The Holiday Season is almost here! As Elephant & Piggie have taught us, "Waiting Is Not Easy!" You can help kids manage expectations and get ready for holiday fun by employing some creative strategies to count down to whatever celebrations your family has planned. Here are some of our favorite ways to get the whole family ready for holiday mode!
Ready-Made Advent Calendars:
True, this is the traditional way to count down to holiday fun, but advent calendars have gotten a major upgrade in recent years. Perennial Advent Calendar favorite LEGO has even more options than ever this year with figures and builds for almost every theme -- City, Friends, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Disney, even Minecraft! Other fan favorites have gotten into the Advent Calendar game with festive options from Schleich, Play-Doh and Magna-Tiles!
DIY Advent Calendars:
If you can't find a ready-made advent calendar that fits the bill, you can always DIY one that works for your family. Stop by Fun Stuff Toys to pick up small prizes like Wigglitz, Teeny Mates, Hot Wheels or Crazy Aaron's Mini Putty to unwrap a small surprise every day. Or choose a larger item like the 26 piece Magna-Tiles Winter Wonder Travel Set, the 100 piece Crocodile Creek Santa's Visit Puzzle or the 224 piece Santa's Delivery Truck LEGO set and separate it into enough parts so that kids can get a few pieces each day and slowly build a larger item as their excitement grows.
Books & Tonies:
Reading holiday-themed books with kids can help get them in the holiday spirit and prepare them for the celebrations ahead. Families can create their own countdown by featuring a different favorite book each day; they can include books that are already in their libraries and add new books as fun surprises to open as the countdown progresses. Some of our favorite books include How the Grinch Stole Christmas, My First Chanukah and Daddy Christmas and Hanukkah Mama. Kids of all ages who love Tonies can also listen to holiday-themed songs and stories, including The Grinch, Holiday Songs and A Christmas Carol.
Crafts:
Creating holiday-themed crafts together enables kids to decorate their space and create a festive atmosphere which builds anticipation for the big day. Themed crafts could include Skillmatic's Foil Fun Christmas Ornaments, Crocodile Creek's Make Your Own Gingerbread House or even Mindware's 12 Days of Christmas Cross Stitch or 12 Days of Color Your Own Ornaments which provide an advent calendar-like craft experience.
Elf on the Shelf:
Finally, for an all-in countdown experience, families can adopt an Elf on the Shelf to bring festive fun all season-long! Did you know that Fun Stuff Toys is an official Elf on the Shelf Adoption Center? We can help you bring home Elf on the Shelf books, outfits, pets and props to keep life fun (and magical) this holiday season. Check out our website for all of the Elf on the Shelf shenanigans!
Whatever way you choose to count down, we're here to help you keep life fun this holiday season!