As your little girl grows up, she will be able to take on a little bit more responsibility. While it is not alright to give her mountains of chores to do, you can get her involved in some of the preparations for Christmas. When giving tasks, it is vital that you ensure that they are age appropriate, as well as to consider the maturity level and capabilities of your child before asking them to participate.
Not only will this teach her about all the work that is put into the magic of Christmas, but it will also allow for some great family bonding as you all get the tasks done together. Hopefully, this will also result in understanding and gratitude for these things as well.
Pick Out Presents
Once your daughter is of school age, she should be able to help choose presents, both that she might like and for the rest of the family. This can be a useful task to give her if you need to get on with something else, but also want to help keep her occupied.
Giving your daughter a brochure and getting her to circle things that she likes out of a toy range suitable for 6 year old girls, or to look at sections and work out what she wants to get for other family members, is a great way to keep her busy. If you put a monetary limit on each present, it is also a fantastic way for her to start learning how to budget.
Making Decorations
You may have some Christmas decorations from the store, but there is always something truly special about homemade decorations. These are full of love, and the creativity of your child. You can also keep them as mementos to look back on fondly each year.
Homemade decorations do not need to be complex, and sometimes don’t need your supervision. By choosing decorations suitable for children, you can allow her to tap into her own creativity and make you some beautiful decorations. Alternatively, you could do it together as part of a family bonding activity. This gets your house decorated with items that have sentimental value, rather than standard, store bought items.
Tidying Up
Regardless of whether you are an adult or child, most people do not enjoy tidying up and doing chores. Either way, they still need to be done. You could get your daughter involved in age appropriate chores to help tidy up before Christmas Day. Not only will this take some of the weight off of your shoulders, but it will also teach her valuable life skills that she can use as an independent adult.
Involving your daughter in the work that goes into Christmas does not mean you are putting her into a traditional gender role. Instead, you will be teaching her about how putting work in reaps a reward, allowing her to build on her character. At the same time, spending the time together doing any activity is great for your bond.
