How to Make Kwanzaa Magical for Kids – A First-Timer’s Guide
Ever thought about celebrating Kwanzaa with your kids but didn’t quite know where to start? Well, meet Omobola, the brains behind Teni & Tayo. She’s a mom on a mission to make Kwanzaa cool for her kids and for kids across America.
Omobola had never celebrated Kwanzaa before, but when her daughters asked why, she couldn’t come up with a good reason. So, she made a promise – next year, they’d dive into all the Kwanzaa festivities and make it a magical celebration. But because she had never celebrated it before, she didn’t know where to begin. Plus, it is hard to keep the festivities going after Christmas. So, after some serious digging, she created some tips and a Kwanzaa Celebration Box that will guide parents like her through it all. No more head-scratching about what to do. This box comes packed with activities, videos, and resources – everything you need to turn Kwanzaa into a magical tradition that your kids will want to repeat year after year.
Here are some basic tips.
Keep Your Christmas Traditions, If You Want To
Maintain your cherished Christmas traditions, if you want to – Kwanzaa is an enhancement, not a replacement! Explain to your kids that Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday that celebrates African-American heritage, unity, and community and the celebration takes place over the seven days right after Christmas, from December 26th to January 1st. After the festive Christmas period is over, Kwanzaa provides an opportunity for reflection and community building.
Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa has guiding principles: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith). These principles serve as beacons as we usher in a new year. So, intertwine the holidays, keeping the spirit alive and welcoming the positive vibes of both Christmas and Kwanzaa.
Decorate! Decorate! Decorate!
Transform your home into a festive space by decorating with traditional Kwanzaa colors – red, black, and green. Make it a family affair by involving your kids in the decoration process. Whether it’s assisting with the setup of store-bought decorations or crafting unique ones, their creativity can bring a personal touch to the ambiance. Integrate meaningful symbols such as the Kinara (candle holder) and Mazao (crops) for an aesthetically captivating setting. Elevate the cultural richness with African fabrics, art pieces, masks, and sculptures, enhancing your space with vibrant colors and timeless beauty.
Schedule Your Daily Rituals
Light a candle each night and discuss the principle of the day with your kids. The Kwanzaa Celebration Box from Teni & Tayo is the perfect tool to help you with this. It contains 7 tea lights for you to light on each day of Kwanzaa and 7 origami candle holders. It also includes 7 videos that introduce the principle of each day to foster understanding and connection.
Enhance the experience by exploring relevant stories, poems, proverbs, and quotes from acclaimed African-American and African writers like Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Chinua Achebe, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker—some of which are featured in the engaging videos from Teni & Tayo’s Kwanzaa Celebration Box.
Organize a Pot-Luck Feast
Gather your family or community for a delightful exploration of African-American and African culinary traditions. Engage your kids in the process by allowing them to choose a dish and join in the cooking fun. You can make dishes like jollof rice, peanut stew, collard greens, black-eyed peas, cornbread, sweet potato pie, fried plantains, jerk chicken, gumbo and more.
To make the celebration even more special, the Kwanzaa Celebration Box from Teni & Tayo includes tomato seeds and they even threw in some soil so you can grow your own tomatoes to celebrate the principles of Kwanza. These tomatoes can be used as fresh ingredients in future meals. Encourage valuable skills by teaching kids how to cultivate their own fruits and vegetables—a gift that keeps on giving.
Choose an Evening for Storytelling
Kids love a great story, so this is the perfect opportunity to embrace the power of oral traditions by dedicating a night to storytelling. Bring the family together and share captivating tales—whether they’re your personal narratives, historical accounts, or engaging folktales. For an extra touch of fun, the Kwanzaa Celebration Box from Teni & Tayo features entertaining folktale videos for kids. Additionally, the box includes a mini canvas, allowing family members to visually express their stories, creating a one-of-a-kind keepsake to be cherished. It’s a delightful way to bond and create lasting memories through the magic of storytelling.
Get Crafty!
Kids love getting creative, and this is the perfect chance to nurture their artistic flair and self-expression. You can search online for different ideas for arts and crafts projects but if you want to save yourself time looking for different ideas and buying all the supplies, then The Kwanzaa Celebration Box from Teni & Tayo has you covered. Packed with various activities, this box provides everything needed for a daily crafting adventure throughout Kwanzaa. From bracelet making and designing coins to painting canvases and weaving mats, the box has it all.
Go Shopping and Exchange Gifts!
Ever taken kids to the store? They’ve got a knack for spotting everything! This Kwanzaa, put your money to good use and champion cooperative economics by supporting Black-Owned businesses. Plenty of incredible brands offer a diverse array of products. You could also opt for handmade gifts like cards, jewelry, candles, or soap for that personal touch.
You could also enhance the principle of Ujima by decorating the wooden coin from the Kwanzaa Celebration Box by Teni & Tayo, symbolizing collective financial responsibility. Discuss ways your family can contribute to community initiatives, using the wooden coin as a tangible commitment.
But wait, there’s more! With each Teni & Tayo Kwanzaa Celebration Box purchased, you’re not just celebrating Kwanzaa—you’re giving back. Teni & Tayo donates to various projects, from supporting fathers in Philadelphia to feeding the hungry in South Africa. So, with one box, you’re not only spreading Kwanzaa cheer but also making a positive impact on communities in Africa and the diaspora. Double the joy!
Throw a Dance Party
Put on your dancing shoes and throw on some music. You can find loads of Kwanzaa playlists on the internet or apps like Pandora. Play some music while cooking, eating, sharing stories, and more. You can listen to jazz, blues, gospel, soul, hip hop, reggae, and other genres of music that have roots in Africa. It is a great opportunity to expose your kids to music from across the African diaspora. And you guessed it, the videos in the Kwanzaa Celebration Box include a soundtrack perfect for Kwanzaa.
With these tips and the Kwanzaa Celebration Box from Teni & Tayo, families will not only partake in the festivities but also create cherished moments, turning Kwanzaa into a tradition worth relishing year after year.
Last updated on January 7, 2024
