Winter Break Activities for Kids

These winter break activities for kids are a great way to avoid the kids saying “I’m bored” over the school holidays. They will give you things to give them to do while you’re wrapping presents (assuming they don’t help with that) or getting the meals ready (ditto).

This year for the girl I did something similar to the summer activity jar, but instead of using craft sticks and a flower pot I used paper-punched Christmas trees and put them in a holiday-themed box.

Some of the activities are the same, or they’re the same things we do all the time, like reading, coloring and playing with LEGOs. But I always want to provide her with plenty of options without having to give the normal “well, you could do this…” sort of speech.

This time I also enlisted the help of some blogger friends to round out my list with great, kid-tested winter activities.

I hope these winter break activities for kids will give you some ideas for things you can do with your children while they are home, too.

Christmas-Themed Activities

Because we have a few days before Christmas I wanted to include some holiday-themed ideas. We can always still do them this winter and save them for next year’s decorating.

• DIY Christmas cards using handprints | footprints — Bringing up the Parks
• Yarn-wrapped Christmas tree — Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds
• Paper cone Santa | Printable Christmas bingo cards — One Creative Mommy
• Binary name ornaments — Schooling a Monkey
• Pipe cleaner ornaments (admittedly, we’ve already made a ton of these as a Daisies project) — The Chaos and the Clutter (younger kids can try this version from 3 Boys and a Dog)
• Jingle bell music craft — Bambini Travel
• Sparkly Christmas ornaments — Sparkling Buds
• Elf on the shelf handwriting practice | find the letter | which elf is different? — 3 Boys and a Dog (a little young for my kid, but yours might like them!)
• Christmas printables — Red Ted Art
• Christmas playdough mats — Tot Schooling
• Torn Paper Wreaths — Best Toys 4 Toddlers
• Craft Stick Reindeer | candy train — Fireflies and Mudpies

Creative Play

• Felt busy boxes — Teach Me Mommy
• Christmas STEM: a new sleigh for Santa | Magic clinging bow (learning about static electricity) — Schooling a Monkey
• Snow playdough — The Chaos and the Clutter
• Fairy busy bag | dinosaur wash | loose parts | pretend play hospital — Little Worlds Big Adventures
• Build an evergreen tree — Preschool Toolbox
• Ribbon and bell chimes — Preschool Powol Packets
• Playdough chocolates | cardboard cookies — Best Toys 4 Toddlers

Art Activities

• Painting on ice | Fine-motor activity with sticky paper— Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds
• Make baby snowmen — One Creative Mommy
• Make a coloring book — Beauty Through Imperfection
• Invitation to create snowflakes — The Chaos and the Clutter
• Mandala coloring pages — Sparkling Buds
• Envelope Aliens | more snow dough — Crafty Kids at Home
• Winter art project printable prompts — Adventure in a Box
• Yarn pompom snowman — The Life of Jennifer Dawn

More Winter Break Activities

• LEGO building challenges such as Christmas ornaments or making a marble maze
• Build a fort
• Play with something you find in your closet
• Make a collage
• Do a puzzle
• Bake something
• Read to me
• I read to you
• Use your storytelling tin or box or make your own
• Pick a sewing project to work on
• Coloring pages
• Make someone a card and send it
• Bubble wrap stomp painting
• Find an art activity on Pinterest
• Do science experiments (with science kits she already owns)
• Hand sewing
• Knitting
• Jingle bell shakers/instruments
• paint a wooden tree (I bought at Target last week)
• typing or math games

Actually, pretty much all of the indoor activities from the summer list will be making an appearance again in the winter break activities list, so go over there if you need more ideas.

The summer flower pot “list” was a big hit and she still goes to it from time to time when she can’t think of what to do. I hope these winter break activities will last as long and keep her occupied even when it’s too cold to go outside.