The holidays: A magical time of twinkling lights, festive music and … endless to-do lists? Don’t let holiday prep become a stress-fest — get your kids involved and turn those tasks into treasured memories. This year, ditch the stress and discover the joy of prepping for the holidays with your kids, not around them.
Make a plan
Holiday prep always works best with a plan, and allowing your children to be part of that planning makes them feel important. Start with a family meeting where everyone gets a say in what they’d like to do for the holidays.
Do they want to bake cookies for the neighbors? Put lights up in the yard? Create a festive fort in the living room? Encourage the kids to help create a checklist of activities, using markers, crayons or stickers to make it fun and colorful.
Once you’ve got a general plan, assign specific roles. Give each child a special job, whether it’s Head Cookie Decorator, Chief Ornament Hanger or Gift-Wrap Specialist. Giving titles and clear tasks helps build excitement and a sense of ownership. You can even make a chart to hang on the fridge, showing each child’s role.
Decking the halls
Kids love to help decorate, especially when they have some creative freedom. Set aside a few kid-safe zones they can take charge of, like their own bedroom door or a small corner of the living room. They’ll get a kick out of saying they did it all by themselves.
Try some easy DIY decorations. Salt dough ornaments are always a hit: Mix salt, flour and water, then let the kids cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Once the ornaments are baked and cooled, children can paint and decorate them.
You could also create paper snowflakes or simple garlands with construction paper and yarn. These crafts don’t have to be perfect. It’s about the experience; those wonky snowflakes will be a conversation starter.
Other kid-friendly decorating ideas:
- String popcorn garlands.
- Make paper chains for the tree.
- Create window decorations with paper snowflakes.
Bring on the cookies
The kitchen is where holiday magic happens, and kids love being part of it. Even toddlers can help pour pre-measured ingredients or use cookie cutters. Create a special spot in the kitchen for them — maybe a sturdy step stool and their own little apron.
Choose simple, kid-friendly recipes they can handle, like sugar cookies, Rice Krispies treats or no-bake Oreo balls. They’ll love rolling dough, adding sprinkles or decorating cookies with frosting.
Encourage your little helpers to personalize their creations. Let them add sprinkles however they like, or name the recipes after them — Ethan’s Super Sprinkle Sugar Cookies will taste better than plain old sugar cookies.
If you’re making savory holiday dishes, they can still help. Give them easy tasks like tearing up lettuce for a salad, rinsing vegetables or stirring batter. It’s all about making them feel part of the action.
Santa’s workshop
Gift wrapping can be a huge chore, but it’s also something kids tend to enjoy, especially when you make it fun. Children can be your official tape dispensers or ribbon holders. Even the smallest helpers can stick on bows or help sort presents into piles.
Kids can make their own wrapping paper. Grab some butcher or kraft paper and let them go to town with stamps, paint or markers.
If letting them wrap gifts stresses you out, turn it into an assembly line. You’re in charge of folding paper neatly while they add tape or tie on ribbons. They’ll feel like they’re helping, and you can keep things a little organized.
Homemade cards and gift tags are another way to involve children. Let them draw pictures, write notes or use glitter glue to add a personal touch. These homemade extras can turn even a simple gift into something memorable.
Preparing for guests
Kids can also be part of the fun when getting ready for guests. Make them the Guest Welcome Committee. They can make colorful welcome signs or draw fun guest passes to hand out as family and friends arrive. It’s a sweet way to make visitors feel special, and your kids will enjoy the responsibility.
Setting the table can be another kid-friendly activity. Teach them how to fold napkins in fun shapes — tutorials for basic folds are easy to find online. They can write each guest’s name and decorate place cards, which adds a festive and formal touch to the holiday meal.
Clean-up crew
Nobody loves cleaning, but with a bit of creativity, it doesn’t have to be boring. Turn cleanup into a game like Beat the Timer or Holiday Treasure Hunt, where kids search for decorations to pack away. Create silly job titles like Chief Ornament Officer or Supreme Sorter of Sparkly Things.
Quick cleaning games:
- Color Guard: Find and sort decorations by color.
- Collection Detective: Gather all items from one category.
- Racing Elves: See who can fill their storage box first.
A lifetime of memories
The best part about involving kids in holiday prep isn’t the help they provide — although that’s nice, too — but creating traditions they’ll remember forever. Maybe they’ll always think of themselves as the family’s official cookie decorator or remember how they were in charge of picking the perfect spot for each ornament.
Remember, involving kids means adjusting your expectations. Things might take longer and look slightly different than if you did them yourself — and that’s okay. The goal is creating memories and teaching life skills, not perfection.
Keep these tips in mind:
- Break tasks into small chunks.
- Plan for frequent breaks.
- Keep snacks handy.
- Praise effort over results.
- Take lots of pictures.
- Have a backup plan for when energy fizzles.
Getting ready for the holidays isn’t just about the end result. It’s about the giggles, the flour-covered faces, the crooked bows and the proud smiles when kids see what they’ve helped create. Those are the real gifts of the season.
Lucy Brewer is a professional writer and fourth-generation Southern cook who founded Southern Food and Fun. She’s passionate about preserving classic Southern recipes while creating easy, crowd-pleasing dishes for the modern home cook.