Wahoo – School is out for Christmas! Now it’s time to think of ways to keep the kids busy over winter break. There are all sorts of ways to keep them entertained and active without breaking the bank or having to taxi them around all over the place.
Thanks to Oriental Trading for sponsoring some of the pictured (and linked) items in this post.
Activities to Keep Kids Busy Over Winter Break
Crafting and Beadwork
Boys and girls enjoy working with their hands to create something cool. My kids were over the moon when they saw that I ordered them some craft kits to work on. The cool thing is that they can keep these crafts, or they can even give them away as gifts to their friends, family, or folks in the neighborhood. In fact, my daughter was talking about giving her completed fleece tied pillows to men and women at a local nursing home.
There are all kinds of inexpensive, cute, and even giftable winter crafts, hobby, and party supplies over at Oriental Trading. Here are the ones I knew my kids would flip over.
Beaded Snowman Charm Bracelet Craft Kit
Silly Gingerbread Magnet Craft Kit
Peanuts® Christmas Fleece Tied Pillow Craft Kit
Try Something New
There are many fun activities to keep kids busy over holiday breaks that I’ve mentioned before. I’ve decided to compile a few more ideas to share so that you don’t go crazy trying to entertain everyone. I don’t know about your kids, but my kids start acting up if they aren’t given enough things to do or enough new experiences. Even simple things will do the trick, but the key is to mix it up so no one gets bored. Boredom leads to naughty behavior in this household!
Host Mega Game Days
My kids love board games and card games. They can entertain themselves for hours as long as it is age and skill-level appropriate. My 5 year old loves to play games that are a little too hard and just asks everyone to go a little easy on him.
I like to pick up new board games when I go to the store, but I recently added one into my Oriental Trading cart called the Marvelous Mitten Matching Game for my two youngest kids. Wouldn’t you know my older kids had a blast playing this with them, too?
It has 56 pieces in the set, and that’s a LOT of matches to make. I’ve placed this one high up on a shelf so my 3 year old doesn’t lose any pieces between games, because it was a hit with everyone.
Battle it Out
Without fail, my sons want to play an epic battle with their pretend guns when we are stuck inside. They will go through hundreds of little darts and pop me in the face at least a dozen times an hour when they really get into it. I got my boys and Inflatable Snow Fort and may have to get a second one so both sides can have a home base to retreat to and covertly attack their enemies in battle.
We may or may not get snow this winter, but if we do, we can just take this fort outside for them to use for real snow ball fights! Otherwise, we’re keeping it in our loft upstairs so they have a great hiding spot to discuss their tactics and reload their weapons. It even has a flat floor in the fort and it’s much more stable than I was expecting!
Stay Physically Active
Don’t forget about indoor games! Kids and adults alike need to keep their bodies moving, even when it’s cold outside. Try a new one with your family this winter.
Start a NEW Tradition
For more ideas, be sure to look at these Christmas traditions you can start this year. Many of them are not Christmas-day exclusive, so you have time to enjoy them over the days leading up to and following your holiday festivities.
What are your favorite ways to keep your kids busy over winter break?
