The teacher gave advice on leisure activities for children during the New Year holidays

In 2026, the New Year holidays will last 12 days. And for many parents of preschoolers, this period may turn not into a vacation, but into a marathon, because the child is at home, the garden is closed, and there is no usual routine. Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, author of the book "Parents. The Return of Meaning" by Tatiana Tsvetkova.

"The main enemy of a relaxing vacation is chaos. The hardest thing is to wake up on January 1st and only then think about what to do with the child. If there is a plan, half of the anxiety disappears," she said.

The specialist recommended writing down what they want to do on vacation with their children before the holidays, and then choosing recurring desires together. This creates a simple schedule for 7-10 days with alternating field trips and quiet days at home.

Tsvetkova does not advise to completely cancel the regime, but she does not urge to stick to it as in the school year. You can go to bed and get up a little later than usual, but the basic structure of the day — sleep, food, activity and rest — must be maintained so that the child does not get sick and does not "fall apart" by the end of the holidays. The teacher considers walking to be a must: skating rink, sledges, slides, just playing in the snow. This is something that children remember better than any shopping malls, the expert assured.

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The interlocutor of the publication called the winter weekend the ideal time to return to books and cartoons, which do not reach their hands on weekdays. The teacher advised me to prepare a selection of fairy tales and films in advance and watch or read them together, discussing what is happening.

"Family rituals play a separate role. It can be a joint Christmas tree decoration, a special evening tea, a tradition of reading a fairy tale before going to bed or taking shared photos on the same day of the holidays. It is such repetitive little things that later become the mainstay memories of the family for children," Tsvetkova said.

The topic of gadgets, according to her, is getting worse during the holidays. The expert suggested honestly talking to the child that New Year's Eve is a rare time when a family can be together, and agreeing in advance when the screen is allowed and when it will have to be removed to do useful things, such as take a walk outside or read.

"It is important for parents to set aside time when the child is playing by himself or engaged in simple joint activities. There is no need to turn the holidays into an endless holiday just for the child. This is also the time for parents to exhale and reboot," the teacher emphasized.

On December 11, nutritionist Sofia Kovanova called drinking alcohol the most harmful habit at the New Year's table. She recalled the need for pauses between meals and recommended alternating champagne with water and lemon, as well as combining alcohol with fruit or consuming it separately.

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