50 Family Holiday Activities
Earlier this week, I wrote about why I am now a bucket list convert and how they don’t have to be over-the-top, guilt-ridden experiences; in fact, they can be wonderful reminders to stop, connect, and enrich our family lives.
Today, I want to share with you 50 Family-Friendly Holiday Activities — ideas that are flexible enough to be added to your Advent Calendar, or go on a season-long Winter Bucket List.
For the most part, I suggested things that everyone can do, but there are a few Christmas-type suggestions because that’s what I celebrate and am most familiar with — but feel free to tweak or replace with your own family traditions!
(I also included some warm weather variations and traditions for my friends down under!)
- Movie Night
- Build a Snowman — out of snow or marshmallows.
- Make snowflakes and decorate your windows.
- DIY Snowglobe.
- Learn a Christmas Song.
- Go for a walk or drive to see holiday lights — on houses or at the park.
- Bake something festive.
- Go on a date to a coffee shop or bakery (go early enough that you can say yes to a donut and hot chocolate, if requested).
- Winter hike — you could even try geo-caching.
- Have a PJ day.
- Make a living room fort and let the kids camp out for the night (bonus points if you join them).
- Host a nature or holiday scavenger hunt.
- When grocery shopping, let your kids each pick out one special holiday treat — and buy two, one for them, one for them to donate to the food bank on the way out.
- Family game night.
- Make homemade ornaments or popcorn garlands,
- Host a play date or small holiday party.
- Make a holiday craft.
- Have an impromptu dance party to your favourite Christmas classics.
- Tissue paper snowball fight!
- Build an igloo (out of actual snow, or ice cubes if you’re in a warmer climate).
- Volunteer as a family.
- Outdoor photo shoot.
- Make a winter-themed breakfast, lunch, or snack.
- Make some DIY bird feeders.
- Warm up some apple cider or make hot chocolate — store-bought or homemade.
- Check your local newspaper for fun events — we found free horse-drawn carriage rides in our downtown core!
- Attend a bazaar and admire all of the hand-crafted goods.
- Learn about other holiday traditions — check out our Hanukkah and Kwanzaa mini-units.
- Put together a gift basket or shoe box for someone in need.
- Make room for new presents by going through your old toys and donating a few.
- Make Hot Chocolate Oobleck.
- Make a gingerbread house (or a foam or cardboard house to avoid allergens).
- Read your favourite holidays books — take turns doing the voices!
- Let your child wrap up their toys or books with wrapping paper and a whole roll of tape. If your child is older, let them wrap up their room, or at least the bedroom door!
- Have a themed sensory bath to warm up after playing outside.
- Sit around and talk about your family’s holiday values — be they financial, spiritual, religious, cultural, environmental, etc. Have a conversation with your kids, not a lecture.
- Mail out homemade cards or small ornaments.
- Make a holiday video and send it out to your family and friends!
- Explore a winter-themed sensory bin or small world — basically, cotton balls and whatever you feel like adding to it!
- Or, have the children make their own Winter Wonderlands — maybe for a fairy or favourite toy to visit.
- Make Sparkly Snow Play Dough and make imprints of animal figures in it.
- Make Hot Chocolate Play Dough and Marshmallow Play Dough.
- Decorate a tree (or DIY a Menorah) — real or wood-and-felt!
- Look at pictures from the past year (maybe even start a simple scrapbook).
- Cuddle up under some blankets and reminisce about your favourite holiday memories — children love hearing about their parents’ (and grandparents’) childhoods.
- Make some sensory-filled art with homemade scented paints.
- Go on a season-specific outing, like visiting a Maple Syrup Shack
- Eat S’mores beside a pretend campfire.
- Go skating or tobogganing.
- Ask your child what special thing they’d like to do. They may surprise you!
What special Family Holiday Activity would you add to this list?
I love this list. I am curious, is there a limit on the number of pj days you can have?
Hm, nope!