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kids on winter break

Missed the first list for kids on winter break? Grab it here.

My kids are getting older, which means winter break looks different here. Sniff.

Of course, we’ll still be decorating cookies and mushing together the family clam dip. (It’s a Breitenstein thing.)

But Christmas Eve, we’ll have three different pickups of three different kids: two teenagers have gone for more fun with relatives this week, and my oldest–the Marine–arrives from Camp Pendleton.

So I’ve foregone some of the past fun and grown it up a little. I purchased new board games–History Channel trivia and some card-deck strategy games like this one that if he wants, my son could take on deployment next year.

We’ve got the family edition of We’re Not Really Strangers to keep the conversation, connection, and laughs flowing at dinner. (There’s a kid edition, too, if you’re interested.) That dinner involves a lot more groceries, people, than it used to.

But that also means I’ve curated a stash of grown-up prizes to woo them: Garfield socks, Mandalorian Pez, Black Rifle Instant Coffee, watermelon bath bombs.

Because no matter their age, having ideas in your back pocket for kids on winter break is just plain fun. And trust me: You’ll want the memories.

But hey, tired parents: You are not the cruise director/court jester/general fun planner for your kids on winter break. There are great benefits to kids being bored– and there are even dangers to our kids having the expectation they will always be entertained.

That said–

Ideas for Kids on Winter Break

Have an old-fashioned taffy pull.

When we tried this with my kids and their cousins, I was delighted to hear my mom–who was admittedly a little skeptical of the potential mess–remark that this was a lot easier, cleaner, and faster than she thought! Try a recipe like this one.

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/marshmallow roast.

…Even if it’s just over your stove burner.

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. 

Get this: You can print your own T-shirt iron-ons, using printer papers you find at, say, Walmart–like this or this. Or Michaels.com has some fun ones with sloths, mermaids, donuts, sushi…

Older kids might enjoy designing their own for free on Canva! 

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.

Kids on winter break can be a little more open to learning new skills, and might even be kind of sentimental around all the Christmas sparkle. 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. But I have fond memories of reading 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, and particularly for kids on winter break.

If you’re too bushed, plunder audio books as an alternative. My kids were able to understand more than they could read in elementary school, so it was fun to listen to books like The Candymakers or classics like The Boxcar Children.

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, kids on winter break can do what my sister prepared for all the nieces and nephews.

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.

(For a more environmentally friendly option, try hiding the items around the house.)

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! One year, my sisters planned a massive scavenger hunt for our gifts for our nieces and nephews. The whole fam 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.

We’ve also done a version at the mall, where the adults dressed in disguise, and the kids had to find all of them.

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. kids on winter break

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.kids on winter break

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 caroling, or 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. I personally like the Versify app for older kids (grab it here for Android). Younger kids might like music and memory cards from Seeds Family Worship, free printable adult coloring pages, or Scripture Typer.

Got more great ideas? Comment below!

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