Use Secret Santa to Improve Coexistence

3 minutes

This classic Christmas activity isn't just fun and intriguing, it's also a great activity that families and schools can use to improve coexistence.

Last update: 07 October, 2020

Establishing a harmonious environment – both at home and at school – is fundamental for the balanced development of children. So, with this in mind, there are several tools that educators can use in order to improve coexistence, such as with the Secret Santa game. We’ll tell you more in the article below.

This classic activity is very fun and appealing to children. What’s more, it offers a multitude of social, emotional and affective benefits for all who participate.

Coexistence is synonymous with respect and education. If a harmonious coexistence is present in all of the environments that children relate to, then they’ll grow up to be happy and learn a number of ethical and social values.

Improve coexistence with the Secret Santa game

To construct positive coexistence, you need to work on the interpersonal relationships of children. Not only at home, but at school as well. With that in mind, an activity that contributes positively and in a direct way is Secret Santa. This game can be very helpful for both parents and professors. Why? Because it reveals important information regarding the bonds that form between different family members or classmates.

At the same time, this game allows us to understand the vision that children have of their parents, siblings, classmates, etc. With that in mind, the Secret Santa game is ideal when it comes to:

Fostering positive coexistence within a group.
Improving communication and interpersonal relations.
Teaching children to reflect on the positive qualities of others.
Becoming aware of one’s own positive qualities.

What does the game entail?

Secret Santa is a traditional game that people play during the Christmas season. That is, of course, because of the tradition of giving and receiving presents as a way to celebrate the holiday.

To play the game correctly, you’ll need to establish two specific dates. On the first day, parents or teachers will explain how the games work and allow students to draw names. On the second date, participants will deliver cards or messages to the person whose name they drew on day one. To be more specific, here are the steps to follow:

Parents or teachers will choose any day in December to introduce the idea of playing Secret Santa. The objective of the game is for each participant to make a card that describes the positive qualities of another family member or classmate.
Participants then draw names out of a hat or bag to find out who they’ll be making a card for. They must not tell anyone whose name they have.
Each participant must think of one or several positive qualities about the person in question and write them on a card.
On a later date, closer to Christmas, children will deliver their cards and read them out loud.

“It’s easy to see the defects in others to criticize them. What’s hard is seeing the virtues in others to value them.”
– Anonymous –

The benefits of the Secret Santa game

As we said before, implementing the Secret Santa game can be very beneficial. That’s because it maximizes the existence of healthy and pleasant relationships between members of the same family or school.

In short, the Secret Santa game is a great exercise for developing emotional intelligence and improving group dynamics.

“Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives.”
– Clive Staples Lewis –