Surviving and thriving during the winter season is no easy task, especially when your kids are on holiday break. As the weather in San Francisco cools down, it is crucial to have a game plan to fill up your kids’ free time. Luckily, our six easy and entertaining winter break activities for kids can help you create fun-filled, manageable moments that allow you to get through the holidays with your sanity intact.
Set Up a Winter-Themed Scavenger Hunt
Kick off the festivities with a winter-themed scavenger hunt. Transform your home or backyard into a winter wonderland with hidden items related to the season—think miniature snowmen, silver bells, or even pictures of winter animals. Equip your little adventurers with a list and watch the excitement unfold as they race to find every last object. It’s a wonderful way to burn off that holiday sugar rush!
Decorate a Gingerbread House
Unleash your child’s inner architect by organizing some gingerbread house decorating fun. This sticky, sweet activity allows kids to express their creativity and hone their design skills. Best of all, you can nibble on your materials! Pick up a gingerbread kit from the local store, or go all out with homemade pieces. Either way, you’ll end up with deliciously festive centerpieces.
Build a Model Plane or Rocket
For kids fascinated by things that zoom and fly, building a model plane or rocket provides a stellar mix of education and fun. This hands-on activity is not only a blast but also an engaging way to introduce the principles of physics and engineering. When helping them paint their creations, slip in a little DIY learning moment by showing them how to thicken acrylic paint for models. The right paint will help them create a vibrant finish on their aerospace masterpiece.
Have a Holiday-Themed Movie Night
Curling up with a good film is a winter break staple. Make it a holiday-themed movie night by queuing up classics that the entire family can enjoy. Pop some popcorn, drizzle it with caramel, and settle in for an evening where the only chill comes from the excitement of the holiday flicks onscreen.
Make Christmas Decorations
Crafting DIY Christmas decorations is a delightful way to celebrate the season. Whether you’re fashioning paper snowflakes, stringing popcorn garland, or creating an ornament out of family photos, these activities will result in fun home decorations and help you and your family create lasting memories. Plus, they provide the perfect opportunity for your little ones to improve their fine motor skills.
Break Out the Puzzles and Board Games
When it comes to wholesome family activities, nothing beats the traditional charm of puzzles and board games. They are a surefire way to engage the family in some strategic fun. It’s also a sneaky way to reinforce lessons learned in school, like problem-solving and critical thinking.
This winter season, embrace each day with activities that entertain and educate your children. With these easy and entertaining winter break activities for kids, you now have enough ideas to make the holiday season one for the books. And remember, when the festive cheer gets a bit too chaotic, there’s nothing a good board game can’t fix. Happy holidays!
We do movie nights often! We have so many different Christmas movies that we enjoy watching.
I love the idea of a winter backyard scavenger hunt! It keeps the kids entertained while getting some fresh air.
These are all wonderful ideas. My kids and I have done some of these already this year.
I love it when we do holiday movie nights with the kids! We usually make hot cocoa and popcorn to go with it.
Thank you for sharing your ideas on how to make it enjoyable during winter break! Thank you so much for sharing
These suggestions are a lifesaver! Winter break can be a challenging time to keep the kids entertained, but these activities are perfect!
The winter-themed scavenger hunt sounds like a blast—anything that helps burn off that holiday sugar rush is a win in my book!
Decorating a gingerbread house is fun for us. We’re not very good at it, but we like to do it. Laughs abundant for sure as we try to get fancy or pretty but just can’t. We’re not the photogenic gingerbread house family, lolol
During the winter break, it is important to have a plan to keep your kids entertained and engaged. These activities not only provide fun and entertainment but also offer opportunities for learning and creating lasting memories!
Oh gosh, I LOVE the idea of a scavenger hunt. What a great one!
we are spending time with family this break but board games are among my favorite things to do for those cold winter days when we would rather be inside
Those are some great ideas to keep in mind. We would love to play games and have a movie marathon for sure.
These are great ways to keep kids busy over winter break. This week we’ve done 3 Gingerbread houses and created Gingerbread cookies in addition to almost daily walks.
This will surely love the kids this vacation because of the entertaining it will give.