This year, I’m having our Elf encourage my kids to show KINDNESS. Couldn’t we all benefit from a little more Kindness?
Here are TWO WEEKS worth of ideas to use in your home.
Each of these can be written on a card beside your elf, or use a dry erase marker and leave their daily ‘kindness’ task on the mirror in the bathroom or on a window.
.
Day 1: Smiling’s my Favorite. Your mission: Smile at every person you see today!
.
Day 2: Make a card for your school bus driver, garbage man, or someone who serves you.
.
Day 3: Hold the door for people behind you today.
.
Day 4: Help your sibling do their chores today.
.
Day 5: Write a note or draw a picture for your grandparents and/or for someone in a nursing home.
.
Day 6: Leave a treat in the mailbox for your mail carrier.
.
Day 7: Put one of your coins in the Salvation Army bucket.
.
Day 8: Leave a treat or gift at your neighbors door.
.
Day 9: Go through your toys and donate one to charity.
.
Day 10: Write a note of thanks to your parents or teacher.
.
Day 11: Make someone laugh today.
.
Day 12: Do something helpful WITHOUT being asked.
.
Day 13: Clean up a mess you DIDN’T make.
.
Day 14: Say something kind to each of your siblings today.
.
Happy Holidays! May these will bring a little more joy to your Christmas season.
A lady I enjoy listening to, raised four amazing sons and swears by the power of spending time with your kids around the table – not just eating, but staying to play games. She said the boys didn’t always want to play, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. Playing together opens up conversations you may not normally have. Games make you laugh and connect in a new way.
A really fun and simple activity that can act as a physics lesson and opportunity for an experiment. Make a simple ramp using cardboard or a piece of wood, and roll different objects down: measure how far they go, how fast they roll, or hold races between different kinds of balls to see which wins!
.
7. Go Fishing With Magnets
Create “fishing poles” using pencils, string, and magnets.
Place a variety of items in a bin–some magnetic, some otherwise–and let them go to town exploring the concept of magnetism!
.
8. Draw self portraits
Luke age 5
Have your kids look in the mirror and do a self portrait!
Be sure to have them write their name and age. It will be fun to look back on this when they are older.
You could have them repeat this every year around their birthday to see how their drawings improve!
.
9. Make a Flip Book Animation
Kids can learn how to make a flipbook animation in less than 5 minutes. All you need is a pen and a stack of paper, or even better, a sticky note pad. This video is a great and very quick tutorial
Here is one of my son’s first flip book, using index cards:
If you have snow like we do, this is fun for all ages!
.
12. Skiing
Luke learning to ski and LOVING it!
Skiing requires gloves, you can wear a mask, it’s outdoors and fairly easy to stay ‘socially distant.’ Many ski resorts have special rates and lessons for beginners.
.
13. Play with shaving cream
.
14. Have a make your own pizza and family movie night
My fourth grade teacher once gave us the title “The Entire City Lends a Hand” and had the class each write their own story. Read a rendition of that here.
If you have kids who are 8 and older, they can earn money or serve their neighbors by shoveling, cleaning up leaves, or helping any other outdoor task.
.
40. Find a place to explore!
Though there are some places that are closed for Covid, you can still find a new place to explore with your kids!
Being bored is a natural part of life as a kid. Try not to offer an immediate solution to their boredom and see what they come up with! It’s often in times of boredom that children show their greatest creativity!
If you aren’t familiar with it, the Elf comes each Christmas season to hang out and watch to see if your children should be on the “naughty” or “nice” list. He flies to the North Pole at night to report to Santa how your children are doing. He comes back each morning and hides in a different place in your home.
After my boys go to bed at night, I find a place to hide our Elf. I used to have to set a reminder on my phone so I didn’t forget. Thankfully, I now have helpers named George and Clark, who love to stay up and find creative things for the Elf to do!
I am not a HUGE fan of the Elf, but my kids love it so much I can’t stop. My older boys get excited about finding creative things for the Elf to do, and my younger boys are excited to wake up in the morning and search the house to find our Elf.
If you are new to this tradition, I would recommend you start just ONE WEEK before Christmas and use the SIMPLE ideas listed below.
Our elf now comes on December 1 because I have helpers to hide him.
Here are some ideas for your Elf on the Shelf Tradition!
1. Place him in a large Mason Jar with a note that says, “Show me around!”
2. Choo Choo Train Ride
3. Or a SHOE SHOE Train Ride!
4. Playing card games
5. Leave a love note
6. Just Hangin’ Out
7. Candy Cane Hide-and-Seek
Hide candy canes around the house!
