Teaching Kids Art Through Picture Books

Do you have those special Christmas cards or ornaments that either you made as a child, or your own children have made? It’s not the actual artistic merit that makes those so valuable and priceless to us. Few of us are Michelangelo, nor are our children Leonardo daVinci. The attribute that makes us hang onto popsicle glitter stars and play dough Christmas trees is this: they represent a memory and a relationship. We remember the moment we made that thing and the joy and pride we felt creating it. Or we remember the shining smiles on our kids’ faces as they presented that creation to us--perhaps wrapped up for us under the Christmas tree.

Making a tradition of creating Christmas art with children is an act of building and has three important benefits you don’t want to miss as you journey this road to your Christmas celebration. You don’t want to waste this opportunity to create together, because you are investing in the relationship you want to have with your kids in the future. That’s...

I'm sure as a parent or grandparent, you've asked yourself this question: How can I make Christmas more meaningful? I think one of the answers is that you start a few weeks in advance with a preparation time called Advent.  

This can be a stressful time of year, but also one of the most important and impactful times for you, as the parent or grandparent, to make really great and meaningful memories with your children. Today I want to share some ideas to help you do that. 

Advent is a season of preparation for Christmas happening the four Sundays before Christmas. Some people have never heard of Advent, so if you don't mind, I'm going to share my tradition with you. 

In my family growing up, among other decorations for Christmas, out would come our old advent wreath. This was just a simple metal ring with 4 candle holders covered with red berries and some fake evergreens. My mom liked everything in her home to look lovely and coordinated, which meant she used 4 red candles around the...