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ideas for kids on holiday break

Random avatars of sugar and carbohydrates currently sprawl across my table, and I recently did the Sam’s Club pickup with holiday snacks to feed four teenagers.

Which is to say, never, ever enough. And I need price-club-sized tubs of things like salsa and cheese dip.

I’ve been noodling on ideas for kids on holiday break for years, people. But picky teenagers really up the ante, y’know?

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, with Caveats

But my Marine, aka oldest son, made it home last Wednesday, people, which is cause for sheer celebration–particularly when coupled with the birth of the Savior of the World.

And yet, after finals week and fast-food jobs and boot camp for my kids, coupled with the sheer pace of life for my husband and me, some family knuckles are dragging the ground this year.

That is to say, we want to somehow create some well-warranted sparkle, but without a lot of additional chaos. (Is that a thing?)

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 important they not think their world is about them.

But it’s great to have up your sleeve a few ideas for kids on holiday break–to create lifetime memories, stir up some creativity, serve others (the first list has printable thank you notes, too!), soak up childhood (for them and you), and kindle some meaningful quality time together.

All you overachievers–just pick a couple. Or have your kids pick a couple. The idea is fun, not peppermint-flavored burnout. 

Ideas for Kids on Holiday 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. That’s a win, folks.

We used a Vinegar Taffy Recipe, but you might also enjoy adding those leftover red and green sprinkles, as suggested in this recipe. If you’ve never been to a taffy pull, this video will help!

Wow them with simple science.

During one school break, I picked up 101 Coolest Simple Science Experiments: Awesome Things to Do with Your Parents, Babysitters, and Other Adults.

The book sat on our counter, and my kids thumbed through it every few days to try something new: the CD hovercraft, the paper airplane launcher, DIY pulley system, Pencil Arrows, Marshmallow Molecules.

Bonus: Most of the stuff was in our junk drawer.

Also from the book above: T-shirts colored with permanent ink (like a pack of colored Sharpies), then sprayed with 70% rubbing alcohol. This dissolves the ink, and the colors morph into a colorful explosion.

Get them building with something different.

In case it’s not obvious, I get a kick out of my kids thinking in crazy new ways–like this rollercoaster for ping-pong balls, constructed out of straws.

Try newspaper rolled up into spears and connected with masking tape to make a tepee or fort; popsicle sticks (my kids like building bridges and buildings!); pasta (like lasagna, fettucine, and wagon wheels); your recycling bin.

My son built a boat out of foil and recyclables–and delightfully surprised me when it floated. If you dig this kind of stuff, search on the internet or Pinterest for makerspace for kids.

A classic at our house over break has typically involved building a fort with pillows, blankets, cushions, and furniture to spend the night in front of the Christmas tree.

With teenagers, this now looks like pulling out the sofa bed. And I’m just fine with that.

Snow (or not-snow-much) ice cream.

Yes, my teens also still dig snow ice cream, made even better with all those leftover Christmas sprinkles.

No snow? Check out this easy recipe for DIY ice-cream in a Ziploc–with ingredients you probably already have! (We used regular salt, and replaced the milk with half-and-half.)

Don’t forget local calendars.

When it comes to ideas for kids on holiday break, don’t forget your city or town’s online calendar for what’s going on in your area that’s free or low-cost.

A lot of libraries, in particular, populate their schedules with crazy-fun stuff you don’t have to prep–like making gingerbread houses, a movie afternoon complete with popcorn, or a Lego night.

DIY TY’s.

Seize the downtime to have your kids send out thank-you notes for Christmas gifts.

For younger kids, here’s a simple printable thank-you note (help them circle the adjectives they want)! Print it FREE here. (I’ll post it on the Freebies page, too.)Older kids probably like to pick out their own notes at the store or make their own. (For me, buying thank-you notes they get even a little excited about is worth the expense.)

You can make a template for them, with a goal of, say, one note per day (or the option to bang ’em all out at once). A sample template…suitable even for gifts kids aren’t thrilled about:

Dear _____,

I wanted to thank you for the (great/cool/huge) _____ you gave me. It was really (thoughtful/generous/kind/sweet) of you! I (can’t wait to use it at ___/have already used it to ____/think of you every time I see it). I’m grateful.

