The truth is- children enjoy much more productive play with one toy or type of toy than many.
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Too much choice means your child won’t engage in any meaningful play because they won’t be able to settle on one thing. The sudden abundance of colours, patterns and noises might not have the desired effect so it’s important to ration your child where you can so they can savour rather than get stressed out by their gifts.
If you are worried that your toddler might get overwhelmed by the large quantity of presents on Christmas day, there are a few things you can do to temper the chaos. Here are a few ideas to help them to focus better.
A Christmas Eve Box: A Christmas Eve Box is a great way to use some of the gifts you were going to give your little one on the big day the night before. Some pjs, a game, a little chocolate or a Christmas bauble are just some of the things you can transfer to a Christmas Eve Box for your toddler to enjoy the night before Christmas Day. This not only helps to curb their excitement but also means they will have less to open a mere 12 hours later.
More than one Christmas Day: If you are bubbling with three households over Christmas as the guidelines will allow- why not have three gift opening sessions over three days instead of one big day? That way your toddler can open their gifts from each household on separate occasions, lessening the number of gifts they will receive at once. This will give them a chance to open them and play with each one before they move onto the next.
Hold back presents: There are no rules that state your child must open up their toys all in one sitting so if you feel they have been gifted more than they can handle, keep a few of them back for later. You could have a second present opening session on Boxing day or give your child one toy each day following Christmas up to New Year.
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New Year Party: You could always have a New Year celebration at home once the restrictions are back in place within your household bubble and pull out some more gifts then. It all depends on how many gifts your child receives and how they’ve coped in the past- but the option is there if you want to make more of New Year this time around.
Use gifts as rewards into the New Year: If you feel your toddler is satisfied with the few things you’ve allowed them to open at Christmas you could always leave some of their other gifts wrapped and keep them as rewards for when your child does something noteworthy during 2021. So, if your toddler does something well at nursery or has a successful day of potty training for instance you could pull one of their gifts out and give it to them as a well done.
A book a day: If you’ve bought your toddler lots of books for Christmas, why wait until the big day to open them? Especially if you want to get them excited about Christmas, this is the perfect way to build up the momentum in the run up. Unwrap a new book each night and take some time out to read with your little one before bed. It is a great bonding exercise and might even help you to get in the spirit of things too!
Divide up the day: If your toddler has been gifted a few things but you feel comfortable with them opening them all in the same 24 hours, why not divide up the day? You could do stockings first thing, then take a break for breakfast. Open up some more gifts, then eat lunch. In the afternoon, they can open some more while everyone else lets their dinner settle. After your evening meal or nibbles, you could allow your little one to open up a few more. You might need to section them up and bring them out once you are ready as your toddler might be tempted to dive into them if they are all out at once, however this is an effective way to pace them throughout the day.
Whatever you decide, here’s hoping you and your little one have a very Merry Christmas!
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