Why celebrating is important

Celebrations are a great way to give culture and education to your children. 

Where do you start?

With bonfire night happening back in the UK I was sitting here in Brazil (where nobody knows the name Guy Fawkes) thinking how nice it would have been to wrap my little guy up in his snowsuit and show him a bonfire and soak up the atmosphere. It is one night I do miss a lot not living in England now. It also made me think how important these outings are for our small people. I remember the smell of the air, the excitement at being out in the dark and meeting up with school friends. I want my boy to have memories like this too, maybe not for 5^th November but there are so many other things to celebrate and it all begins at home.

I’m sure we have all thought about the first birthday and how we would like the day to go. I will be planning and executing my boys first birthday very soon and I have had to take a step back and see what he can get from the experience and plan it for him too not just for me and my expectations. I want him to have a calm day but with surprises and the people who love him around. I know I will have to be careful that he gets good naps the day before and try to organise some quiet time on the day so that he doesn’t become overtired or over-stimulated. I want him to have a fun day and play with his favourite people – me and his daddy!

So far in his short life we have had several celebrations to contend with. With each event I am learning with him and seeing how he seems to enjoy social events more and more. As Halloween has just passed I think it’s a good example to use. I like to make things with my boy so we got out the paper and crayons and began designing simple costumes and scribbling away in dark Halloween colours. I have always found that the preparation of these events can be as exciting as the actual thing and I plan to have a lot of fun with my guy while we prepare for parties. It’s also a great way for him to acquire new language and learn more about his world (and I am learning too)! We made a little robot costume but he really didn’t seem comfortable in it so I decided to let him wear normal clothes and he went as a Harley Davidson biker (but as he had a broom he was Harley Broomerson). He helped to colour a big box and I made a simple withes hat and we spent a day or two playing with it before the party so that he could see how fun it was when mummy wore a weird hat. I think it’s important to prepare this way as it can be quite daunting for someone so small to see his close people looking very different. The day of the party I made sure we were home all morning so he had time to crawl about and nap well. The party was in the afternoon so I organised the food he would need and made sure I knew what time I would leave to get him home with time to spare so he could play and relax before having to go to bed. All the planning made for a wonderful afternoon. He was a little apprehensive about the other children all dressed up to begin with but when he saw everybody smiling and laughing he soon relaxed and enjoyed being the centre of attention.

I try to celebrate many events with my son so he can see there are different cultures and ways of life. He already has two different cultures and I want him to know as much as possible about his world. There are always printables available online. My favourite site is http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/ where they always have fun colouring pages or activities for young children.

What is your favourite celebration and how are you making it special for your children?