5 Ways to Encourage the Christmas Spirit in Foster Children

Christmas is supposed to be a time of merriment and togetherness. Although, for many foster children, it can be difficult because they have limited time with their birth families or don’t know them at all. However, Christmas is the perfect time to make your foster child feel loved and improve your bond. There are plenty of activities you can schedule over the holidays in an attempt to bring out their Christmas spirit – continue reading for our top five choices.

Festive Crafts

Foster children benefit significantly from having one on one time, and what better way to spend that than making festive crafts? You can make tree decorations, Christmas cards, or try your hand at baking. Taking part in craft-making and enjoying a Christmas-related activity will help lift preconceptions and may entice the holiday spirit to make an appearance.

If your foster child’s birth parents are still on the scene, you can make them feel involved by creating personalised crafts as a gift.

Decorate Your Home

There isn’t a better way to fill your home with Christmas spirit than bringing out the decorations. Having a warm and inviting home full of festive decorations will help provide a positive experience of Christmas and take your foster child’s mind off any challenges around their birth family. You can easily blend Christmas decorations with craft-making activities by making decorations for the tree.

Visit Christmas Markets

Many cities host Christmas markets during November and December. There’s something magical about walking around the market to look at all the lights, steal a bargain, and enjoy a warming hot chocolate.
As a foster parent, you will be eligible for a fostering allowance to cover costs, as explained on fosterplus.co.uk, which can help fund trips out.

While you may need permission to take a foster child on holiday, if you like the idea of visiting an overseas Christmas market, holidays are a great chance for you and your foster children to build a closer bond and make some fun new memories together.

Read Them Books About Santa Clause

Depending on your foster child’s background, they may not have much insight into the origins of Santa Claus and what he represents. You can educate them by reading about his history. For example, Santa Claus’ name comes from a real person – St. Nicholas. Explaining the Santa Claus story may help your foster children to better understand the meaning behind Christmas traditions.

Throw a Movie Night

There’s nothing better than getting together at Christmas to watch a festive movie and enjoy a mug of warm cocoa on the sofa. Put your foster child in control by letting them choose the film. You can ask questions throughout to make sure any hidden messages are understood. If you’ve got Netflix, there are plenty of festive films accessible on the “Kids” account page, but there’s nothing quite like the Christmas classics.

There are plenty of ways to encourage foster children to get into the festive spirit, you just need to be there to lend a helping hand. The activities outlined above always go down a treat during the holidays, so why not give them a go and see if they work for your foster child?