Hard to believe but this January marks the 25^th anniversary of the Challenger explosion. Space and space travel is a fascinating topic for all children, so use this unfortunate anniversary to explain to your kids why Americans were so unified in their sadness over the tragic fate of the Challenger’s seven astronauts. Explain to your children how the presence of Christa McAuliffe-the first teacher in space-generated interest in the launch and how children nationwide were watching the launch on live television.

Winter is a tougher season for new parents than summer. After all, it’s easy to keep babies away from the sun by keeping them indoors and shielding them when they are outdoors. But how do you bundle a baby-inside and outside-during the winter? When inside on cold winter days, always make sure the baby is wearing one extra layer of clothing than the adults. Multiple layers are also recommended for walks on these cold winter days, but the general rule of thumb is if you can handle a walk in the cold, so can your child. Make it a quick walk, though, and get back to the warmth of home!

This one may take a couple decades to really resonate with children, but it’s never too early to remind them that the best part of the holiday season is celebrating it with family members. Whether relatives come from across the country or just around the block, the holiday season is a rare opportunity for families to get together. Family and friends enjoy each other’s company, talk about old times, and make memories that they will carry with them for a lifetime.

Everyone can participate in this ritual of Christmas! While Dad heads out to pick the perfect tree and Mom clears room for it in the living room, the children can put up the ornaments. There may not be any rhyme or reason to how the ornaments are placed, but isn’t that the fun of it? Getting the entire family together for an afternoon or evening of putting up and decorating the tree will provide a lifetime of memories for everyone involved!

The holiday season is a perfect opportunity for parents to remind children that not everyone is fortunate enough to celebrate the holiday with fun gifts and hot food, and that it is far more meaningful to give than to receive at this time of year. Children can learn the joy of helping those in need by saving their money for a few weeks and donating some of it to a Salvation Army outside the grocery store or by buying a gift and donating it to a charity specializing in finding gifts for children whose parents cannot afford them.

It’s the last bit of preparation for Christmas Day for children around the world: leaving a note for Santa Claus to read and cookies for him to enjoy before he gets back on the road! This is as much fun for the children as it is for the parents, who can save these letters as a reminder of the wide-eyed joy children seem to express only at Christmas. Plus, the memory of sitting down with your children to help them write the letter and leave the cookies for Santa Claus will remain cherished long after they figure out you were the one who read the note and ate the cookies!

Kwanzaa is celebrated by African-Americans and takes place every year from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1. It is by far the newest of the end-of-year holidays, having been observed for the first time in 1966, when it was founded by Ron Karenga in hopes of giving African-Americans their own holiday. While it was first presented as an alternative to Christmas, today, many African-Americans celebrate both Kwanzaa and Christmas.

Hanukkah is celebrated by those of the Jewish faith and is best-known for lasting eight days and nights. Explain to children the meaning of the holiday as well as the inspiration for the Hanukkah menorah by telling the story of how the Jews thought they only had one night’s worth of olive oil following their victory over the Seleucid Empire but that instead, the oil lasted eight nights.