Christmas Break and the Kids

For many around the country, today is a significant day for parents. Why? It’s the last day of school until January, marking the beginning of our children’s Christmas Break. Why is this a significant event? It’s a day that many parents dread because they have no idea what they are going to do to keep their kiddos busy for two entire weeks. (Some schools are even out for three this year!) If you are one of these parents, don’t freak out. We’ve got some fun ideas for activities you can do with your kids over Christmas Break.

• Have a Gingerbread House Making Contest – If you have grade-school age children and older, then hosting a gingerbread house making contest is a great way to keep them occupied for the day. Of course, you can’t go buy a kit at the grocery store and expect the kids to be entertained for hours. No, they’ve got to make them by scratch in order for this to be an all-day activity.
  If you’ve never made a gingerbread house from scratch before, you can do a search in Google and find the instructions, recipes and patterns you need. If you and your children have made gingerbread houses from scratch before, then you will probably be able to leave them alone (checking on them periodically is recommended) once they get the pieces in the oven. Baking and building gingerbread houses is not only a lot of fun, but it gives kids something constructive to do with their time over Christmas Break.
• Have a Fashion Show – If you are the parent of one or more young girls, then helping them put on a small fashion show is a great way for them to spend an afternoon. This is especially fun for a group of girls to do. Additionally, it’s a great way for your girls to get some extra usage out of all those formal dresses they have in their closets!

• Volunteer – One of the best ways to get your kids in the Christmas spirit while keeping them busy during their Christmas Break is to get them involved in volunteer work. Perhaps you are close to a local food bank that serves meals to the homeless during the day or there’s a nearby nursing home that will allow your kids to come in and sing for 30 minutes? Those are just a couple of examples of places your children can volunteer their time for a good cause, there are many more. Just look in the phone book for more ideas.
• Get Out and Have Fun – Many parents prefer to keep their kids at home for the majority of Christmas Break, but this can just lead to bored and restless children. So, why not consider going out for at least an hour each day (or every other day) over break with your kids? A few things you can do include: going ice skating, watch a movie, go bowling, take the dogs on a walk, get hot chocolate or a mocha at a nearby coffee shop, etc. Just getting the kids out of the house for an hour will help burn off some of the extra energy they have.