Skip to main content

10 Ideas to keep kids busy during winter holidays

It's almost Christmas. While the festive spirit is surely magically and makes all of us look forward to it, I certainly feel the despair of parents especially those of school going children. I am listing out few ideas that could help engage your kids during Christmas holidays.

Set up a Christmas tree

Talking about Christmas, the first thing that comes to my mind is Christmas tree. Try setting up a tree along with your kids. It's not only fun, but also kindles the creativity in your kids. You can also try making your own Christmas ornaments using minimal craft items. If you live in apartments or don't have much space in your home, you may alternatively try setting up a wall Christmas tree. Check out the video below on making Christmas ornaments and how to set up a wall Christmas tree. Those festive lights inside your home will certainly warm up the place and your kids will cherish those lovely moments. 


Bake Christmas treats

Baking doesn't need any occasion. Does it? Then well, it is Christmas!! Try your hands at making Christmas themed cookies or apple cinnamon cake or simple cup cakes. Have your little baker by your side to help you at work. I guarantee you two things by involving your kid while preparing these treats - a lot of mess and loads of fun.

Watch Christmas movies together

Another fun thing to do is to watch Christmas movies together. One such movie I recently watched with my son is Christmas on Mistletoe Farm on Netflix. A widowed father along with his kids goes to his village to celebrate Christmas at his farm. It was quite funny and interesting. Kids will surely enjoy the movie as it is set up in a farm and shows the fun children have with the farm animals. Many lovely movies like Klaus, Christmas Chronicles, Robin Robin, The Boss Baby: Christmas Bonus, A storybots Christmas, Mighty Express: A Mighty Christmas etc. are quite entertaining and also share a message to the kids. So based on your kids age, choose a movie to watch together during their screen time. Running time of few movies I listed is just 30 minutes, so you can very well play it during your child's screen time.

Walk/ drive around neighbourhood

Are you bored engaging kids at home all through the day? It's time to get out and take a walk in your neighbourhood. Those colourful Christmas lights are sure to lift up your spirits. Alternatively you can go for a long drive in your car to check out the decorations in nearby areas or those in the shopping malls.

Have fun at Christmas events

During this holiday season, there will be a lot of free and paid events for families to attend like light shows, Christmas decorations, parades, arts and crafts etc. Spend a day/ evening outside with your children and spend some quality time. I have listed 10 such interesting activities to do during Christmas and New Year in this link.

While being with your kid is quite delightful, I feel your mommy heart. It is longing for a little break and some alone time. Don't worry. I got you covered. Try the following with your little one instead.

Decluttering and organizing

Over a period of time, clothes, toys, books, crayons, craft items etc. get accumulated in our homes and many go unnoticed and unused amidst whole lot of stuff. So during every school break, make it a ritual to declutter and organize your kids room. Tell your kid to take a look into his room/ drawer/ cupboard/ closet one per day and segregate all those he doesn't need anymore. Also tell him to take charge and organize his room. Give those unused and unwanted items (in good condition) a new home, either by donating or selling. If your kid is 6 years or less, involve them while you declutter. Ask them what items they would like to retain and explain them why they should or shouldn't retain those. While you tidy up the space at your home, you are also instilling an important life lesson in your child. 

Winter themed activities

Many libraries and organizations conduct winter themed classes/ events for free. You may enroll your kid(s) in those. Also give them some worksheets which are fun as well as enriching. You may download them from online and use. I have designed few worksheets covering English, Maths, critical thinking and colouring. You can download them at no cost from the link here.

Gift an engaging Christmas present

Get your child a Christmas present not only satisfying their fantasy, but equally keeping them occupied. Best options would be activity/ craft/ sticker books, puzzle games, word games, building blocks (lego, magnetic blocks etc.), erase and reuse colouring mats and likewise. Below are few good products that are tried and tested by us and makes good Christmas gifts for your child. Click on the links to view.

  • Activity Workbook - Click here
  • Sticker book - Click here
  • Magnetic blocks - Click here
  • Word games -   Click here

Organize play dates

Plan and organize play dates with your kid's friends. You may have them at home or meet at parks (if you live in not so colder countries like Canada), ice skating, indoor play areas, pizza making or cake baking, etc. It is better to plan anywhere but home, so that it saves you cleaning the mess after the date 😜Also you don't have to meet all your little man's friends the same day. Plan to have meet ups with just one or two, twice or thrice a week. 4 or 5 such play dates can help you easily knock off the 2 weeks Winter break.

Plan get togethers

Winter is the best time to catch up with friends and family. Have them over or you can go to their place to spend a day or two. While kids enjoy the company of their friends/cousins, you can have some quality time with your dear ones. The advantage is, you can take a pause and relax while your kids are busy in their world. And with more helping hands, you can cook together and relish delicious food or get together over a pot luck. Or even better, for a change, have men work in the kitchen. Sounds like fun? Then what's stopping you?  

