Holiday

"Please” and “thank you” were probably among your child’s very first words and they’re definitely three of the most important words in the English language. “Thank you” comes into play big time during the holidays, with so many gifts and kindnesses to acknowledge. Whether for a delicious, home-cooked meal or a brand new bike, saying “thank you” goes a long way, especially during the holidays. Read on for some simple ways to teach your kids the etiquette of expressing thanks.Verbal ThanksGratitude comes naturally for most kids when they receive something they genuinely appreciate, but you may need to remind them that it’s the thought that counts before they dive into the stack of gifts under the tree. Have a quick conversation about how wonderful it is for someone to have thought about your child, making a special trip to shop for something they think your child might like, and spending their hard-earned money to purchase that gift, even if it’s not exactly what your child would have chosen. Whether it’s your kiddo’s cup of tea or not, the thought is truly what matters. If they seem to understand, you can also remind your child that many gifts can be exchanged if need be. Teach—and practice!—the three steps below before gift time:

1. Look at the tag and say the name of the gift giver out loud: “Oh, this is for me, from Grandma Irene!” If there’s a card included, open and read the card before opening the gift.

2. Open the gift and hold it up for all to see.

3. If the gift giver is in the room, look her in the eye and say a sincere thank you—or, better yet, get up and give her a hug.

Are the abstract conversations getting you nowhere? Try a heart-tugging video!In this vid, a kindly kid has mastered the art of gratitude, hugging and thanking his parents for the cutting board they pranked him with before giving him the birthday gift he really wanted. You don’t have to speak Spanish to understand the sincere gratitude he feels for the gift—any gift!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzvjRC6ftBI Written ThanksThank you notes are an excellent practice and are expected by many older family members. Getting your child into the habit of sending a written thank you, within a week of receiving a gift, will instill a life-long habit that will serve them well (think future job interviews). Plus, research shows that an attitude of gratitude has countless mental and physical benefits, so it’s good for everyone! Thank you notes are a must, and you can make thank you notes a little easier anda lot more fun with these simple steps:

1. Gather your supplies ahead of time. Paper, pens (a playful pen like our Puppet-on-a-Pen™ can make writing anything more fun!), crayons, markers, and stickers can make thank you notes feel more like an art project.

2. Be sincere. If your child didn’t love the gift, he doesn’t need to say he did. Help him find another aspect to praise—how thoughtful the gift giver was to think of him, how much he enjoyed unwrapping the gift, how much time it must have taken to make the gift (in the case of a hand-made present).

3. Add some color. Whether your child is writing her own thank you note, or you’re transcribing a younger child’s words, custom artwork adds a bit of flair to any note. A hand-drawn picture of your child using the gift, or of your family gathered around the menorah or Christmas tree, adds a special touch to any thank you.

Between cooking and cleaning, airport pick-ups, and last-minute runs to the store, kids can get lost in the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving Day! Since Thanksgiving is meant to celebrate family, friends, and all of the other people and things we’re grateful for, we’ve pulled together some fun ways to involve kids in Thanksgiving prep! This Thanksgiving, let your kids:Help in the Kitchen! Holiday cooking can be more fun with kids! Pull a chair to the sink or counter and let your kids help prepare your Thanksgiving Day feast. Depending on their age, kids can:

• Wash fruits and veggies in a colander
• Snap the ends off of green beans
• Peel potatoes and carrots
• Mash potatoes
• Roll out pie crust

Decorate! Add a home-made touch to your turkey table with crafts your kids create. Set up a craft station (away from the kitchen!) and check out these Thanksgiving crafts for kids to make:

• Glitter leaves table runner—Send the kids out to collect fall leaves of all sizes. Brush one side of a leaf with Elmer’s glue and place it, glue side down, in a tray of glitter. Glue the leaves, glitter-side-up, to a festive, fall-colored ribbon and snake it across your Thanksgiving table.
• Turkey place cards—Kids trace their hands on construction paper and decorate them like turkeys with markers, glue-on feathers, and googly eyes. Cut them out,write the name of someone attending your Thanksgiving meal in the center, and you’ve got the perfect place cards!
• Paper bag Pilgrims centerpiece—Provide paper lunch bags, construction paper shapes (rectangles, squares, circles, triangles), glue, and markers—and let your kids decorate their bags like Pilgrims! (Don’t forget the ubiquitous cockel hat!)

 Set the Table! While placing your best china may be a bit TOO MUCH responsibility, kids can:

• Put napkins in napkin rings and set them on the table.
• Place silverware with the help of this simple rhyme: The fork’s all alone on the left side of the plate. The knife stops the spoon from meeting his date!
• Place glasses and bread plates. Have your kids make the “okay” sign with both hands and show them that the left hand makes the letter “b”, so the bread plate sits to the left of the dinner plate; the right hand makes the letter “d”, so that’s where the drinks go!

Entertain Younger Kids! Older kids crave responsibility—putting them in charge of your younger guests is a great way to make everyone happy. Set up a play area and let your big kids:

• Play board games—Stock games for all ages, like The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game™ for preschoolers, Crowded Waters™ for strategy-game lovers, and Blurt!® Sports for the Thanksgiving Day football fans!
• Put on a puppet show – Big kids can direct a performance of the Thanksgiving story using the paper bag Pilgrims they’ve created, sock puppets, or even our Puppet-on-a-Stick™!

Do your kids have any special jobs on Thanksgiving Day? Let us know in the comments below!    

Irish or not, St. Patrick’s Day can be loads of fun for kids, and, since spring is right around the corner, it’s also a great time to get outside and explore. Check out these good-as-gold St. Patrick’s Day activities and games: follow the after-school schedule or choose the St. Patrick’s Day game your kids will like best! Go for GoldA St. Patrick’s Day game such as a scavenger hunt is a great way to burn off that after-school energy! Make a list of everyday objects you’ve hidden around the house or yard and challenge your child to find them. Add a twist by tasking the kids to find “something green” and “something gold”. Be sure to include the proverbial pot of gold (a pasta pot will do in a pinch, and yes, we know that’s a pot of silver) at the end of your search filled with a fun St. Paddy’s Day surprise—a few coins or candies. Arts & Crafts, Celtic StyleFor this St. Patrick’s Day game, search for a shamrock template online, print, and cut out a master. Then let the kids loose with green construction paper, glitter glue, and markers and watch as your home begins to sparkle like the Emerald Isles. Older kids can even make shamrock garlands! Once the shamrocks are dry, use them for shamrock hopscotch or a good old fashioned game of hot lava. Read All About ItYour local library is a great place to pick up some Irish folk tales or St. Paddy’s day stories. And while that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow may only live in fairytales, your kids will get a kick out of learning how real rainbows form. Take discovery to the next level and create your own rainbows using a prism at home. Unicorn & Leprechaun Hide & SeekTurn a traditional game of hide-and-seek green with Rainbow Prancers & leprechauns! Players start by choosing one “Rainbow Prancer” unicorn. (If you’ve got a Rainbow Prancer Puppet-on-a-Stick, be sure to give it to the unicorn player!) The unicorn hides and the rest of your little leprechauns search for him or her. (If your crew created shamrock art, pin one to each player’s shirt to identify them as leprechauns.) As each player finds the unicorn, they quietly join her and become unicorns, too! The St. Patrick’s Day game continues until the last leprechaun joins the herd of unicorns. Cheers to a St Patrick’s Day full of fun, luck & a little magic!