Holidays can bring out greediness in young kids. Tone down materialism with these three steps.

1. Focus on fun. Are most of your family outings to the mall? Switch to activities that veer away from spending, like sledding or volunteering, to show that fun needn’t be that costly.

2. Curb rewards. If you offer loot in exchange for doing chores or getting A’s, your kid is just going to want more. Instead, offer praise, hugs and together time for jobs well done.

3. Teach need versus want. Each time she asks for something, help her decide if it’s essential or not. If it isn’t, let her know she can’t have it now, but she can start saving her own cash to buy it.

Source: Michele Borba, EdD, author of The Big Book of Parenting Solutions