#LifeSkillsNow Mini-Series: Celebration Essentials
The Gift Gets Wrapped, the Thank You Note Gets Written, and You Didn’t Do Either One
11 short workshops for the holidays, the birthdays, and the trip to Grandma’s. Eight for your kids, three for you.
December Arrives and Somehow Every Job Is Yours
You’re the one wrapping the presents at 11pm. You’re the one writing “thank you for the sweater” in your own handwriting because the kid who got the sweater won’t do it. You’re the one packing four suitcases for the drive to Grandma’s, and then reminding everyone in the car to speak up so Great Grandma can actually hear them.
None of that is hard. Your kids could do most of it. They just haven’t been taught in a way that sticks yet, and the day before a holiday is the worst possible time to try again.
This mini-series is the grab bag of celebration skills, taught by somebody other than you, in short videos your kids can watch now and use in December. Eight workshops are for the kids. Three are for you, for the decisions parents actually have to make around a gift-giving season.
This lesson was super helpful and I really appreciate the work you guys put in for these different workshops, helping us know the ‘little things’ in life that make huge impact!!
A #LifeSkillsNow mom, on How to Wrap a Present
Why Celebration Essentials?
Most of these skills get taught by accident, or not at all. Wrapping, packing, calling, writing a note, handing money to someone who needs it more than you do.
Each workshop here is short, specific, and ends with one thing to go do. Kids can watch a couple in an afternoon and have something to show for it.
- Eight kid workshops (5 to 27 minutes) on wrapping, packing, phone calls, thank you notes, decluttering, giving, budgeting, and talking with older relatives
- Three parent workshops on tech as a gift, sugar season, and what a 20-year kindergarten teacher wishes preschoolers got for their birthdays
- A real-life mission with every workshop, so the skill leaves the screen
- A one-time purchase with no subscription, and it’s yours to keep
This speaker was clear and concise and the workshop included a very useful handout. The 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 rule is easy to remember and understand. I especially enjoyed her tip about keeping nicer clothing items from wrinkling!
Kimberly, on How to Pack a Suitcase
What Changes at Your House
For your kids:
- Wrap a present so it looks like a present, tape in the right places, curled ribbon and all
- Pack their own suitcase without leaks, breakage, or a forgotten toothbrush
- Call Grandma, introduce themselves, say the thing they called to say, and hang up politely
- Write a thank you note with an actual script, then address the envelope and stamp it
- Speak to an elderly relative in a way that gets heard and felt as respectful
- Give some of their birthday money away on purpose, with a plan
- Shop for a sibling’s gift and stay under budget using rounding, not a calculator
- Clear out the toys they’ve outgrown to make room for what’s coming
For you:
- Think through a first device as a gift before the box is under the tree, with a family tech plan to go with it
- Go into a season of cookies and cupcakes knowing what sugar does to a kid’s brain and body, and what a reasonable household rule looks like
- Get specific game and toy ideas from a kindergarten teacher for the 3 to 5 year olds on your list
Nobody is promising a silent night. But the year your 8 year old wraps her brother’s gift herself is a good year.
What’s Included in the Celebration Essentials Mini-Series
Eleven video workshops with printable handouts and a real-world mission for each one, pulled from previous seasons of #LifeSkillsNow. Every celebration-related session in one place, at a price that won’t make you think twice.
Access to a private, ad-free membership area with no distractions and no autoplay
Lifetime access so you can come back to the wrapping workshop every single December
Downloadable videos for offline watching
#LifeSkillsNow Mini-Series: Celebration Essentials
The Gift Gets Wrapped, the Thank You Note Gets Written, and You Didn’t Do Either One
- Downloadable Videos
- Printable Handouts for Note-Taking & Quick Reference
- Access Never Expires PLUS if anything is added, you get that too!
- 8 Kid Workshops (Ages 5 to Teen) + 3 Parent Workshops
- Private, Ad-Free Dashboard
- $10 per Workshop = $110 Value!
$30
Rest Easy with our Happiness Guarantee
You have time to decide what you love! Watch the workshops, hand your kid the tape and the wrapping paper, see what happens, and if you don’t love it let us know within 30 days of purchase and we’ll give you a full refund.
You have unlimited access to all the content, so even if you watch every workshop and still ask for a refund, we’d give it to you because we believe in this collection so much. That’s our risk, but we trust you probably won’t do that. It’s just important to us that you understand how much care we’ve put into this.
This was the first time he had even picked up the phone to make a call.
A #LifeSkillsNow mom, on How to Make a Phone Call
Mini-Series Package, 11 Workshops
Workshops included in the Celebration Essentials #LifeSkillsNow Mini-Series:
For kids
How to Wrap a Present
with Katie Kimball, ages 5+, 27 min
Mrs. Kimball and her sons demonstrate a few ways to wrap books, boxes, and clothing, including where the tape goes and how to curl ribbon.
How to Pack a Suitcase
with Tosha Schore of Parenting Boys Peacefully, ages 5+, 18 min
Strategic packing so nothing leaks, breaks, or comes out wrinkled, and every inch of the suitcase gets used. Comes with her packing list.
