Being out of your typical daily routine can be tough for you and the kids. When school breaks up for the festive holidays and the excitement of Christmas day has passed it can be hard to know how to keep your kids entertained without making them too excited for Christmas. School holidays are never easy, especially when we all live in an unusual limbo between Christmas and New Year or after if your kids are returning back well into January.
How are you meant to entertain restless little ones without causing burnout for yourself? How are you meant to get ready for the New Year whilst still keeping them entertained? How do you still keep the daily routines going strong? Don’t stress – we’ve put together three brilliant ideas that are super easy to organise and promise to keep children entertained before the New Year. Who knows, you might even have fun yourself and get your chores done!
Explore the festive outdoors
Take a walk around the local neighbourhood to see if there’s somewhere new to explore or head into the countryside to blow off the winter cobwebs. You could write a tick list of everything the kids need to spot on the way or make a scavenger hunt for New Year to make things a little bit more exciting. You can find some great scavenger hunt sheets online ready to print out and head out with their wellies on!
Whatever you plan to do, a walk in the brisk winter air will help them fall asleep in no time when their head hits the pillow that night. The perfect reason to get outside some might say!
Smell Christmas in the air
A perfect activity in the build up to Chrismas that the kids always love. You can also tick off items on your neverending to-do list with this one too as you can make some tasty treats that can be enjoyed over the Christmas period or given as a gift to friends and family. Baking and cooking is a great way to keep the kids entertained and teach them a vital life skill or two!
Whether it’s Rudolph biscuits, Christmas tree tasty bites or snowy chocolate teacakes, there’s bound to be a festive baking activity that you can do with your children. There are loads of simple and tasty recipes online, or you could even buy a baking kit from the supermarket to make things a little easier. Plus, if you tell them that Santa’s elves are watching they might even do the washing up!
Sleepovers
A festive sleepover is a huge must and will keep the kids entertained for ages. Pull out the spare bed, roll down the futon on the high sleeper and even make an emergency sleeping area and invite their cousins or friends around to stay.
With plenty of Christmas films, sweet treats and maybe even their freshly baked goodies, the kids will be entertained all day and all night. This is the perfect activity between Christmas and New Year. Plus, the adults might even be able to enjoy a festive wine and cheese night in the living room once the kids are asleep. This is what the Christmas holidays are made for!
There’s so much you can do to keep the kids entertained this festive periods, you can get them involved in all the jobs you need to do before the New Year arrives or plan something extra exciting to share with others as the new year rolls in. Whatever you do, we hope you have lovely Christmas holidays and a brilliant 2024!