The holiday season is here and your children may be bouncing off the walls in anticipation of holiday preparations, parties and the gifts they hope to receive. Even though they are exhibiting happy energy it can get out of hand.
An over-eager child might break ornaments while helping decorate the tree. They might drop the plate of cookies you baked for the neighbors or give away secrets about what's in the packages.
Resorting to telling them they'll be on Santa's naughty list might not be effective. Here are some suggestions for how to get things under control without curbing your child's excitement.
* Write down on the family calendar when special events will occur. This eliminates your child continually asking when it's time for the family gift exchange.
* Even with all the extra events, keep your child's routine as consistent as possible and make sure they're getting enough sleep.
* Enlist your child to help with gift wrapping. Just be sure to have an extra roll of tape on hand because kids love to play with it.
* Have your child make place cards for the family dinner or even help clean the house in preparation for guests.
* Suggest they play a board game or other quiet activity. This will have a calming effect and bring their excitement level down a notch.
When a squabble breaks out, start singing a holiday song. What child can resist a chorus of Jingle Bells or Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer?
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Limited to one parent coaching session. Offer expires 01/31/2011
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