12 Days of Christmas Activity Jar

 

Every Christmas, across the nation, people reach out to help and to give to those in need. Now with a Two Year-Old, my goal is ever clear at this time, that I need to be doing everything I can to raise a responsible citizen with a servant's heart.

 

This year for Christmas, I have decided to create a new tradition of activities for the 12 Days of Christmas. Starting December 12th, I will let Camilla draw an activity out of our jar. This was an activity that our Church created recently at a party and I thought the idea was perfect.  The church provided a list of ideas, but I changed a couple of them for things that I knew we were going to be doing soon.  I am really excited about creating a new tradition in our family that is built more on celebrations, rather than presents on the 25th.

1 mason jar
1 paint pen
stickers

I wrote the words "12 Days of Christmas" and then let Camilla decorate with the stickers.
We then wrote 12 activities, each on a different slip of paper, and placed them in the jar.

1. Go to the Library and check out Christmas Books.
2. Color a nativity Scene together.
3. Make Christmas Cards.
4. Make a Christmas ornament.
5. Wrap presents together.
6. Drive around and look at Christmas lights.
7. Decorate a Gingerbread House.
8. Write Santa a letter.
9. Make gift tags for presents.
10. Make Christmas cookies.
11. Make a gift for teachers.
12. Watch a Christmas movie together.


Other things that we have done to help Camilla realize that Christmas is fun, but not just about her.....
1. We had a party at the house where we asked all guest to bring a gift for the Empty Stocking Fund. Toys went under the tree during the party. Although Camilla kept checking them out, we explained who they were for. I'm not sure if she got it, but she did realize that they were not hers.  The next day we took a family trip to the YMCA to deliver the toys. Camilla carried one in all by herself and placed it in the pile.
2. Every time we see a Salvation Army Bell Ringer I am giving Camilla money to donate. It is sometimes only 10 cents, but she's got the idea now that we give money when we hear the "Jingle Bells."

December 13th Update.....Camilla drew out "Make A Christmas Ornament"
I had Camilla finger-paint her thumb onto a Sand dollar.  Then I drew in the antlers and face with a permanent marker and hot-glued a ribbon.  What makes this spontaneous activity work is that you need to look around the house and use things that you have.  I didn't have brown paint, but I had purple and orange.  I had some ribbon that was previously tied to some cookie cutters.  And, yes, I just had sand dollars laying around. (I have a large vase in my room full of shells I have collected over the years.  I wasn't going to miss six shells.)



 

Can you tell which ones I let Camilla do all by herself?