4 New Holiday Traditions Just For Foster Families

For many children and teenagers in foster care, November and December can be a difficult time of year. For some, it can be a sad reminder that they are no longer with their biological family. For others, it could bring up negative feelings of past holiday neglect or trauma. Thankfully, there are ways to prepare for the holiday season when fostering a child and create joyful, lasting memories for all. Here are some new holiday traditions to adopt as a foster family.

Gather in the kitchen for holiday fun and bonding.

In our recent blog, 4 Reasons To Get Cooking With Your Foster Kids, we discussed the benefits of working together in the kitchen, including creating stronger family bonds. Naturally, the holiday season is the perfect excuse for cooking and baking in the kitchen with your foster children or teenagers. Bake and decorate cookies, have a gingerbread house competition, or simply invite everyone to pitch in on planning and prepping a holiday feast. Then, gather around the table as a family and celebrate the season!

Make homemade gifts and decor.

The holiday season is a great time to get crafty. Whether it’s homemade gifts or holiday decorations for the house, the possibilities are virtually endless. Foster parenting requires thinking outside the box at times, but if you’re not sure where to start when it comes to crafting, browse Pinterest for ideas and inspiration. Then, let children and teenagers express their creativity and showcase their creations around the house.

Plan a family event in the family room.

What could be more fun than a dance party in the family room? Deck the halls together with your homemade decorations, and make a playlist of favorite songs and holiday hits. Then, push back the furniture, crank up the music, and dance! Other options include a game night or a holiday movie marathon with festive pajamas and freshly popped corn. Online sites like Common Sense Media can offer age-appropriate movie suggestions with a breakdown of content, including positive messages, and possible concerns.

Visit a drive through light show.

Celebrate the sights and sounds of the season by visiting a drive through light show. When the sun sets, dash out of the house, pile into a heated car with cozy blankets, and head out in search of a warm glow. Whether it’s a twinkling display with millions of lights at a local park, or a simple spin around the neighborhood, there’s no better way to get into the holiday spirit.

While foster parenting has its own unique challenges, it also brings special opportunities to create joyful, lasting memories for your foster child — especially during the holiday season. For more information on how to become a foster parent in the state of Illinois, contact Camelot Care Centers today.

Every child needs and deserves to grow up safe and protected from abuse and neglect, and caring foster parents offer children support and stability when they need it most. At Camelot Care Centers, we specialize in higher-level foster care for children and adolescents that need extra support. We partner with our foster parents/homes to provide trauma informed care and additional services, including in-home counseling, parent support and training, tele-psychiatry, and therapeutic mentoring, to maintain children at the least restrictive, yet most appropriate level of care. Camelot Care Centers (“Camelot”) is a Child Welfare Agency.