8. Make happy faces on the fruit
9. Countdown-to-Christmas Paper Chain
10. Elf is peeking out of your child’s stocking
Optional: Leave a note to your child about what the Elf has noticed: A Good Thing and Something your child could work on.
11. Put him in your Christmas tree by his favorite ornament
12. Hide him inside cups.
Children have to search the cups to find him. My kids were happy he was in a cup so they could hold the cup and walk around with him. (No touching the Elf)
13. Reading a Christmas story to his friend.
14. 3 cheers for hot chocolate!
Optional: Leave hot chocolate out for your kids!
15. Just Chillin’
Just wrap a scarf around a picture or chair and put the elf inside!
16. Army men are protecting our home and they think the Elf is an INTRUDER!
I just taped that poor Elf to the wall.
17. Zip lining
This takes a little more work, but it’s always a favorite. Tie a string across a room and attach your elf to the string. Zip Line!
These were just some simple and silly ideas for you! Do you have a fun Elf prank? Leave a comment!
Fill a small plastic container with water and pour paint inside. I purchased nail polish from the Dollar Store.
Dip ornament into paint/water and swirl around.
Hang to dry:
Place on tree or wrap for a gift!
Here is a how-to video I created for you!
You can use this technique with other items too – including SHOES! We found an old pair of converse and turned them into a one-of-a-kind MASTERPIECE! (Put tape over the parts you don’t want painted.)
“So God throws open the door of this world—and enters as a baby. As the most vulnerable imaginable. Because He wants unimaginable intimacy with you. What religion ever had a god that wanted such intimacy with us that He came with such vulnerability to us? What God ever came so tender we could touch Him? So fragile that we could break Him? So vulnerable that His bare, beating heart could be hurt? Only the One who loves you to death.” -Ann Voskamp
I have four young boys so there have been four Christmas nights that I’ve been up with a newborn. These quiet moments always give me a chance to reflect on the very first Christmas…
What was Mary thinking and feeling as she held her little one in her arms.
Luke 2:20 (NIV) tells us:
“But Mary treasured up all of these things and pondered them in her heart.”
What was she pondering? Was she scared? Excited? Curious? Wouldn’t it be nice if she wrote what she learned from others, what she learned from Jesus? (I hope to get to talk to her about it one day in heaven!)
I stare into my little boy’s face and wonder who he will become. Did Mary know who Jesus would become? Was she overwhelmed at the thought that God had entrusted her to raise His Son! A child who would bring Hope and Peace for all eternity. Was she afraid she might do something wrong?
As I hold my little one in my arms, I begin to feel afraid. Though I didn’t give birth to Jesus, I am raising a child of God! A child who has the potential to bring hope to a hurting world. A child who can bring the Good News to others! What if I mess up?
Do I have what it takes?
I stop and remember that God chose this child for me at this time.
Deutoronomy 31:6:
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Wow, just bask in those words for a minute. We don’t need to fear. He NEVER leaves us. He is always with us!
So what are some things we can do to invest in and mold these young lives so that they become Followers of Christ and make a positive difference in this world?
First of all … ask for God’s help every single day! Ask Him for wisdom because James 1:5 tells us:
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should askGod, whogives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
Here are some other suggestions for raising young men and women of God:
Lead by example. Spend time reading God’s word and praying.
Stay present. Look at your children in the eye and answer their questions.
SMILE and remind them that they are LOVED – by you and by God!
Say ‘I’m sorry’ when you mess up. (We all mess up!)
Talk about the Goodness of God – sharing stories of what He has done in your life and the lives of others. Deuteronomy 6:7 – “Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
Pray together – for their “owies,” for their friends, and their concerns.
Sing and/or read together.
Practice ‘self-care’ so that you aren’t running on fumes.
Go to church together.
Download the Bible App for Kids. When they want to play on your phone, encourage them to play this first. Or play together!
Love their Daddy and invest in your relationship. If you are divorced, refrain from speaking bad about their dad.
Do we have to do ALL of these things every day? No.
I think the most important thing we can do is ask God for help. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you as you lead your children.
If you feel like there is something you can tweak to become the best mama to your children, do it.
Each day is new day!
Each day is a new opportunity to ask God for help. A new day to stay present in your children’s lives. Another opportunity to watch for what God is already doing in your child’s heart and life to encourage and support that!
Let’s look into our children’s eyes and remind them that God loves them and has GREAT plans for their future – He really does!!!
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Build a Marble Maze / Labrynth
