Happy Holidays!

As we approach the Christmas holiday season there’s so much to do.  Families are busy preparing for celebrations and enjoying many special events.  While these are positive aspects of this significant holiday, it is sometimes helpful to continue with some familiar routines for our boys.  It can also be quite grounding to reflect on how lucky we all are, to lead the lives that we do.

So, I’ll keep it short and sweet.  Here are some holiday ideas for you and your boys to enjoy!

Being Grateful- the small things

This is something that we can do at any time of the year of course, but Christmas is a great time to take stock and really consider what we have to be grateful for. If we are grateful for the small things, as well as the big things, we start to have a more positive outlook.  Focusing on what we have to feel lucky about can actually change the way we perceive things.  If we ask our boys to focus on the positive, they will be better able to see the glass as half full, rather than half empty.  So tell each other or write down, on a daily basis, 3 things that you are grateful for in your life.  Or for more ideas on gratitude practices (designed for the classroom but easily adapted for home), look here:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/heart-habits-gratitude-students-reflect-act-on-maurice-elias

Compassion- empathy in action

At Newington Lindfield, an important part of our values hinges on service to others.  Empathy is a very important PYP attitude; it instils in our boys an ability to put themselves in the shoes of someone else.  Our social/emotional learning program Second Step names ‘compassion’ as an important aspect of what we aspire to ‘do’. Compassion is what we ‘do’ as a result of being empathetic individuals.  Along with being grateful for what we have, we can also show empathy for those who aren’t so lucky, through compassion.  What can we do with our boys to show compassion to others this holiday?  Once again this can be something small and it doesn’t need to take a lot of time.  Giving compliments, donating to Anglicare, writing thank you notes, these are all ways that kids can show compassion.  My kids are really good at writing their Christmas lists, noting what they would like to receive.  This year, why not write a Christmas list of things you can give to others instead!

For a heart-warming story about empathy in action watch this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXyr0kAgrVU

Routines and maintenance

While it may seem that the holidays go by in a flash, 7 weeks is actually a long time for our boys to be out of school.  It’s always a good idea to keep some routines going throughout the holiday, in order to continue to build and maintain some basic skills.  The most obvious one is reading.  Make sure it is an important part of the day.  Read to your boy, borrow books from the library that they can read themselves and talk about what other members of the family are reading.  The more kids read, the better they become at reading.  It’s a simple formula.  Reading to your child is also a great way to keep them thinking and to build vocabulary and comprehension.  I’m currently reading a wonderful book to my 6-year-old daughter, Wonder, and she is enjoying it immensely even though it is a text she could not access on her own.

Another common activity that can also be useful is to keep a journal.  Providing time each day to reflect and write is a great way to keep the boys thinking and developing their skills.  Keep it fun and give the boys a choice about what goes into the journal.  This can be a place to write, draw and paste important reminders about special places visited.  You can make ‘what I am grateful for’ the inspiration for daily writing.  Really, all that you need to do as a parent is to provide the notebook and set aside some quiet time along with the expectation. 

To look at one way that journals can be done, see this link:

http://childrensbooksdaily.com/holiday-reading-and-writing-journals/

I wish everyone a happy and safe holiday with plenty of fun and family time all round.

Benjamin Barrington-Higgs