The Holiday Letdown with Toddlers

Christmas can be overwhelming for children to experience all the glitter and glow of the holidays. The Christmas decorations, the tree, the lights, the goodies, the movies, the trips to parades and the gifts.

Wow, it’s not wonder that Christmas takes its toll on every child and every parent. After the wave of excitement there can be a letdown.

It is best to prepare your self for the dreary days of January break and the children who can be overtired and overstimulated. You may see more fighting between siblings, crying of toddlers and you, Mom, can also be exhausted from all the hub bub of Christmas preparations. Getting back to the normal swing of things after the holidays can be tough for both parents and kids.

How do you prepare for the ultimate letdown? Just make some plans.

Here are some ideas to be prepared and make the transition back to normal living.

1. Establish a time schedule for daily tasks:
   Make sure your kids know what is expected of them, even your toddler. Establish set times for dinner, bath time and bedtime. Be strict about bedtime. Help them wind down at least an hour before bedtime.
2. Do a familiar activity with them:
   Read stories, do a craft or coloring activity. Look at the Christmas photos you took this year of the kids.
3. Organize your home:
   After Christmas there is always a lot of mess. Ask your toddler to help clean up the mess. What fun!! Make a contest for your older kids of who can pick up the most and the fastest. Ask children to hep with the chores and plan a yard sale with old toys (if they can part with them) and your things, also, Mom.
4. Create Mud Delicacies:
   Some studies show that it is healthy for children to get muddy and that it is good for their physical and mental health. Kids love mud!! Especially toddlers! Get some dirt from your yard in some old pots, mix with a little water pretend to make whatever they want.
5. Cardboard Boxes:
   After Christmas, you probably have a lot of cardboard boxes from the presents you unwrapped. Instead of disposing of these, turn the empty boxes into something fun. Build a castle or a pirate ship. Have your kids hop into them and drag them around the house. To make the games more interesting, let your kids help you decorate the boxes depending on what you want to create.
6. Watch Christmas Movies:
   During the Christmas break, watching movies in the afternoon or evening is a must. Just because Christmas has passed does not mean you cannot still enjoy Christmas movies. Plan for a movie marathon that you can spread out over the course of the week. Since this is an activity you can do with your whole family, have each member pick their favorite movie. To make the event feel extra special, make some popcorn, cocoa and cuddle up under blankets.
7. Bake Cookies:
   Messy but fun!
8. Make you own snow:
   You can make your own snow indoors by using baking soda and shampoo. Make a lot of snow and build an indoor snowman.

These are all easy things to do to help kids recover from all the excitement of the Christmas Holidays and prepare them for getting back into the daily routine at your house.