Hope you have a happy New Year!

(Sincerely/Love/Your __(granddaughter/grandson/niece/friend…etc.),

[name]

For younger kids: 50 Role-playing ideas for kids on holiday break.

Mix up a quick Christmas treat that packs a big punch.

We’re talking thirty minutes or less from start to glorious finish–and you’ll get a handful of treats to schlepp over to the neighbors or leave out for the postman (post-person?) and sanitation workers. A few of my faves:

Plan one day–or just one project–to serve others.

It can be a lot easier than you think! Grab 25 low-prep ideas–like tying a fleece blanket for Project Linus or a kid you know in the hospital. (Pro tip: Let your kids pick the fabric.)

Or consider baking something from the ideas above for a lonely neighbor.

(Know anyone who might not be able to share Christmas with family this year?)

Have an easy family night.

Here are 30 ideas.

Used books–or at a trip to the library to stock up.

With a budget per child that you communicate, traipse over to the used bookstore or library to encourage books they naturally gravitate toward. Libraries also have audiobooks, obviously, or even jigsaw puzzles and board games to check out.

You might even let them pick out a Christmas chapter book to read aloud together with cocoa by the tree at night.

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 is still 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).

If you’ve got the cash, consider letting your kids pick out a new game–or give one as a family gift at the beginning of break.

Have an indoor hot dog roast.

Don’t forget the s’mores. (Side story: We constructed more than one pseudo-smore roast during our years in Uganda. I loved our Ugandan 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.

Print your own iron-ons using printer papers found at lots of big-box stores in the craft aisle. Or Michaels.com has some fun ones with sloths, mermaids, donuts, sushi…

Even better, teens can design their own using sites like 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. Can you hear “Christmas Time is Here” playing?). My daughter also has experimented with some feather stencils.

Pass on a family recipe.

Maybe it’s grandma’s cinnamon rolls, like in my family. Have fun making a heritage recipe this year.

Start a read-aloud 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 or Chatbooks and tell stories.

Pack care bags for the homeless.

To have on hand for the panhandlers in your city, create an assembly line of items from a list like this, packing them in resealable bags. (Bonus: It helps your kids see the homeless in your community and treat them with dignity and care.)

Create a Christmas scavenger hunt.

I come from a family full of great ideas! My sisters have more than once planned a massive scavenger hunt for gifts for our nieces and nephews.

All of us 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. It’s the perfect coup d’etat when it comes to ideas for kids on holiday break.

Make Sand Art Brownies

ideas for kids on holiday break

…for teachers and neighbors. 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. Even teens like this one, folks–especially with a few well-chosen prizes.

Grab 30 ideas for your competition here.ideas for kids on holiday break

Bundle up for a winter hike together.

Bring flashlights, a phone to take photos of their best discovery, and 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.

Bonus Ideas Just for Teens and Tweens

In addition to these ideas for bored tweens and teens, grab ideas for the whole family that may include (a little) less eye-rolling.

Trivia Night with Mocktails.

Create your own pub trivia night, using online trivia, a game like Pub Trivia, or trivia books from the library. This one’s great if you have braniacs.

Look up simple mocktail ideas on Pinterest and slide over some bowls of pretzels and peanuts.

Scavenger Hunt around Town.

I loved these templates for ideas! Amp up the mood a little with goofy holiday hats or headbands.

Photo Scavenger Hunt.

Use those phones for something a little more valuable. Print out a template like this one! 

Hot Cocoa Bar.

Grab some candy canes, make your own peppermint syrup, and set out whipped cream, ice cream syrups, marshmallows, and sprinkles.

Fondue.

…And you don’t need a fondue set, BTW. We usually make a cheese recipe and a chocolate recipe, with assorted fruits, bread, veggies, marshmallows, and cookies or graham crackers for dipping. (This is great to make a night special, like New Year’s Eve.)

 

And that completes my roundup.

Got more great recipes and ideas for kids on holiday break?

Comment below!

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