The holidays are a time for family, but they can also get busy and chaotic! Amid the shopping, cooking, and planning, it’s easy to lose sight of the special moments with your children. Here are 7 simple ways to connect with your kids and make the most of this season with intentional parenting:
1 – Create a Family Tradition 🎉
Whether it’s baking cookies, watching a holiday movie, or decorating together, creating a special family tradition gives you a moment to bond and create lasting memories. In our house, we do movies on Friday nights and once the season starts up we dive in deep with all the holiday favorites.
My children’s current favorite is highly debatable choice of “Home Alone 3!” (How could they sway from 1 & 2!?) BUT they love it, so we will support that 😉
2 – Start a Gratitude Jar 🙏
Each day, have everyone write down one thing they’re grateful for and place it in the jar. At the end of the week, read them aloud and celebrate all the good things together.
Alternatively we list the things we are grateful for at dinner or bedtime depending on the day! We also have a large cut out heart taped to the wall above their desk where we can add things.
3 – Do One Thing Together Every Day 👫
Even if it’s just 10 minutes, make time for a simple activity—playing a game, reading a book, or chatting about their day. These small moments of connection add up!
Right now checkers is a big one, lego, puzzles and trouble.
4 – Turn Off Devices for Family Time 📵
Make family time distraction-free by turning off phones and tablets. Engage in conversation, board games, or storytelling to focus on quality time together.
I love this rule and we apply it at dinner time, including / especially restaurants, game time and play time.
5 – Ask Open-Ended Questions 💬
Instead of yes/no questions, ask things like “What was the best part of your day?” or “What would make today even better?” These types of questions spark deeper conversations.
Dinner time is our families favorite time to ask these kinds of questions. We also have these talks at bedtime and most recently following the diary prompt questions in their My Mindset print outs.
You can find them here: My Mindset for Kids & Tweens • Mindset Academy
6 – Practice Active Listening 👂👂
Put down what you’re doing, make eye contact, and really listen when your child speaks. Acknowledging their thoughts and feelings builds connection and trust.
This can be so hard, especially when driving to events or trying to get them off to school. Even in a rush its important to acknowledge they are being heard and you might need to promise a new time to dive in deeper if your child happens to pick the moment you are heading out the door like mine do.
7 – Share Your Favorite Holiday Memories 🌟
Open up and share your own childhood holiday memories. It helps your kids see you in a new light, and they’ll love hearing about your traditions, too!
This is easy for us. We love talking about our family traditions growing up and sharing them with the kids. They love watching a slide show on the tv of all the holiday pictures we’ve taken over the years which we do often with the screen share feature from our phone photo library.
In the midst of the holiday rush, make sure to create moments of connection and joy with your children. The holiday season is about more than just gifts—it’s about spending time together and strengthening your bond. ❤️
How do you make special memories with your kids during the holidays?
