What Can Children Learn from Christmas?

4 minutes

What can children learn from Christmas? They can learn how to build their lives on a foundation of values, emotions, and positive feelings.

Written and verified by the teacher Samanta Ruiz.

Last update: 19 December, 2023

December arrives, and between shopping, parties, meals, meetings, trips, and so much commotion, have you ever wondered what children can learn from Christmas?

Well, we want to tell you that they can learn many things and that we can take advantage of this time to talk about values, projects, emotions, feelings, meetings, and illusions. In short, life itself!

Keep reading and discover all that children can learn from Christmas!

Take advantage of the Advent season to explain to them what Christmas is all about

Advent refers to the four weeks before Christmas and is the time of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. This word comes from the Latin ad-venio, which means “to come or to arrive.” Therefore, the streets and shopping malls reflect this time of celebration with the preparation of colorful decorations and the assembly of the traditional Christmas tree.

This period allows us to teach children that although the Christmas celebration is only one day, what’s being celebrated is so important that it immerses us in that spirit much earlier. This gives us the opportunity to tell children about the story of Jesus, the arrival of the Magi, and all the meaning that the symbols of this celebration have, such as the star of Bethlehem, the manger, the star, and the tree.

Many families use an Advent calendar to commemorate this season with their children. For example, you can carry out a different Christmas activity each day. For example, decorate the tree, make Christmas crafts, decorate cookies to pass out to neighbors, send out Christmas cards, go caroling, see a Christmas play, reenact the Christmas story, read books about Christmas, buy Christmas presents for children in need, and so much more. You can also choose to honor Jesus’s birth with an Advent wreath.

A family dancing to Christmas music. — At Christmas, we must go further and teach children that receiving a gift is important, but what’s more important is being with family, caring for others, and having a good time.

Talk to them about the importance of gratitude

The Christmas season, when children receive so many gifts, is a good time for them to learn to be grateful and to appreciate the effort that the other person has made to bring them those presents. And if, for some reason, they don’t receive gifts, we should explain to them the circumstances and that they should value the presence and love that people give them every day.

Generate conversations about values

These are days of vacations, celebrations, and spending time together at home. Christmas is a good time to generate family conversations about values such as empathy, patience, kindness, gratitude, and, above all, forgiveness.

Educating in values is a year-round task, both at school and at home, but it’s always good to have a special occasion to talk about values. We must speak with clear examples and let children learn why living with values is beneficial for them and for their future.

If your children have the opportunity to receive a lot of gifts and toys at Christmas, it’s a good time to talk about solidarity and sharing with those who have less. For example, you can ask them to prepare a box with toys or clothes they no longer use to donate them to an institution or school in the area.

As you can see, there are many things children can learn from Christmas!

“My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?”
– Bob Hope –

A black boy sitting on his fathers shoulders to put a star on top of a Christmas tree. — If you want to do something different, you can put together a Christmas tree with ornaments made by the kids. With this, you will teach them to be creative and to understand that what is important for the family is the meaning of the celebration and not if the decoration is fancy or if it has expensive ornaments.

What can children learn from putting up a Christmas tree?

Putting up the tree is a family event, but rarely is the meaning of the tree explained to children. The Christmas tree symbolizes hope, togetherness, and love. In fact, each color is a symbol and has its own meaning:

Red: Represents love and generosity
Green: Symbolizes hope
White: Stands for joy and faith
Gold: Means prosperity
Silver: Has to do with innocence