When in quarantine, there comes a time when you break out the holiday movies. Buddy the Elf’s here to help spread some cheer — something we all need right now! Elf‘s a Christmas movie classic as Buddy (played by Will Ferrell), a man raised by an elf in the North Pole, goes on a journey to New York City to find his real father.
It’s not easy for Buddy to fit in to the New York hustle and with his new family, but there are plenty of lessons to be learned when he helps Santa gather some holiday cheer in order to save Christmas. Here are a few to discuss with your kids:
- Spread cheer. It’s important to encourage kindness in others, and Buddy’s cheerful personality is a great example of that. He likes to be positive no matter what. Don’t forget, spreading cheer is something you should do all year round.
- Be yourself. Raised at the North Pole, Buddy is certainly a unique individual and he stands out in NYC. But that doesn’t stop him from being himself, even if his father and others discourage him. This is a great lesson to pass along to kids to embrace their personality and be true to who they are.
- Take risks. Buddy learns he’s not an elf and decides to leave the North Pole for the first time in order to find his dad. Sometimes it’s okay to break out of your comfort zone to experience new things. It’s a great reminder for kids who might be scared to try something new.
Movie-inspired activities
Now that you’ve watched Elf, try out some screen-free activities that even Buddy the Elf will love. Here are some ideas:
- Make Buddy the Elf spaghetti cookies. According to Buddy, elves try to stick to four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup. Recreate his favorite sugary spaghetti breakfast with these no-bake haystack cookies.
- Decorate the house with snowflakes. It might not be Christmas yet, but your kids will love to cut up some paper snowflakes.
- Play some holiday music. We could all use a break! Put on a Christmas playlist and dance to some holiday music.
- Squeeze in some STEM learning with gum drops. Buddy went through the sea of swirly-twirly gum drops on his way to NYC. Take a few of those sweets and try out this gum drop engineering project.
- Start a snowball fight. No, you don’t need real snow! Get some cotton balls or indoor snowballs to you try out these fun games at home.
Have a Watch This, Do That idea you want to share with our readers? Send your idea to editor@metroparent.com with your pitch for the show and the activities. We’d love to share your idea on MetroParent.com.
