• Play board games every night after
dinner to share quality time and to
have fun.
• Prepare meals together. Let the
children decide what they want to
cook and assist them if needed. It
helps them to become independent
and it creates a sense of belonging
to the family structure.
• Decorate the table for
Christmas Eve together.
Ask the children if they
want a theme for
the table this year
and allow them to
explore it and be
creative.
Grandparents
play an
irreplaceable
role in the
development
of children
in a family.
Grandparents
should be
part of the
family as much
as possible as
they have limited
time to enjoy their
grandchildren and to
see them grow up.
Grandparents take pride in
their grandchildren and thus
it is so important to have them
over during the festive season.
The value of grandparents
in the family and to their
grandchildren:
• Grandparents are role models to
their grandchildren and they help to
create a warm sense of belonging
as they occupy a big part of the
child’s world.
• Grandparents share special
moments with their grandchildren
by reading bedtime stories or telling
them stories after dinner over a
glass of milk as they eat biscuits
without the parents. These are
special moments children treasure.
• Grandparents are a source of love,
something which is necessary in
a child’s life and which they might
not often get as parents have busy
schedules and children and parents
don’t spend a lot of quality time
together throughout the year,
• Grandparents help to complete
the picture of the extended family,
as having children, parents and
grandparents under one roof
helps to mould the whole family
structure.
Family time is essential for a child’s
development, as children observe
how different family members interact
with each other on different levels.
They learn how to act and react within
a social familial setting. Healthy
relationships in a family will help
your child to develop the skills to act
in a socially acceptable way and to
establish healthy relationships with
other family members. Include the
children in chores and preparations
during the festive season so that they
can engage with family members and
build relationships. It will be an open
invitation to feel warmth and love
within the family and a sense that they
belong.
Familial interactions provide
the opportunity to tighten the
bonds of togetherness within
the family structure.
December 2013/ January 2014 •
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