Four Easy and Inexpensive Ways To Keep Your Kids Entertained During Christmas Break
How Do You Keep Your Kids Entertained During the Holiday Break? Don’t Worry! We’ve Got You Covered!
Here we go! For some families, two and three weeks off for Christmas and New Years begin now! And yes, the thought of sleeping in a bit, not packing lunches and staying in pajamas until noon sounds appealing, after about three days, the excitement wears off and cabin fever starts to set in! Do you wish you had time to leisurely browse Pinterest for creative ideas to keep your kids busy? What are busy moms and dads supposed to do to entertain their kiddos with shopping, wrapping, cleaning and cooking left to get done, without resorting to the television?
Four Easy Ideas To Keep Your Kids Entertained!
Plenty! There are so many great ideas out there, but rest assured – we did the legwork for you and narrowed to the search to four excellent ways to keep your kiddos plenty busy, and allow you to make a phone call or two, pay some bills and wrap those final gifts. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
Arts and Crafts Box: This should be a staple of the well-stocked, crafty home. Create a special drawer or shoebox filled with art supplies. Throw in colored pencils, glue, stickers, paper, tape and scissors. If you have old magazines around the house, don’t put them in the recycle bin just yet. Kids can spend hours cutting fun ideas, shapes and people out of old magazines. Have them create a colorful collage to give to grandma and grandpa. Search for things that inspire them for a sunny vacation. The possibilities are endless.
Indoor Sand Box: Using a cardboard box or large plastic storage bin, fill the container with Quaker Oats. The oats will be the “sand”. Use plastic beach shovels, spoons, plastic forks, beach toys, whatever you have on hand to play in the sandbox. The best part of this craft is there is virtually no mess, and you can pop a top on the container and store for later use as well!
Build A Maze: If you have extra toilet paper and paper towel rolls, do not throw them away! And, how about those large packaging boxes that have been arriving from UPS these last few weeks? Don’t flatten and put out to the curb. Instead, they can be turned into a great craft for the kids. Here is a fun idea from A Happy Wanderer. Cut the cardboard rolls into half and glue cascading down the long side of a large cardboard box. Let dry for a few hours. Pro the box up against a wall for support and let the kids drop balls, cars (or really, anything that rolls!) down the path. You will be surprised how engaged your kids will be with this homemade maze!
Monster Puddles (courtesy of Pinterest!): While this idea will require you to get it set up – once it’s in place, your kids will have a great time playing outside while you are busy in the house. To make the monster puddles, you will need powered tempera paint in any color (this is the best kind of paint, as it’s non-staining), and a handful of any scary, wacky, slimy, creatures you can find. Rubber eyeballs, fake spiders, slithering snakes – anything you think will create the perfect monster! Many of the items can be found at the Dollar Store, or even your local Target $1.00 isle. Sprinkle the powered paint into a rain puddle outside. Then let your kids toss in a bunch of creepy crawly toys! Or, as our inspiration for this craft did – create your monster puddle during your child’s naptime for a really fun surprise! Let your child put on some rain boots and stop away!!
Want Additional Inspiration or Ideas?
Parenting Magazine’s 75 Rainy Day Activities
Enjoy Your Holidays!