I hope these 10 ideas help you sail through the holidays and motivates you to come up with few more innovative ones. Please share how you engage them. I would love to try those.

Also do share this post with parents whom you think might be beneficial. If you wish to read my latest articles and watch the content I create, follow me on Instagram and Facebook!! 

Finally, Wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Anex Monkey Smart Watch

Hello Readers,  Welcome back. While browsing through a weekly flyer by Canadian Tire, my eyes got hold of a smart watch, primarily for its name - Monkey Smart Watch. It's original price was $89.99. On account of Father's Day, the price was slashed 70% and offered for just $24.99 (from June 9th to June 16th).  As it was listed on Canadian Tire website, I thought the product should be genuine and googled to know more about the product. But there weren't sufficient reviews online. So I decided to try it myself and booked it online. This smart watch was launched in the last quarter of 2021 as Anex Monkey Smart Watch. Last year, it had been sold for just $19.99 as part of Black Friday deal. Even after 5 days of waiting, Canadian Tire didn't process my order. On the other hand, the stock was vanishing real quick and only 80 watches were available in our near by store. When checked with their customer service executive, I was told to cancel my online order or wait until they p
32 comments
Read more

Book: Sidney Sheldon's The Silent Widow by Tilly Bagshawe

If you are from 80s, like me, it is most likely you would have started your reading journey with a Sidney Sheldon's novel. Hands down, he is a master story teller known for his thrilling plots, inspiring characters, suspense and unexpected twists. Looking at the name of the book  Sidney Sheldon’s The Silent Widow , don't mistake it for written by Sidney Sheldon. Tilly Bagshawe is the author of this book.  Tilly Bagshawe is originally known as Matilda Emily Mary Bagshawe. She is a fictional writer who has written many international best-selling novels like Adored, Flawless, Temptation, The Show, The Bachelor etc.. Sidney Sheldon's estate thought Tilly's writing style is similar to Sidney Sheldon and chose her to write under his name. Thus far she has written 8 books as part of Sidney Sheldon series. Coming to the story of The Silent Widow, Nikki Roberts is the main character and she is a psychologist. She lost her husband in a car accident and since then is heartbroken n
Post a Comment
Read more

Recipe: Idiyappam | Sevai | String Hoppers

Idiyappam, is a well known break fast item in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Sri Lanka. It is also known as sevai or string hoppers (in English) and is primarily made out of rice floor. Like idli, idiyappam is made through steaming using no oil, making it very easily digestible and light on stomach.  When I think about idiyappam, I remember 2 instances from my childhood. One of my friend's mom, used to feed her 2 year old with different colourful sevais for evening snack - white, yellow, red along with a liquid version of it too, almost 3-4 times in a week. Later I learnt from her elder daughter (my friend) that they are coconut sevai (sweet version), lemon sevai, tomato sevai and rasam sevai. Though born and brought up in Chennai, we aren't much into idiyappams.  I don't remember eating them until I crossed 10 years. Whenever we visit a doctor with fever, our doctor used to give a list of food items - kanji, bread, idli, idiyappam and rasam rice, which I was usually averse to even
9 comments
Read more

Book: The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama & Howard C. Cutler

My knowledge on Buddha and Buddhism is limited to my school text books and some documentaries. I always wanted to know more about Buddha, his preachings and the philosophy of Buddhism. Few months back, I reached out to a book recommendation group on FB. Just within minutes, I received multiple suggestions on books on Buddhism, out of which I chose "The Art of Happiness" (the one with the highest number of recommendations). I decided to read it as the first book of 2024.  If you had been following me regularly, you would have known I wasn't successful at meeting my yearly reading goals. So unlike previous years, I wanted to adopt a different approach and goal towards reading, that could enable me to read more. I have explained about it at the end of this article.  For now, let me get into the topic "The Art of Happiness" is authored by the 14th Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler. His Holiness Dalai Lama needs no introduction. HH Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of th
4 comments
Read more

Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory

As the fall has set in, options for outings get limited, especially when we have kids. We recently visited a Butterfly Conservatory, at Cambridge, Ontario. It is completely indoor, so a plus for us to visit during fall and winters. It was re-opened in July 2021, after Covid-19 restrictions were relaxed. Entry is based on timed tickets (to be purchased online, as walk-ins aren't entertained these days due to Covid-19). 2 hours slot is allotted per ticket and face masks are mandatory, to ensure safety of visitors.   Now, coming to the Conservatory, it is set up in a tropical environment, which is essential for the survival of butterflies. It houses large varieties of free-flying butterflies and moths, tropical plants, birds, turtles, waterfalls and pond. Highlight is, one gets to see the four metamorphosis stages (i.e., egg, caterpillar, pupa and butterfly) of few varieties of the butterflies at the center. There is also a live display of insects and arthropods in the rooms adjacent
4 comments
Read more