How to Utilise Christmas Holidays to Enhance Life Skills

Christmas is always a special time of the year. It is a time that lends itself to successfully learning, growing, and eventually maturing as a family. Christmas holidays can be made use of to enhance a child’s life skills.

One of the most crucial things that we can teach our kids is life skills. A life skill is something that is absolutely necessary and desirable for complete participation in everyday life. And what better way to teach them than via organic learning?

What are the Life Skills?

Mentioned below are certain life skills that children pick up during the Christmas holidays. They usually pick these up at any point in time, particularly during the holidays.

• Finance
• Personal Care
• Health and Safety
• Self-Management
• Household Chores
• Relationships and Community

Each of these core life skills that children can learn during the Christmas holidays eventually falls into one of these following categories. International schools in Mumbai , such as Aditya Birla World Academy, give prime importance to the development of these skills in their students.

1. 1: Thinking of Others

Christmas is an ideal time to work on compassion skills. Any life skills for students that fall under the categories of relationships and community are those types of skills that benefit children for a lifetime.

This is primarily because the relationships we form with our friends, family members, and community define precisely who we are as a person. Relationships matter. And so do compassion and love towards each other.

It takes self-awareness and thinking about others for the development of compassion toward the world around us. Kids benefit from doing things that demonstrate kindness to others.

Christmas is an ideal time to do this. Some examples are mentioned below:

• Donating to a truly worthy cause, such as a food bank, outreach program, or children’s organisation.
• Spending time at a nursing home or visiting elders with no family.
• Writing “thank you” notes to a service organization such as the fire station or police department.
• Learning how to deal with problematic and difficult family members.

Aditya Birla World Academy, the best international school in Mumbai, encourages its students to partake in these activities.

1. 2: Budgeting and Purchasing Gifts for Others

When it comes to life skills for students, money skills are indispensable ones to work upon. Understanding the core principles of finances can commence at an early age. It is always ideal to talk with children about making smart choices revolving around money. Showing and teaching them how to save money, budget, and spend within one’s means is a stupendous example for them. These are essential skills to learn in life.

• During Christmas, one needs to take kids to purchase a present for their siblings or close friends.
• Speak to them about the value of work. Show them your real work ethic. When you provide them with some insight regarding your job, they can surely appreciate what is spent on Christmas more.
• Allow them to save and spend money as well as budget for the gifts that they buy for others. Teach them that it is quite arduous to earn money by having them “work” for what they purchase.
• Be honest when it comes to your financial limitations, and it is essential to practice living within one’s means.

1. 3: Communicating Politeness and Gratitude with Gifts

Manners matter . No one wants to encounter children who lack polite behaviour.

Christmas is the right time to teach children how to communicate gratitude. This goes much beyond merely saying, “thank you.” It is all about body language, tone, facial expressions, and timing, among others.

• Speak to them about your expectations for their manners.
• Offer them opportunities to practice politeness.
• Model gratefulness through example.

Communicating politeness and gratitude when it comes to gifts can truly go a long way with family, friends, and loved ones. This is one of the best life skills for students that they can practice during the Christmas holidays.

1. 4: Patience

Patience is a quality that everyone must possess (especially children) who must demonstrate it when dealing with others, themselves, and during the Christmas holidays. You can surely tell a genuinely patient person based on how they feel and act when things do not go their way. When the family has gathered and gifts are being distributed, emotions could be eventually running high. This is usually the time people lose patience.

Christmas is also the perfect time for parents to train their children on how to maintain their composure during these situations. This goes a long way in improving your self-skills.

1. 5: Organising, Decluttering, and Passing Toys Along

Christmas holidays are the perfect time to go through and get rid of old, worn-out toys. The general rule is “out with the old, and in with the new.” There is no definite reason to hang on to everything. This is an important life skills management lesson.

Organising things and decluttering your home are life skills that take some practice, especially if a kid has a lot of messy toys laying around.

Because the excitement about getting new toys on Christmas is palpable, it is the best time to declutter.

Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to pass along toys that are in excellent condition, too. Needy friends and families will surely enjoy these gifts.

To conclude, however way you celebrate Christmas, make use of opportunities to teach kids some valuable life skills. Christmas holidays are the ideal time for life skills development because the festival is embraced by everyone.