Six weeks… six weeks of holidays lie ahead for the kids and you’re probably already wondering how you’re going to keep them busy while staying sane at the same time… Sure, Netflix, PC tablets, and gaming consoles can keep them occupied for a bit, but where is the (healthy) stimulation?

There is an alternative. There are other, more thought-provoking ways to keep the kids busy over the holidays, no matter where you might find yourselves. Doing activities with them is a great way to bond and who knows, maybe your own inner child will resurface.

When choosing activities for everyone to do, share it with the kids so that they have something to look forward to. They can, if possible, also contribute to things they would like to do. Take them with when you go shopping for art and craft products, this will create excitement and they get to choose out what they would like to use.

Here are some possible activities to consider for the holiday season:

Make your own games

Make your own games out of coloured cards, scissors, glue, pens, etc. and create some fun games such as ‘pin the tail on the donkey’ or ‘snakes and ladders’. It will keep your kids busy while making the games and eventually playing it.

Decorate their rooms

Let your kids decorate their own rooms for Christmas. They can make anything from paper snowflakes, string lights, ornaments like a small carton Christmas tree or a reindeer.

Create a family movie

Create a movie with your family as characters cut out of carton and let the kids decorate their own ones. Create a scenario to start the movie with and let the kids use their imagination on what happens next. This will eventually expand into more characters being created… hours of fun!

Have a puppet show

Print a couple of Christmas characters such as a snowman or gingerbread man. Let the kids colour them and decorate them further with glitter or ribbons and put on a puppet show, at home or either in the car while travelling. Here is another Christmas set. Tape them on popsicle sticks and have all the fun with the kids!

Create a summer dairy

Get the kids a diary each or a scrapbook to capture the moments of the holiday season. Encourage them to collect things at the places you visit. For example, when visiting the waffle house, they can each collect the stickers from the serviettes to stick to their diaries and write a short description of the waffle they had and their experience.

Get jamming

Gather all the materials for the kids to make their own musical instruments and get jamming with them. They can choose to make anything from hand drums to a DIY microphone. Encourage them to decorate their instruments to their liking, this way they’ll be more thrilled to use it.

Paint

Painting is known to be a great stress reliever, especially when using your hands and feet. Get some craft paint and large sheets of paper to express your creativity and just have fun. Give the children a subject to paint and see how your family’s art transforms into a masterpiece. Remember to keep a bucket with water and a towel nearby to wash when you’re finished. Don’t walk into the arena with complaining kids while being super stressed and unprepared. Take some time to arm up with some creative ways to keep the kids occupied this holiday season. When you do this, by the time the holiday is over and the reality of normal life kicks in, you won’t look back and think ‘Thank goodness, that’s over’. Instead, you’ll think Best. Holiday. Ever!