Creating A Sense of Belonging During the Holiday Season

The holiday season is a time for family and friends to come together and celebrate the togetherness with laughter and love. What better way to celebrate the holidays than by showing the children in your life who are affected by foster care and adoption how much they belong in your family? Children feel safe, respected, understood, and loved when they feel like they belong, and giving children the gift of a supportive family is one of the greatest gifts of all. What can you do to support your children feeling a sense of belonging this holiday season?

Positive Holiday Spirit 

While the holidays can be a busy time with everything that needs to be done to prepare for the occasion, it can also be a time to spread joy, peace, and love! 

Show a positive holiday spirit with your family by:

Holiday Activities

One fun thing about the holidays is all the activities that can be done. Depending on the holiday, you can find events to take your child to and do family activities together. Everyone wants to feel included and it’s important to be sure your child will feel comfortable with the activities. Here are some great activities that can be fun for children:

Baking Cookies

Who doesn’t like the smell and taste of freshly baked cookies? This can be a wonderful activity that will have your child feeling like they belong because they get to help make a delicious treat with you and the other members of the family. 

Reading Holiday Books and Watching Movies

Reading and watching movies are another great way to give your child a sense of belonging because they can choose a holiday movie or book that you get to all enjoy together and talk about their favorite parts.

Playing Games

Games are a thrilling way to connect as a family, and letting your children choose a game or even get creative by making a game of their own to play with the family will have them feeling like a true part of the family while having fun.

Go Sledding and Play Outside

The nice thing about winter if you live in a snowy climate is you have the opportunity to go sledding! If your child has never gone sledding, use the time to encourage and connect with them. They can also build a snowman, make snow angels, and have a snowball fight. 

Decorate

Decorating as a family always brings a sense of belonging with every family member getting into the holiday spirit by making the home feel merry and bright. Your child can help decorate your home with arts and crafts to hang up on the wall, ornaments they can decorate the tree with, gingerbread houses, and help with outside decor. 

Respect Their Individuality 

While Christmas is one of the most popular holidays celebrated in December, there are other holidays that your child has celebrated. Celebrating the holidays in a multicultural household is a fantastic way to appreciate a child’s individuality. It shows that you and your family are open to learning about a different culture’s holiday traditions. Your child will feel like they truly belong in the family because not only are you open to celebrating the holidays they are used to celebrating, but they also have a chance to learn and celebrate other holidays.

Show An Interest in The Kinds of Things They Like 

You can always observe or ask your children what they like to do and are interested in. Depending on your child’s age, you can ask them about what they enjoy doing and watching and offer to do an activity that involves their interest. Suppose your child is interested in space. You can take them to the planetarium, watch space-themed documentaries, read books about space, and create space models of planets and spaceships. Whatever your child is interested in, collaborate their interest into the holiday season with a gift that’s just for them that they won’t forget! 

Talk About How the Holiday Season Makes Them Feel

For children experiencing foster care or an adoption transition, the holidays can bring many emotions. If the children are having a hard time this holiday, there are ways you can help. By being open and available to talk about the holiday, you can give your child reassurance that the holidays are a special time of love, joy, peace, and kindness in your home. Be a calm presence when your child withdraws, feels nervous, or has difficult behaviors. Be excited, but don’t put pressure on yourself to make the holidays perfect. Children can pick up on the stress of the holidays, so take things nice and easy. By remaining calm, showing kindness and empathy, and openly talking to your child about what to expect during the holidays, they’ll feel at ease, and feel like they are valued in the family. 

Maintaining Relationships After the Holidays

The holidays are all about family and love, and it’s crucial that children in foster care or who were adopted feel that love and connection even after the holidays are over. Encourage family get-togethers with beloved aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and anyone else you consider family that your child has formed a good connection with over the holidays. Create a warm environment that’s filled with joy instead of hostility. Talk about your child’s dreams and fears for the future. Support the positive connections with the other members of the home. Bring the holiday spirit with you all year round and always reassure your child that they’ll always have a place in your home, in your mind, and in your heart.