How Ciara Is ‘Strategic’ About Shopping for Christmas Gifts for Her Kids

Ciara has officially mastered the art of gift-giving for her little ones.

Talking with PEOPLE behind-the-scenes while gearing up to host Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest for the third year in a row next week, Ciara revealed the secret to buying the perfect presents for her children during the holidays.

“It takes strategic planning, that’s what I like to say,” Ciara, 34, tells PEOPLE. “It’s strategic planning at its best because it’s really about what they want. Not so much about getting tons of things, but just being really strategic and having a clear list and thinking about what they really love.”

“Our son Future has had so many holidays so we’ve kinda mastered the art of giving gifts because when you have one child, at first you’re stacking up the gifts like crazy,” she continues. “Then you start to realize, ‘Okay there’s a strategy to this thing.’ You don’t have to go crazy on the gifts, but be really specific about what they want.”

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Ciara is mom to 5½-year-old son Future Zahir (from a previous relationship with rapper Future) while she and her husband Russell Wilson, 31, are parents to their daughter Sienna Princess, 2½.

The singer detailed what her little ones have been interested in these days.

“Sienna is now getting into dolls and just recently I went to American Girl. I took her with me and she wanted everything in the store,” Ciara recalls. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ Then I said, ‘Oh, this is gonna be easy’ because the things she likes, she touched. So I was like, ‘We’re gonna get that, we’re gonna get that, this is gonna be easy.'”

“Future loves fashion as well. Sienna loves fashion and glam so I have a general idea of where I need to go and how we need to focus on their gifts,” she tells PEOPLE. “I think being strategic with the gifts is good. Before, I would just buy all this and all that because I thought they wanted to have everything, but you realize they really just want the certain things they really love.”

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For Ciara, finding the perfect gift for her children is important. But what’s most important for the singer in the new year is watching her little ones grow and accomplish new things along the way. She also can’t wait to make more memories with her husband Wilson. The happy couple enjoys doing family activities together, like dressing up for Halloween.

“What I’m looking forward to the most in 2020 is watching my kids reach more milestones and of course, having more and more fun with my husband too,” she tells PEOPLE.

Describing what the kids have been up to, Ciara says: “It’s so sweet when I see my kids just grow and achieve new things. Like my son is now reading, he’s reading words by himself. He’s starting to sound it out and that makes me so proud. Then my daughter, she’s got so much personality and so much sass so she just has a mind of her own and she knows who she is already at 2½.”

“She’s 2½ going on 21,” Ciara says with a smile. “So I just look forward to seeing what they’re going to keep doing and how they’re gonna grow.”

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The singer gave a special Christmas performance during NBC’s Dec. 16 special, Holidays with the Houghs.

Putting a fun twist on traditional Christmas songs, the singer rocked the stage wearing a red, leather ensemble that she topped off with a hat to match. In true Ciara fashion, the songstress delivered impressive dance routines while wearing red, knee-high boot heels.

The singer shared a video from her standout performance on her Instagram. For the caption, she wrote: “CC Christmas Vibes. Gotta put a little 808 in that thang:) Thanks @nbc @juleshough and @derekhough for having me. #Christmas.

As for bringing in the new year — the singer will do so with a bang as she hosts Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2020. Ciara will be rocking out at the West Coast party.

“The most exciting part about hosting, oh my gosh, it’s so fun,” she says. “This is my third year and I just think there’s no better way to bring in the new year than with the rest of the world on such an iconic show. It’s really special.”

“The energy has always been very unique on this show and I remember being a young girl watching the show and knowing how I felt when I watched it,” Ciara recalls. “To be able to be a part of it is really cool.”