The seven days from December 26th to January 1st, are celebrated as Kwanzaa by the African-American community to celebrate both their heritage and shared community values.  Each day, a principle is upheld and celebrated.  These seven principles are:

Unity
Self-Determination
Collective Work and Responsibility
Cooperative Economics
Purpose
Creativity
Faith

Clearly, these are universal values that all children can learn from during the holiday season.

Each day, discuss the principle and what it means for your family.  Have some fun with the celebration with your nieces and nephews by doing activities that embrace these principles:

Write a story about being determined
Make a poster that shows ways of being responsible in your neighborhood
Feed the homeless one day
Set up a small business to earn money (sell hot chocolate!)
Make beaded necklaces
Play African folk music
Make paper candlesticks, writing a principle on each one.

Each day a new activity can be done to embrace the principles. Your nieces and nephews can determine their own activities after you have discussed the principles too.

A fun food to prepare to celebrate the season, which ends with a large feast on New Year’s Eve, is Fried Bananas! Yummy and easy to make!

Kwanzaa is a special celebration that can serve as a wonderful time to bond with your nieces and nephews.  Share time together and embrace these universal principles together.