Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Original poster

Age when children no longer believe in Santa

107 replies

CurlyNo2 · 24/12/2022 22:02

My son is 6 and I am really enjoying this age and the magic of Santa and Christmas and it got me wondering how many more years do we have before he no longer believes.

What age was your child when they no longer believed in Santa?

How did this transition happen to your child and what was their reaction when they found out?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

workiskillingme · 24/12/2022 23:47

I don't know why but this thread has made me cry
It breaks my heart to think in the next year/ two my little boy won't believe any longer
He's my last child and it's just hitting me a lot harder this time around

Floralnomad · 24/12/2022 23:52

We did FC as a story , we still went to see him etc but we never pushed him being real . Our children both always loved Christmas, pre secondary school we always went to Disney Paris the week before Christmas so that started the festivities . They are now 29 & 23 and still both love Christmas , we’ve never lost any magic because the magic was our family traditions not FC .

ErrolTheDragon · 24/12/2022 23:52

Dd was sceptical at 5 and didn't 'believe' in Santa by 6 - but it in no way diminished our enjoyment of Xmas.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

6 year olds Christmas General parenting

FirstTimeMaybes · 24/12/2022 23:53

My eldest is in Y5 and I think this year might be our first with a non-believer.

Although like many of you my parents never sat me down and told me and I won't with my DC.

Still went to bed full of excitement and has been climbing the walls all day.

Christmas magic is what we make of it. And I'll keep Santa going for mine as long as they'll let me, even if everyone is just playing along.

stargirl1701 · 24/12/2022 23:55

Both DC still believe here at 10 and 8. I think the end of primary school is normal so maybe one or two more years for my eldest.

TheaBrandt · 24/12/2022 23:55

Six is a lovely age. Most kids figure it out by late primary. Don’t be sad though - am really enjoying Christmas with lovely teens.

Frazzled2207 · 24/12/2022 23:56

Mine are 9 and 7.
7yo def believes but 9yo def sceptical

the main reason for the scepticism seems to be however that the various Santa trackers he has downloaded suggest he is in a different place!

AmazonPrim · 24/12/2022 23:57

@Nimbostratus100 it sounds like you haven't interacted much with many young children in your life. Most 2 year olds can barely even string a proper sentence together yet alone grasp the concept of Santa. At 3, many are just starting to believe and understand what it's all about, so I find your account a bit hard to believe. I also find it a bit sad that all of these non-believing children you mention are missing out on the magic of Christmas. It's a bit joyless really.

QS90 · 25/12/2022 00:00

My children never "believed" I never "believed" my siblings never "believed" - but we all enjoyed the play acting, while knowing 100% it was play acting.

Oooh, I certainly believed! So much so one year I was convinced I heard the bells on the reindeer. I guess every family does it differently though.

I've just been Santa for the first time!! Our DC is two, he was so excited for Santa he was spinning around the middle of the livingroom 💔Didn't totally get it though, as kept trying to eat the snack we were leaving for the reindeer 😂

JudyGemstone · 25/12/2022 00:02

My son was about 4-5 years old when he turned to me one day in summer time and asked me if Father Christmas was real.

I figured if they ask a sensible question they deserve a sensible answer so I said no he’s not real but he wasn’t to tell his younger sister!

I don’t think it spoiled Christmas for him at all, he’s 18 now and still gets a stocking!

antipodeancanary · 25/12/2022 00:06

Always astounds me! My DS certainly didn't believe when he was five (year one) and neither did any of his friends. How can a child believe if they have contact with the outside world aka going to school? First kid who finds out or who had parents who never played along tells the others and that's that done and dusted.

downnew · 25/12/2022 00:08

My 10 year old seems to still believe.

My 13 year old was questioning it from around 8 years old I think, maybe younger. He's very literal and concluded it just wasn't possible.

Gooseysgirl · 25/12/2022 00:12

Mine are just turned 9 and almost 11. We told them both earlier this year. My 9 yr old unfortunately has a couple of classmates determined to spoil it for the rest of them, so we decided it was better coming from us. They are both just as excited as usual, they still had to write letters to Santa if they wanted Santa gifts 😆

MajesticWhine · 25/12/2022 00:13

You can't send them to secondary school believing in Santa. We told my youngest and most gullible DD when she was about 10/11. She told me some of her friends still believed at the time.

MrsElijahMikaelson1 · 25/12/2022 00:16

DS (16) told me today that his teacher told the whole class in year 6! Then I said as I have done with all the others-we can have that conversation if you want but you have to know that Santa doesn’t come once that happens-so do you want to continue this conversation? He said no 😂😂😂

sjpkgp1 · 25/12/2022 00:17

I have four children, and although the older two may have told the younger two (despite much warning and finger wagging), they would have heard the rumours around school anyway. Hasn't diminished our enjoyment of Santa one bit, and until fairly recently we were still putting the carrot and porridge oats out, the mince pie and the sherry, and making jokey comments that if you did not believe he would not come. Everyone was keen to keep the dream alive. DC4 (now 17) said in the past year or so "ha ha, aw poor Mum, she still believes.....". It defo does not need to be traumatic, we all have a laugh about it, and actually DC3 set "traps" to prove it one way or the other many years ago. I still say now when we see a Santa somewhere that he is obviously "not the real Santa, it is just someone dressing up as him" which makes them gape at my naivety. x

Gooseysgirl · 25/12/2022 00:19

SchrodingersKettle · 24/12/2022 23:12

My dd was 11. There had been playground rumours a she wasn’t surprised. When she told me she knew, I confirmed it and said, “well I knew you’d find out one day, but you have enjoyed Christmas and Easter so much and you still will.” Dd gave a little wail and said, “Not the Easter Bunny too! Oh mum! …. Wait a minute is the tooth fairy … waaaah!”

worst. day. ever 🤭

My DS has always been a bit weirded out by the tooth fairy and was delighted when we busted that myth for him 😆

Drywhitefruitycidergin · 25/12/2022 00:20

Dd1 is 11 (just started secondary) and has said this year she's not sure he's real but she wants to keep the magic.
Dd8 has never even questioned it.

PeekAtYou · 25/12/2022 00:23

Mine worked it out when they were 6 . They were happy to be let into an adult secret and were happy to play along when younger kids were around. Santa was always quite a low key thing - they wore Santa hats and coloured in pics of him as he's the symbol for Christmas.
They had friends who believe at 9 but those mums (don't know about the dads) were really into Santa and a couple posted dramatic SM posts with tear emojis when their kids admitted they knew.

CinnamonCoffee · 25/12/2022 00:28

I have twins who are 6 and one of them kept asking when is Santa coming. The other however said a few times that Santa isn't real

Cornelious · 25/12/2022 00:28

My two just turned 11 year olds still believe. Made cookies for Santa and each write him a letter. I'm sure it's the last year though.

Stag82 · 25/12/2022 00:32

around 7 in this house. DS is 8 and still loves the Xmas magic. Think he really wants it all to be real but sadly found out through school friends last yeatu

FirstnameSuesecondnamePerb · 25/12/2022 00:33

With my 3, I would sat 8/9 but hedged their bets til 11 or so.

Shadope · 25/12/2022 00:37

At 5 years old she asked me to tell her the truth and I did. If a child believes in a magical man defying the laws of time space and gravity beyond about 8 I’d be worried.

golfwidow88 · 25/12/2022 00:37

My children know he's not real 🙃 I think it's weird but they think of him as some magical being around Christmas time like the Easter bunny etc so they still have all the fun.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5