Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Undecking the Halls - How to Get Kids Involved in Cleaning the House of the Holiday

Though some people like myself hold off taking down decorations until almost February there needs to be a time to let go of the holiday spirit and undeck the halls. This is potentially a very tedious and depressing event but it doesn't necessarily have to be that way. There is a way to get the whole family involved, especially your little ones. Kids usually want to get in on the decorating for the holidays so why not let them get in on taking everything down. Here are a few tips in making this event fun.

The Tree Has to Go... Yes it's Sad

The first task to complete when undecking the halls is the tree. First be cautious of sharp and potentially breakable ornaments and make sure all the lights are unplugged before removing. Once you have made sure of these two things you can now let your kids help in removing decorations. When it comes to a somewhat dull task the best way to make it fun for kids is to turn it into a game. One way fun game is to see who can remove the most ornaments and put them back in the box the quickest without breaking them. Another fun idea is to hide a prize in one of the ornament boxes so while the kids are putting away lights or ornaments they will find the prize.

Finally, one fun and memorable game to play while undecking the halls would be the human Christmas tree. In this game the family divides up into teams and each has a member of the family stand as their "tree". Then during a 3 minute time period each team will have to decorate their "tree" with garland, tinsel and ribbons the best they can. Then at the end of the three minutes a family member will judge which team had the best tree. This will be one event that you will need a camera for!

Bye Bye Nutcrackers, Santa's, and Wreaths

The next task would be to remove all the random knick knacks from around the house. If you're anything like me you have nutcrackers, gingerbread men, Santas and tons of other Christmas decorations spread all across the house. One way to make removing the random knick knacks from all over the house is to create a scavenger hunt. Divide the family up into teams or even single players. Give each player or team a list of random knick knacks across the house. During a certain time limit the players will need to find those items as well as package them and put them away. Whoever finds the most items, packages them and puts them away will be the winner. This could be a very fun and exciting way to clean up the house quickly. This idea specifically could be a really great way to get even the youngest of the family involved in the jolly event of undecking the halls since it's simply a scavenger hunt.

These are just a few ideas that can help your family conquer the holiday decorations in your home but creating your own fun ways to remove holiday decorations could lead to a long lasting family holiday tradition. Once again removing holiday decorations does not mean you're removing the cheer and joy as well. Undecking the halls can be just as fun as decking them so simply have fun and enjoy the family time.



Autor: Alycia Shapiro Alycia Shapiro
Level: Basic PLUS
Alycia Shapiro grew up in Culver City California. She realized that she loved learning and set her sites on UCLA. As an undergradute at the ... ...

Alycia Shapiro is Vice President in charge of adding funtastic products at http://www.sensoryedge.com She has advocated for special needs children to get the services they need and are entitled to since 2001. You Please visit her website to learn more about Unit Blocks, great Therapy Toys, and Indoor Swings.


Added: January 27, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

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