Celebrating "Small Holidays" with Kids

In Episode 1 of the Elevate Motherhood Podcast, we discussed ways to make the regular moments of life more magical for kids. See my previous blog post for details on ways to celebrate kids' birthdays!

Another easy way to make things more magical is by celebrating "small holidays." By this I mean Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, President's Day, etc. I got this idea from Gretchen Rubin, she's another mom and author that I love! She suggested celebrating the small holidays with a themed breakfast to make the day more magical. Think, heart shaped pancakes on Valentine's Day, Red, White, & Blue foods for flag day, etc. You can find themed disposable plates and napkins for just a few dollars to help set the mood and make for a quick clean up. Or you can use regular plates and get some reusable cloth napkins that fit the theme. You can get creative here! But I like the idea celebrating these days at breakfast. Breakfast is easy, low-pressure, and usually a time everyone is home together.

You can also use this time to explain why we celebrate certain holidays and make this time educational as well as fun. You can have outfits ready to change into that match the theme for the day like something green for St. Patrick's Day, etc.

Another fun thing to do for these small holidays is to do something for your kid's friends. For Valentine's Day, you can even mail some of those little paper valentines to their friends houses if they don't go to their school or don't see them on a regular basis. It's easy to throw stickers in the envelope with the valentine. You can also mail stickers for really any holiday. My kids love stickers and they are lightweight enough to include in an envelope. For Easter last year, one of our friends mailed my kids these cute little cross bracelets and my kids LOVED it. You could also make cookies for friends or grandparents and deliver them on themed paper plates.

You can also think of special days that aren't necessarily holidays, but you can celebrate them in similar ways and make them magical. Think, the Super Bowl, the Oscars, your pet's birthday, your kid's half-birthday, a lunar eclipse, the day of a spaceship launch, election day, etc. What can you do to make those days special and magical? I'd love to hear your ideas!