6 Mindful Activities To Slow Down and Connect With Your Children This Christmas by Prue Lacey-Jessep

As we head closer to Christmas and life is getting busier, it's important to slow down with our children and focus on the things that truly matter. This year has and continues to be one of the most unsettling and challenging times our children and families have ever faced.

By engaging in a few mindful experiences we can help our little ones focus on gratitude, joy, giving to others, our family and friends and the magic that is the true meaning of Christmas.

6 Mindful Christmas Activities

12 Days of Gratitude

One of the best gifts we can give our children is having a grateful heart. Studies show that gratitude for children can be a powerful tool in developing empathy, resilience, self esteem and improves their ability to cope with stress. Each morning focus on something or someone that you are grateful for. Make it a part of a regular routine to encourage connection and consistency. Get creative and think of ways to express what you are grateful for; draw a picture or make a little gift for someone else. We have 12 Days of Gratitude Prompts available on our website here to print at home to help get you started.

Christmas Eve Box

Creating family traditions helps children to feel secure, creates memories and focuses on the warmth and feeling of Christmas. A Christmas Eve box is a beautiful tradition where families can share a box of goodies that you can enjoy together as a family on Christmas Eve.

What you can include:

• new Christmas pyjamas to wear

• a Christmas book to read

• special cups for hot chocolate

• popcorn, cookie etc to have while watching a Christmas movie

FAMILY MEMORIES BOOK

If you are unable to see family this Christmas and holiday season you can create your own album to share your year with them.

What you'll need:

• printed photos

• brown paper

• twine

• crayons, pencils etc

Have fun choosing photos as a family and create your own album to send to family.

CHRISTMAS BOOKS

Another lovely tradition leading up to Christmas is reading a Christmas story each night. Children gain a sense of comfort from routine activities like this.Slowing down and engaging in reading experiences is a beautiful way to connect with your little one after a busy day.

GINGERBREAD PLAYDOUGH

Playdough is an amazing activity to encourage mindful play. It can can help ease tension, release excess energy, improve focus, and is great to keep little hands busy.

Our Gingerbread Playdough Recipe

• 2 cups plain flour
  

• 4 tablespoons salt
  

• 4 tablespoons cream of tartar
  

• 4 tablespoons coconut oil
  

• 1 cup of boiling water
  

• Add cinnamon, ginger powder and mixed spice
  

• Mix all dry ingredients together. Gradually stir until you have the right consistency 

  (if it’s too sticky just add more flour)

DIY ORNAMENTS

Creating Christmas ornaments can be a shared experience where you can get creative as a family and then have these as a keepsake for Christmases to come.

What you'll need:

• air dry clay

• paint

• twine

Create your own Christmas shapes and allow them to dry. Remember to make a small hole where you can place your twine to hang your ornaments. Once your clay is dry, you can paint and decorate them, tie them with twine and hang them on your tree.

Prue Lacey-Jessep has a background in Early Childhood and Special Education, Play Therapy and Art Teaching and is in the process of working on a new creative online program for families to help support children's social and emotional learning. You can find out more on her new website www.nurtureandcreate.com and or Instagram @nurtureandcreate