It’s officially December! Whaaaaaat?!?! How the heck did that happen. 

Here we are! I’ve been hearing Christmas music on the radio for a few weeks now 😂.

The holidays are upon us.

Every year around this time I have the same thought pop up in my mind.

What do I want to teach my kids about the holidays? 

Should I put a lot of emphasis on the religious stuff? 

The traditional stuff? 

The cultural stuff?

How should I leverage this opportunity to support my child’s growth and development???

So far we’ve had a mix of the above make its way into our home over the holidays, and it's worked for us.

Now, aside from all the uncertainty around the religious, traditional, and cultural stuff that I should be introducing my children to, the one thought in my head that has been MOST consistent year to year is this idea around teaching gratitude. 

Aside from modelling this day to day, the holidays are a fantastic opportunity to teach our children about gratitude. 

To preface all of this…. Let’s quickly talk about the topic of gifting & abundance.

How many toys does your child have that they NEVER EVER play with?

How much clutter does the abundance of toys in your house occupy?

Does your child play with a new toy for a few days and then completely forget about it?

When you try to get rid of toys does your child all of a sudden act like it's their most favourite toy EVER?

What the heck are we teaching our children by giving them an abundance of gifts all at once? or big grand gifts that are just over the top. Does it become more about us than them?

Isn't your child more into the box or wrapping paper than the actual toy??

How can we teach the concept of appreciation & gratitude when there's such an abundance, and set expectations around gifting this time of the year. Truth is...It becomes really really hard. 

So in light of this, here are 3 things you can try out to avoid the abundance and really focus on what matters; appreciation & gratitude for what you have and what you get. 

In my books- it's always going to be quality over quantity! 

1. Experiences over material items - if any gift givers are asking you for input, recommend gifting an experience vs. a toy. This is a great way for children to be out in the world learning all types of skills and building memories. This year my kids got tickets to see Cirque Du Soleil from their grandparents. Last year I bought my cousins' kids gift certificates to the movies. In the past I've also done tickets to the aquarium, zoo, science centre, & Canada's Wonderland. Now, this can be a win-win if the person gifting the experience wants to enjoy the experience with your child- they take your child out & you get a bit of a break! #momwin

2. Stash & Store - This is my go-to around holidays and birthdays. When my children get an abundance of stuff all at once, I literally hand them 1-2 new items and stash the remaining items away in storage. Out of sight, out of mind! I now have a bank of new toys and activities that I can either pull out on a rainy day or use as a reward for exceptional behaviour. The point is, they come out very slowly over time. This gives them the opportunity to play with their new toys and appreciate them without being distracted by 1000 others.

3. Donate - If you know your child is receiving an abundance of toys and there's no way to avoid it, then build in a pay-it-forward system. Find local charities that take toy donations over the holidays. Have your child physically go with you and donate a toy to someone in need. To make this meaningful, discuss with them the importance about donating toys. This is a great way to teach gratitude. Our preschool has a local toy drive every year so we always load up a bag of unused toys and all head over together to drop them off. You can go one step further and have them donate something they actually like or care about. Giving up something you care about is a very hard skill for a child- this is a great opportunity to strengthen that skill!

I’d love to hear what you think about these ideas. Hit reply and let me know. If you are taking your child to donate stuff- take a pic and tag me on instagram (@cori_stern) or post it in Behave it or NOT! so I can send you over a virtual high five. 

Make this holiday count!

You’ve got this!

Cori

P.s. If you’re feeling stressed about the holidays and need a few strategies to get you through then book in a FREE 30 min call so we can chat.