During Winter Break, kids can easily get cabin fever and whine about how bored they are. Entertaining children throughout the long winter break requires planning and effort. Here are some family-fun activities to do with your kids on their week off.
Make Food Art
Older and younger kids alike may love to use food creatively to make edible art. Cupcakes, cakes, cookies, pancakes, bacon and eggs and many other types of foods can be adorned with various toppings or cut into unique shapes; the possibilities are endless.
Head to a Museum
Plan a trip to a local museum. This could include an art museum, a history museum, a science museum or even a children’s museum. Think about exhibits, displays and activities that your children are most interested in as well as displays that may be most well-suited for their interest level. You may even take a day trip to another nearby city to add some excitement to your winter break.
Design a Cardboard Fort
If you have boxes left over from a major purchase or the holidays, pull the boxes out for your kids to play with. Help them to construct a fort, a rocket ship, a castle or another type of structure. If possible, get out construction paper, paint and other items. This project could keep them busy for several hours or even days.
Get Creative with Paint
Purchase wood crafts and figurines at a local hobby store for your children to paint. These are priced affordably and you can even look for items on sale for additional savings. Buy washable paint for your kids to use while taking a bath. Window paint is another creative option to consider. Painting rocks, vegetables, t-shirts, aprons and other items to paint. If you have artistic kids, you can even set aside a small area in their bedroom where they can paint a mural. Remember to protect the floor to avoid a huge mess.
Bury a Time Capsule
Kids will love the idea of burying a time capsule. Everyone can write a letter and select a few important items to place in the capsule. Then, you can choose a great place in the yard to bury it. This idea works best when your yard is not covered with a layer of snow or ice. Make plans to dig up the capsule in 10 or 15 years.
Make Models
If your children are artsy, you can create your own models out of clay. After the clay has hardened, the models can be painted. You can also purchase unpainted figurines as well as model cars, rockets and other items at a hobby store.
Create an Obstacle Course Indoors
Consider designing an obstacle course. This may involve crawling under yarn that you have tied to two chairs, crawling through boxes, jumping over laundry baskets and more. They can also alter the course after a few attempts to make it more challenging.
Try an Escape Room
Some escape rooms are challenging, even for adults, but other rooms are designed for beginners and may be suitable for kids and teens. These rooms can be expensive, but they are a great way to treat your children to a new experience or you can even look for discounted offers online. Look for the easiest rooms if possible, and ask the staff about appropriate ages for the rooms that you are interested in.
Make a Home Movie
Kids can have a great time producing a movie. Your kids can simply dress up in homemade costumes and act like their favorite TV or cartoon characters. Older children may design a set, write a script and take other substantial efforts to create an elaborate production. Kids who enjoy doing this may want to create movie after movie, and this could potentially keep them occupied for days or weeks.
While winter break can be dull and uneventful, it does not have to be. Plan ahead so that you have all of the necessary supplies or ingredients on hand for activities.
