Express Yourself

Family Adventure

GOAL:

Let kids use their creativity to decorate the house and explore their own unique style.

The ADVENTURE:

Review the suggestions below and then work together as a family to decorate your home. Is it a holiday? Include some seasonal decorations!  Whatever your family style is, there is room for everyone to get involved. To allow each child to explore their own unique style you may want to let each family member decorate one room in the house, or let everyone decorate their own room and then give each child an opportunity to present their work to the family and explain why they chose to do what they did.

TIPS:

  Let the kids choose a new decoration.

  Let the kids help make the decorations.

  Once the kids have helped with decorating the main part of the house, let them choose, or make, some decorations for their personal room or space.

  Acknowledge the work that each family member did in the decorating. For example, "Susan chose that particular decoration to go on the table. Isn't it a perfect place for that?" or "TJ designed that whole section of the room. Isn't is amazing!?!"

  Take time to sit down as a family and just admire the work that was done.

  If you notice developing talents be sure to encourage them. For example, if you notice that a child is developing a real talent with art, sign them up for an art class, or take them to an art display. If you see that a child is interested in photography, ask them to take some pictures for the next month's decorations. If you see that a child is interested in the needlepoint decoration you have, teach the how to do needlepoint (or find someone that can!)

  Of course, a family movie night or family game night in the newly decorated space is always a fun way to enjoy everyone's hard work.

Enjoy some time as a family decorating your house in general, or for the specific season.

Decorating your home is a great time to spend some quality time as a family creating the right mood and feel. It is also a great opportunity for kids to use their creativity, explore design concepts, and discover their own unique style. You may want to use decorations you have, or you can buy or create new decorations.

Whatever fits your family style-- just take a few minutes this week to spend time together with a focus on creating a space you can all be comfortable in.

This is also a great Adventure to let the kids take the lead on. Kids of any age can be great leaders on these Adventures, and it will help them develop a wide variety of key life skills, including leadership, communication, planning, decision making, finding consensus, design, and problem-solving.  All of these skills, and they just think they're having fun!!  Now that's a bargain!!

Pre-K Adventure

There are many ways to involve little ones in the decorating process:

❏ Let them choose the main color for their room

❏ Help them make a seasonal decoration and give it a prominent spot in the house

❏ The sky is the limit--- what would YOUR little Adventurer enjoy?

Community Engagement Adventure

Turn this fun Adventure into a service project, and triple your point accumulation!!

Here are some ideas:

❏  Organize a family service project to create a simple holiday decoration for a shut-in neighbor, grandparent, or other family member who could use a little pick me up.

❏  Offer to help an aging or injured neighbor get their decorations put up.  You can help with lifting the boxes, hanging the high stuff, whatever they need.

❏  Make some fun, simple holiday decorations that you can take to a local assisted living center or children's hospital.

❏  What ideas do YOU have!?!

Teen Adventure

There are many ways to involve Teens in the decorating process:

❏ Let them choose the main color for their room

❏ Let them research home decor ideas and share with the rest of the family to choose or vote on

❏ Encourage them to be aware of design and decor in other homes and buildings where they go and then share with you what they like or don't like

❏ Let them make a seasonal decoration and give it a prominent spot in the house

Photo Location

Take a selfie of your family creating or putting up your decorations.