Christmas can be full of wonder and joy - it can also be a time of high stress and fraught tempers.
Parents are under pressure to organize and children on vacation are in need of entertainment.
If the weather is inclement and hostile, the easy option would be to steer your children toward the hypnotic powers of the TV.
That's a shame, and a waste.
A far more beneficial, educational and productive idea, would be to introduce them to kids Christmas activities such as creative crafts.
There are some very good products available and they are inexpensive.
The advantage of using kids Christmas activities is that not only are they a great form of learning for your child, they also give the child a sense of achievement.
With crafts, your child can produce something and proudly show it off.
You can display this creative masterpiece and really give your child a sense of pride.
Kids Christmas activities, such as creative crafts, can be enjoyed as a family.
You have the opportunity to help your child with their project.
Instilling good values in your child at an early age is vital and young children have shown to be more receptive to visual stimuli.
Creative crafts allow you to teach your kid, or kids, valuable lessons using visual aids.
Constructing a model from household items and recyclables not only has the benefit of teaching manual dexterity, it shows that items can be re-used, even when they have served their initial purpose.
Young kids pick up on many moral lessons from their parents, morals that could stick with them for many years.
Why not teach them the value of green principles and eco-friendly living from an early age? Not only are crafts fun and amusing, they are widely acknowledged as being a crucial building block in a child's learning.
A child needs to be entertained in order to maintain concentration, at such an early age, and both teachers and child psychologists already use crafts as a valuable resource.
Keeping your child entertained, whilst having them partake in something that is productive and great for their mind is not always easy.
The lure of video games and cartoons is very powerful to young eyes.
If you allow your kid to sit in front of the TV all day, it will be a hard habit to break.
Involving your kids in Christmas activities, like crafts, not only teaches them that there are other forms of amusement apart from TV and video, it gives them a leg up the educational ladder Get your kids involved, get them using their brains.
Save their eyes form being strained by hours of endless TV, save them from being manipulated by persuasive adverts telling them they need fast food and the latest fad toys.
Show them how to make something from nothing, teach them basic logic and maths.
Give them a head start in life; give them an unfair advantage over the TV mesmerized children.
Give them crafts!