How to Write a Thank You Note and Address an Envelope
with Katie Kimball, ages 5+, 15 min
Watch Mrs. Kimball teach her 8 year old and 11 year old an exact script for a thank you note, for a gift or a gift of money, plus how to address the envelope and where the stamp goes.
How to Make a Phone Call
with Katie Kimball, ages 5+, 13 min
How to introduce yourself, say what you need, and hang up politely. Kids watch another kid RSVP to a birthday party and call Grandma to say happy birthday. Answering the phone is covered too.
How to Speak Politely to the Elderly
with Katie Kimball, ages 5 to teen, 7 min
How to slow down, speak up, and use your body to show respect, so an older relative can hear and understand your kid.
How To Stay Within Your Budget Using Rounding and Estimation
with Brittany Rhodes, founder of Black Girl MATHgic, ages 8+, 11 min
Mrs. Brittany takes kids to the grocery store with a $25 budget and shows them how to round and estimate their way through the list without going over.
How to Have Fun Being Generous with Your Money
with Jonathan and Amanda Teixeira of WalletWin, ages 5+, 5 min
A quick lesson on giving, ending with a generosity plan your kid builds using the Three Ts.
Goodbye Toys? How to Love and Let Go of Your Stuff
with Tracy McCubbin of dClutterfly, ages 8 to teen, 5 min
How to let go of the toys, artwork, and school papers that mattered once, so there’s room for what’s coming. Bring a donation box.
For parents
Technology Training Wheels: How To Take A Slow-Tech Approach In A Tech-Obsessed World
with Andrea Davis, founder of Better Screen Time, for parents, 22 min
If a device is on your kid’s wish list, watch this first. Andrea walks you through building a family tech plan and talking with your kids about digital dangers.
Your Kids and Sugar: How to Raise Sugar-Reduced or Sugar-Free Kids in a Sugar-Soaked World
with Mike Collins, for parents, 26 min
Katie interviews the founder of SugarAddiction.com on what sugar does to kids’ brains and bodies, and what habits actually reduce it at home. You might not agree with everything Mike says, and that’s fine. Come curious.
[Gift Ideas Related to] 3 Skills Preschoolers Need to Know Before Kindergarten
with Kindergarten Teacher Mrs. Jodi Haase, for parents, 41 min
A 20-year kindergarten veteran on hand strength, board games, and losing gracefully, with very specific toy and game ideas for the 3 to 5 year olds on your shopping list.
Eleven workshops. About three hours. A celebration season where you’re not the only one doing the work.
What does a workshop feel like?
1. Watch a Short Video
Kid sessions run 5 to 27 minutes, and most are under 15. Parent sessions run 22 to 41 minutes.
2. Optional: Print the Handout
Every workshop comes with a printable to follow along or keep on the fridge.
3. Try the Mission in Real Life
Each workshop ends with one specific thing to go do: wrap a real box, pack a real suitcase, call a real grandma.
With the Celebration Essentials Mini-Series, your kids get to be the ones who pulled the holiday off.
Got Questions? Here are Your Answers:
Both, and we’ll be specific. Eight workshops are for your kids: wrapping, packing, phone calls, thank you notes, speaking to the elderly, generosity, budgeting with rounding, and decluttering toys. Three are for you: taking a slow-tech approach to devices, raising kids on less sugar, and the skills preschoolers need before kindergarten.
Most are for ages 5 and up. The budgeting and decluttering sessions are for 8 and up. Speaking politely to the elderly runs 5 to teen, and teenagers get plenty out of the packing and phone call workshops too.
Between 5 and 41 minutes, about three hours and ten minutes for all eleven. Mrs. Haase’s preschool session is the long one at 41 minutes, and it’s for parents, not kids. How to Wrap a Present runs 27 minutes, which is a lot for a 5 year old in one sitting, so split it across two days if you need to.
Yes. Nothing here is tied to a specific holiday. Birthdays, graduations, family visits, anything with a gift or a guest, and these skills apply.
That’s exactly why they’re here. Mike Collins is a former sugar addict with strong opinions, and he’d tell you so himself. Take what’s useful for your household.
In a private, ad-free membership area you can get to anytime. Videos are downloadable so you can watch offline, and every workshop includes a printable and a mission.
Yes! It’s a one-time purchase with no subscription, and your access never expires. The wrapping workshop will still be there in five Decembers.
The #LifeSkillsNow Mini-Series are pulled straight from previous Seasons, so if you already own one or more, chances are you have some of these workshops already.
Yes! Celebration Essentials is one of several. If your kids liked this one, Creative Gifts Kids Can Give and Kid’s Guide to Party Planning and Hosting are the natural next steps. Read about all our #LifeSkillsNow Mini-Series right here.
No, our terms and conditions require you to use your #LifeSkillsNow Mini-Series login solely for personal use. You’re welcome to watch alongside your spouse or invite a friend over to watch with you at your house.
Still have questions? Our Happiness Coordinators are here for you. Start a conversation with the chat icon in the corner of your screen.