16 More Fun, No-Screen Ideas to Occupy Kids on Christmas Break

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Missed the first list? Grab it here.

Note: You are not the cruise director/court jester/general fun planner for your home. There are great benefits to kids being bored– and there are even dangers to our kids having the expectation they will always be entertained.

My kids will have some extra chores over break (trust me; there will be extra mess), and it’s really important to me that they not think their world is about them.

But sometimes it’s great to have a few ideas up your sleeve to create memories, get creative, serve others (the first list has printable thank you notes, too!), and have meaningful quality time together, soaking up childhood.

Used books–or at least a trip to the library to stock up. Living in Uganda, we could only access electronic books from the library. So part of my budget each year was to gather the best children’s books…which my kids would read over. And over. And while we now tote home (probably way more than) our share of library books, I love investing in books that will be read and re-read. (I moved all of our kids’ books into our media room with the cuddly chairs. When screen time is done, it’s nice to peek in and see kids curled up.) When Christmas break hits this year, I’ll let my kids open a (wrapped, if I get time?) box of books–including at least one specifically curated for each of my kids’ interests. My favorite site for used books, which sells even cheaper than Amazon? Abebooks.com.
Keep a good old-fashioned puzzle going, or a long-term strategy game. Pop up a card table and allow family members to mill around a puzzle, or a game to ensue that normally you wouldn’t have time for (Monopoly, Axis and Allies, Risk, Settlers of Catan).
Have an indoor hot dog roast. Don’t forget the s’mores. (Side story: We once constructed a pseudo-smore roast in Uganda. I loved our adult Mukonjo friend’s expression when he first tried one! “These are AMAZING!”)
Make simple T-shirts or bar towels with iron-ons. My sister brought these to a family gathering one year, and I still use the towels. Get this: You can print your own, using printer papers like this or this. Or Michaels.com has some fun ones with sloths, mermaids, donuts, sushi…
Stencil T-shirts. With a fabric medium like this, you can add the medium to any color acrylic paint–and it automatically becomes a fabric paint! This is how I created a Charlie Brown t-shirt for my son (the yellow one with the black zigzag at the bottom?). My daughter also has experimented with some beautiful feather stencils.
Pass on a family recipe. Maybe it’s grandma’s cinnamon rolls, like in my family. Teach your child how to make a heritage recipe this year.
Start a chapter book together. School nights get a little crazy over here. But we recently finished Hatchet during bedtime reading (or at least started it; my kids got too anxious and finished it on their own. Not a bad thing!). This is a great plan for kids who struggle to settle down after a long day.
Make your own bathtub paints.
Look through old photo albums and tell stories.
Pack care bags for the homeless. To have on hand for the panhandlers in your city, you can do what my sister prepared for all the nieces and nephews last year. She placed one item from a list like this at a time in plastic wrap, and wrapped around it several times. In the same sheet of plastic wrap, she added another item, and kept wrapping. By the time all of the items for one bag were wrapped, she had a giant snowball of plastic wrap for each family–so fun for kids to pass around and pack for the homeless in resealable bags. (Bonus: It helps your kids see the homeless in your community and connect with them.)
Create a Christmas scavenger hunt. I come from a family full of great ideas! Last year, my sisters planned a massive scavenger hunt for our gifts for our nieces and nephews. All of them dressed in Christmas gear–the hats and headbands, the striped pants. Through clues on strips of paper and vehicles at the ready, we led them to different locales around the city: Listening to a story read by Grandma in the children’s area of the bookstore. Getting cake pops at Starbucks. Singing Christmas carols to the pets at the pet store. The kids L-O-V-E-D it, and we now have great memories around their small gifts from last year.
Make Sand Art Brownies for teachers, neighbors, etc. Here’s a good recipe! We used Christmas colors for the sugars, and tied directions onto the jars with twine.
Minute to Win It. My sister-in-law had the fabulous idea on New Year’s Eve to play “Minute to Win It” for small prizes. Grab 30 ideas for your competition here.
Make no-sew fleece blankets for Project Linus. Hint: If your kids pick out the fabric, they’ll be even more excited.
Bundle up for a winter hike together. Bring flashlights, a phone to take photos of their best discovery, and some hot chocolate in thermoses.
Get competitive. For a small reward, see which child can memorize the most Scripture verses over break. You can help them with easy ideas to memorize, like music and memory cards from Seeds Family Worship, free printable adult coloring pages, or Scripture Typer.