School break is here and those kiddos of yours are bored! Here are a few simple ways we enjoy holiday break with our kiddos that won't break the bank and will keep everyone sane ;)
Read together
Remember that trip to the library? Well here is one of the times it comes in handy! I love finding seasonal books to read. 1000 Hours Outside has one of my favorite lists to get inspiration from each month. Snuggle up in that fort you built and read with your kiddos. Even if you choose to skip the library and the fort reading with your kids is so good for them. You get physical contact of snuggling as well as all of the benefits that come with reading out loud to them. If you have older kids who can read have them take turns reading out loud to you! Another great time to have your kids read aloud to you is while you are cooking. I love my daughter grabbing a book and sitting in a chair reading to me while I make dinner or bake a treat.
Christmas Movie Marathon
Another great way to use the fort is for a Christmas Movie Marathon! Again, your local library will likely have some great options for you to check out. If not there are tons of options online for streaming. We love doing the Christmas Classics with Rudolph, Frosty and Jack Frost. We also love Rise of the Guardians, which might not be a traditional Christmas movie, but we love it during the holidays! The Grinch of course is a classic along with The Santa Claus (and they have so many sequels to it that you can have a whole marathon with just those).
Homemade playdough
This is such a simple activity that you can do again and again using ingredients you likely have on hand! My kids love making this with me and then have a blast playing with it for days. If you keep it in Tupperware or Ziploc bags it will last for 3+ months.
Some of our favorite kid craft items to keep on hand!
Play Dough: (Homemade or store bought) using playdough toys or even cookie cutters kids can spend so much time playing with this! Modeling Clay: Basically the same thing as playdough, but modeling clay has the ability to dry and not crumble. Beads: I usually keep beads, string, pipe cleaners, clips, and chains for the kids to be able to make all kinds of projects with. Earrings, Necklaces, Bracelets, and Key Chains are some of their favorites to make. Perler Beads: We got a bucket of beads three years ago and my kids use them all the time. We still have at least half of a bucket! There are all kinds of trays you can get. My kids love making key chains from these and my ten year old is learning how to make 3D things with them now! Paint: These kids paint everything. Paper painting with water colors. Painting birdhouse gourds from the garden to create little houses for birds. Painting rocks to hide at the park or in the garden. I got them smocks and paint cups last year to help keep the mess from spreading everywhere. When it is nice enough they paint outside so I don't have to worry about it getting on my kitchen table. Yarn: My oldest daughter knows how tocrochet and my five year old has learned finger weaving and she got the Melissa and Doug weaving loom last year. We keep yarn on hand for the two of them when they want to do handiwork projects!
Bake a treat
My kids spend a lot of time in the kitchen with me. I love to cook and bake and naturally they are curious as to what I am doing. From the time they are able to stand they get up on the step stool watching and helping with tasks that are away from the heat. Dumping, pouring, stirring, kneading. They love it all! As they get older and are able to follow directions they learn how to find ingredients in the fridge and pantry, measure correctly, crack an egg, and stand assisted at the stove to stir with help. When they show that they are able to be responsible around the hot surfaces I allow them to help pour and mix on the stove top. By age seven my oldest was able to cook several things on her own and now at ten she loves having baking days where she kicks me out of the kitchen and whips up all kinds of treats! She loves picking cookbooks out at the library to try new recipes. She knows how to search for what we have on hand to make recipes without me needing to make a trip to the store and she also knows how to plan ahead and write out a list of things she needs me to pick up on my next grocery trip. I think every parent should make it a habit to bring their kiddos in the kitchen and teach them valuable skills! If you have multiples you can have them take turns being in the kitchen, this will help reduce your stress and the risk of someone getting hurt. As they get more used to being in the kitchen you can have them take turns watching and helping.
Do a family puzzle, play games or build something together
There are so many options when it comes to this! My ten and five year olds will sit down and work on a 500 piece puzzle with me. My five and four year olds will work on anything under 100 pieces with me. I love getting a big puzzle project going with the older girls and having my son sit with us and build Legos. Legos and Magna Tiles are toys that I feel we will have in our home for years! There are so many things you can build with them and they really do entertain kids for hours. Especially if you get them started by helping to build something. You can find Lego books at the library or online that have directions on how to build various creations.
Board games are our Family Night activity of choice. They are also great for siblings to play together without needing a parent right there. We have a wide array of games for various ages and for how many people are needed to play. If you really wanna surprise your kids, play a game of hide-n-seek! They will love trying to find mom and if you bring your coffee you will even get a few minutes of piece on your own to enjoy it!
Get outside
If the weather is nice enough I suggest getting outside! This might be playing in your own yard, going to the park, taking a walk or even bring bikes if there is a walking trail your kids can ride on. The fresh air and sunshine will do everyone good. If it's warm enough I like to pack lunch and some books. We make it a picnic and read while everyone is eating. Even if the weather isn't the warmest you can still bundle up and get outside. My kids love making leaf piles to jump in and I'm pretty sure all kids love snow! And if you have hot cocoa after to warm everyone up that's even more fun :)
The best part about 90% of these activities is they can be as hands on as you want. If you need a mental and physical break then initiate the activity like building a fort and sit back for a moment of peace on your own. Take the kids to the library and give them the parameters of where they are able to explore. Take a seat where you can see/hear them and relax for a few minutes. Grab a book and head to the park. Set a timer and tell them that you aren't playing chase or pushing anyone on the swing until the timer goes off. Enjoy reading for a bit while the kids play. Enjoy your time with the kids on their holiday vacation as much as you can!
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I created a simple little coloring book for the kiddos this year. I really wanted very basic Christmas themed pages for them to doodle on. My oldest can use her fine markers and add details if she'd like, my middle can take the individual pages and use glue to add glitter galore, while the youngest can use chunky crayons and color away happily! They are versatile for everyone :)
You are welcome to pick and choose the pages you'd like to print or print off the entire thing for a full set of holiday themed coloring pages.
Here are some of my kiddos favorite coloring tools and materials for coloring pages!
PS If your printer takes thicker paper my daughter really enjoys me printing pages like this on multi-media paper and then she can use watercolor, artist pencils, etc to color them in!
ENJOY! |
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Proud supporter of Mother Goose Time curriculum!All the posts in this blog are from real life experiences. We've taken the activities and materials provided in the Mother Goose Time curriculum and modified it in different ways to fit our lifestyle. Enjoy the read!
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