learn these things from Christmas children’s concerts

The Christmas season is a time to celebrate family, with the re-telling of the story of Jesus’ birth always a popular part of the festivities. It’s also a time to look back at the past, with many schools, churches and organizations holding concerts to reflect on the year that has passed.

Families can enjoy visiting their local primary school for a concert or church to watch the children’s choir perform. Those attending the children’s church service may come away with a few extra pieces of coal for their stockings and a serious case of Christmassy fever.

But it’s also a time to reflect on how and what we do at Christmas time. So, I thought it would be useful to give parents an idea of how to keep the noise at the Christmas concert down.

If you’re going to a Christmas concert for your children or even grandchildren, here are a few tips from other parents, grandparents and teachers. And I’ve included a few songs from last year’s Christmas concert so you can see the level of noise level at this year’s performances.

Give them something to do

If your child is with you, you’re bound to be more distracted by your thoughts than your own children. And while it’s important for parents to be there to support and watch their children, you also need to give them some opportunities to be on their own. Children aren’t born with music in their blood, so they need to be given opportunities to practice.

Sometimes, the best way to give your child some independence is to take them to the end of the performance line and then tell them you’re going to go and make a few cups of tea.

So, you give them a task to carry out and leave them on their own for a few minutes. It might be putting a Christmas message in the carol book, writing the Christmas card, putting a label on the present, taking down the decorations, or whatever.

Once they’ve done what they need to do, you come back and take over again.

Feeding frenzy

If your child is attending a concert in a local school, you will most likely be given a picnic box for the children to eat their sandwiches and cakes. But when it comes to a school concert, it can be a mad feeding frenzy for parents to get their own lunches and bring the food and drinks.

Ideally, it’s best to stay together so that you can make sure everything is done for your child.

Make sure your child has a good rest after the concert

In many schools, the pupils who are going to sing sing either last or the following year. So, they tend to play it safe with having a well-balanced lunchtime meal. And then they sing. So, by the time you get home, your child probably hasn’t had enough to eat.

It’s also important to rest up after the concert, so you can then enjoy the celebrations with family and friends.

Give them room

Children will naturally find their way around a hall without making too much noise. The hall they’re in has a seating area for the parents, and also a space where the children can run about.

But, if you’ve paid for a seat yourself, then be aware of the space the children are supposed to use. There’s a reasonable amount of movement in the hall, so it’s important that parents don’t get in the way and that the children don’t get in the way of the singers.

Give them a role

Have your child take a pre-written role so they can experience singing and acting without any fear of making mistakes.

You can also try giving your child a set time for them to read out a short message about what Christmas is all about. This might be the sermon from the Christmas Day sermon in church, or a few lines from the Christmas carols or nativity scenes.

If you’re putting together a Christmas card, you can let them contribute to the design and the writing. Make sure the message you want to put across is something that they can take on board. If you ask them to make a list of what they want for Christmas, you’ll get something they can put into a letter.

Making new Christmas memories

If you’ve got children, why not make the concert a first-time event. Set up the phone to the Christmas play and record them performing. Then, bring the recording to your family party so everyone can watch your little ones sing. This will create new Christmas memories for your family.

What do you do at a concert?

Our research has found that Christmas concerts do not always turn out the way parents hope they will. But, parents need to be flexible and not get too stressed by the situation. The great thing about Christmas concerts is that you’ve already made it a special day for your children. So, go with the flow and help them to enjoy the concert.