10 Interesting Facts and Information About Christmas for Kids
There’s something special about Christmas and kids look forward to this festival the most. And why shouldn’t they? After all, they get gifts from Santa Claus. But there’s more to Christmas than gifts and decorating the house. Your kids will have Christmas holidays and will most likely spend their time playing. How about this time you share with them some amazing facts about Christmas? Read these Christmas facts to your kids and help them learn about this festival. They can share this amazing information about Christmas with their friends too!
Amazing Christmas Facts for Children
Tell these jolly good Christmas facts to your kids. We are sure your children will love to know the history of everything that makes Christmas so special.
1. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.
Christmas is an annual Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. The 25th day of December was chosen to mark His birthday by the Roman Catholic Church years after His death. And this Christian holiday is celebrated by Christians all over the world.
2. Christmas trees were first used by ancient Egyptians and Romans.
The origin or the use of Christmas trees goes way back to ancient Egyptians and Romans. They used evergreen trees like fir or pine trees, wreaths, and garlands. And the use of modern Christmas trees started in Germany in the 16th century. Instead of the glitzy decorations that we see on them today, they were decorated with fruits and nuts. Wet bet you didn’t know this interesting fact about the Christmas tree!
3. The term ‘Xmas’ simply means Christmas.
The use of the term ‘Xmas’ dates back to the 16th century. The ‘X’ in the word Xmas comes from the ancient Greek language. In Greek, Christ begins with the letter X. So, Xmas simply means Christmas.4. Santa Claus was known as Sinterklaas in Dutch.
For children, Christmas is all about receiving gifts from Santa Claus. But how did Santa Claus come into existence? The character of Santa Claus is based on St. Nicholas. As per a legend, St. Nicholas was a Christian bishop who provided for the poor and needy. He also loved children and enjoyed giving gifts to them secretly. As his story spread, he was called Sinterklaas in Dutch, which later became Santa Claus. We bet you didn’t know this fact either!
5. Santa Claus did not always dress up in red clothes.
Santa Claus initially wore clothes that were in green, purple, or blue. For many years, this was the common theme for the jolly old man at the North Pole. However, Coca Cola decided to dress him up in colours that matched their brand, and that stuck. So this is why he is always in red clothes now!
6. Rudolph, the ‘Red-Nosed Reindeer’ has helpers too!
So you and your kids probably know Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, who pulls Santa’s sledge on Christmas Eve. But do you know other reindeers? It would be impossible for Rudolph alone to pull Santa’s sledge, don’t you think? It is filled with gifts to the brim for every good child in the world, and Rudolph can’t pull that all alone. Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, is, in fact, Santa’s ninth reindeer. And there are eight other reindeers who help him. These eight reindeers are Cupid, Dancer, Vixen, Dunder, Comet, Dasher, Prancer, and Blixem.
7. Baby Jesus received some wonderful gifts when he was born.
When Jesus was born, a bright star shone in the sky. Three kings followed this star and made a long journey to the birthplace of Jesus. They bore with them gifts of gold, frankincense (aromatic resin used in incense and perfumes), and oils.
8. The Christmas wreath is a symbol of love and eternal life.
The Christmas wreath is representative of the crown of thorns that Jesus wore. Eventually, the colours of Christmas – red, green, and gold were added. Red is said to represent the blood of Jesus, green is supposed to symbolise life, and gold stands for royalty and light. And the evergreen foliage used to make Christmas wreaths symbolises the continuity of life and nature even in the darkest days of winters.
9. Wearing cute and stylish Christmas sweaters is now a competition!
No Christmas is complete if you and your kids don’t wear adorable Christmas sweaters. But did you know that a large part of the world has contests like the ‘best Christmas sweater competition’? When kids wear cute Christmas sweaters, they look adorable and they make beautiful memories to cherish forever.
10. Santa Claus gets gifts too!
Santa comes bearing gifts for the children who have been good throughout the year. But do you know that Santa gets gifts too? Who gives presents to Santa? It’s us! Yes, even you can give gifts to Santa! And no, the jolly old man does not want traditional gifts, but he is a bit partial to cookies and milk to keep him satisfied during his trip around the world. So this Christmas, ask your children to help you while you make cookies for them and for Santa. Santa will love eating cookies made with love!
Five Social Skills Activities For Children With Autism
Five fun social skills activities
To help your child thrive in social situations, use these five easy and fun activities. The activities can be completed each day and worked into other exercises—perfect for incorporating into a daily routine with your child!
1. Act it out
All children learn through imitation. That includes children with autism because they are visual learners. The best way to show a child with autism how to use his/her imagination with toys is to show him/her.
You can do this by simply playing with toys alongside your child. But add in some imaginative play! For instance, show your child how to practice being a doctor with the teddy bear.
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Wrap bandages around the arm of the teddy-bear
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Listen to the bear’s heartbeat
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Sing the bear a song and gently rock the bear. Whatever makes the teddy bear “feel better”
By doing this you’re showing your child exactly how to play games using his/her imagination with a friend.
2. Turn-taking
Turn-taking is all about sharing an item with a friend. Some children with autism often display issues understanding the concept of sharing toys with others, along with preferring to play by themselves. However, children need to be able to participate in sharing activities.
An entertaining activity that can be turned into a sharing activity is kicking a ball. As you kick a ball to your child say: “Your turn!”
Then, when your child kicks the ball back, say: “My turn!” This shows your child that activities and sharing can involve more than one person while still being fun.
3. Board games
Board games help build upon the concept of sharing by adding social rules to a game. All structured games have one thing in common—rules.
To play a game correctly, there are rules that need to be followed for the game to work. Sit down with your child and play a game of Candy Land, Connect Four, Jenga, and other games. By doing this you’re teaching your child how following rules can result in a fun time.
4. Observe others’ emotions
Many autistic children tend to overreact or under-react to a situation. This is especially true in unfamiliar situations. Social situations, like going to the dentist, create anxiety because the child only goes for routine checkups once or twice a year.
If you want to help your child manage his/her emotions in a new or difficult social situation, try observing others’ emotions through videos. A video depicting social situations can help a child with autism see and understand the social norms of a situation and the emotions others are displaying toward the situation.
Another option to view other’s emotions is through Social Stories.
Social Stories depict “appropriate” behavior in social situations and offer other benefits to children with autism like:
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Developing social skills like saying “please” and “thank you”
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Helping a child understand his/her own feelings as well as others’ feelings
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Helping regulate and manage emotions in social situations
5. Hula hoop boundaries
This activity is especially for children who have difficulties respecting the personal space of others. Some children with autism may stand too close to others, hit, or crash into people—largely due to sensory issues. To help remedy boundary issues, and help your child understand how to respect personal space, grab two hula hoops!
Reference：
https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/five-social-skills-activities/
