-last-minute-thanksgiving.html'; qiiktitle = 'Simple%20Last%20Minute%20Thanksgiving%20Activities%20for%20Kids'; twitter_user = ''; Send To Devices Send Inside: 10 Last Minute Thanksgiving Activities for Kids that even your Uncle Bob can Supervise. Hosting Thanksgiving without a plan for the kids attending in my back pocket was my biggest mistake ever. “They look so innocent.” Photo by Andrew Branch Have you seen what a ‘handful of littles’ can do when the adults are all busy preparing food, watching football or eating pie? It’s in the category of, “grab your camera and snap a picture. Once I calm down this may be funny enough to send to America’s Funniest Videos.” I think homeowners and renter’s insurance was invented on Thanksgiving Day. It’s not too late. Set a timer for 20 minutes. Think about the ages of the kids you will see for the holidays and grab at least one “busy” activity for each age group (yes, playdoh counts. So does, “go outside and play” and “Gee, I wish someone could figure out how to build a turkey out of legos.” Thanksgiving Writing Prompts Marshmallow Turkey Craft Disguise a Turkey Science Experiments for Thanksgiving Day 90 Thanksgiving Jokes to Dazzle the Kids No Prep- Thanksgiving Worksheets: Just Print and Go! Thanksgiving scavenger hunt printable Scavenger hunt for Teens: Bring a camera Kid Made Thanksgiving Treats 77 Coloring Pages for ThanksgivingJump into Christmas Spirit: Jesse Tree This 20 minutes could save your leather sofa, your white walls and protect your insurance premium. Be Prepared! “Happy Thanksgiving” Photo by Elizabeth Meyers Related: When the Holidays Mess with your Homeschooling Mojo […] Reply