**This article first appeared in Traverse Bay Family Magazine. It has been reprinted with permission.**
I am all about low-stress decorating. If its not easy, I won’t do it! Frankly, I’m both too busy & too lazy. That being said, I do love to decorate for the holidays. Here is how I make holiday decorating low-stress AND kid-friendly.
Hold Loosely
What do I mean by that? Hold your decorating items loosely. Don’t buy things that are super expensive or so beautiful that you’d be furious if the kids broke them. If you do have a special item, have a home for it and strictly enforce the no touch zone. Make it small, high and still hold it loosely :). Errant balls & even balloons have been known to take out decorations in my house. True story.
Make the Decor Kid-Friendly
If you have a daughter, by age 6 they will want to take a pretty leading roll in decorating. So make your decorations kid-friendly– wood, plastic, metal, fabric, etc. not only are they less likely to be broken, but you can give them the decorations and let them put them out. What a fun job to delegate!
Have Homes
To make it easy to put out the decorations, everything should have a home. I have 3 places in my house where decorations go. It not only keeps me from collecting too much stuff, but it makes it super easy to decorate. And if you want your decor to look just. so. (not that I would know anything about that. Ahem.), your kids will get used to what goes where and can put it out when you can’t.
Handmade Additions
If your child is artistic or crafty, they would love to make and put decorations EVERYWHERE. I set a limit as to where they can go (younger siblings are a bit destructive), but they go nuts. If they are older, you could set them loose on your Pinterest boards for inspiration. Family Fun has great ideas for kid friendly holiday decorations, too.
Our family traditions are all about family, not perfection. While I like matchy matchy and store designed decor displays, real life happens in our house. In order to make our family what it is, we do real — handmade, kid-friendly, and imperfect. How about you?
How do you decorate in a kid friendly way?
