Christmas is just around the corner and, this year, maintaining the illusion is more important than ever. Writing the letter to the Kings is an endearing tradition and although 2020 has brought many challenges, it has also brought new options to keep the little ones dreaming.
For example, what face do you think your children would have if they received a personalized video message from Melchor, Gaspar or Baltasar himself? MOBS makes it possible and we tell you everything here.
In this article you will find...
- What does the tradition say?
- Take the opportunity to talk to them about values!
- Should they get all the gifts they ask for?
- The famous "I ask you!"
- Pencil in hand! we start to write
- Add the motivations
- Three tips to finish the letter
What does the tradition say?
Before sitting down with your children to plan the letter, it is important to talk with the children to find out what they really know about Christmas, the Kings and the traditions of these dates. For this reason it is important that during the year you take advantage of opportunities to explain "the tradition" to them.
The Three Wise Men come from the Far East and at dawn on January 6 of each year they visit homes to leave gifts for children, in the same way that thousands of years ago they brought gold, frankincense and myrrh to baby Jesus.
In exchange for bringing them gifts, the Kings demand that the children have behaved well during the year and those who have not done so will receive sweet coal.
From here it can be complemented with other traditions that we all know, such as: putting a shoe where you want the Kings to leave the gifts, buckets of water for the camels (climbing over the balcony leaves them exhausted) or even leaving a glass of milk to their majesties to help them regain their strength.
Take the opportunity to talk to them about values!
These dates are famous for bringing out the best in ourselves, which is why it is the perfect occasion to talk to your children about important values .
For example, you can talk with them about solidarity and the importance of family or even respect for other traditions by talking about the countries or cultures where other festivals are celebrated.
It is important to teach them that Christmas is much more than just toys.
Should they get all the gifts they ask for?
The answer to this question is the following: it depends on how much they ask for and the motivations behind it.
Child psychologists agree that going overboard at Christmas causes children to lose the ability to focus on and fully enjoy a single gift . A high number of gifts causes the emotion to disperse and they do not really enjoy any of them.
It is about managing expectations together while helping your children decide on something specific that makes them very excited and encourage it.
If you have a large family, coordinate with the adults the number of gifts, because on many occasions the problem is with us :-)
The famous "I ask you!"
Many parents we've spoken to tell us that as these days approach they sit down with their children, toy catalog in hand, and begin to watch it together.
This is where your children will explain their preferences and hopes to you . This gesture makes them extremely happy because they have your full attention and they will always remember it. It's your time!
The rule of limiting yourself to 4 or 5 gifts always works. Ask them what they want most, and why they want it. It is the ideal time to talk with them and guide them so that each of these gifts is something they really need.
When they have a clear list, you can go to platforms like Freepik and download a sample letter to the Kings for free to make it more authentic.
Pencil in hand! we start to write
They have to write the letter. However, help them with some indications such as starting the letter with the classic: "Dear Wise Men" or "Dear Wise Men".
Encourage them to introduce themselves and explain how good they have been . You can reflect together on how the year has gone, reviewing achievements and things to improve for the next one.
The next step would be to put the list. Even if you have agreed on a list of 4 or 5 gifts, you can encourage him to put 1 or 2 more as a second option. This will be useful in the event that there is no stock of any of those that have been ordered and you need to resort to a plan B.
Add the motivations
If you see that your children are very motivated by the letter, invite them to write next to the gifts why they want it, when they plan to play with it and with whom. In this way we explore their motivations.
You can also encourage them to ask for non-material things such as health for all, that no child goes hungry, that the environment recovers...
Three tips to finish the letter
First of all, invite the child to finish the letter with a purpose of improvement for the coming year. These purposes may be improvements on events of the current year.
Second, you can also integrate the idea of values here. How? Encouraging them to make commitments, such as calling their grandparents weekly or recycling with the environment in mind
And finally! Do not forget to teach him to finish the letter by thanking the Kings for their generosity and kindness.