Christmas is quickly approaching, which means school-aged children everywhere will be out of class (and bored!) for two or more weeks very, very soon. If you are a stay-at-home mom like myself, you may be wondering what kinds of winter activities you can do with your kids to make sure they don’t drive you crazy.

You’ll want to be sure to read about these fun indoor activities from Lori. Even though they are geared toward preschoolers and toddlers, I’m betting your first, second and third graders will still get a kick out of them. Their brains work so hard during school, it’s nice to get this break by doing more “baby” like projects with them. Here are five additional winter activities you can do with your kids during this school break:

Winter Activities

1. Teach about charity and giving: There are so many ways to get involved during the holiday season. If you can’t donate time, try adopting a family so kids in need can experience the joy of Christmas, too. This is a great time to talk to your children about being selfless.

2. Finish homework early: My daughter is only in kindergarten, but so far there has not been a single break or even weekend without homework. Over Thanksgiving break, she had to do a book report! The days of Winter Break being an actual break are long past. There are a few days before the holidays before things get crazy. Use these days while school is still fresh on their minds to get school work done so you aren’t rushing on the last Sunday of break to get it all done. Your break will be much more relaxing if homework is out of the way early.


3. Do a fun challenge: Kids love competition. Challenge them with silly Winter Break rules. An example could be that you won’t watch the same movie more than one time over the whole two weeks. This will help bring out other fun favorites and keep you from watching Frozen on replay until the DVD literally stops working. Try a reading challenge. If they read 5, 10, or 20 books over break (depending on their ages), they’ll get a special ice cream treat.


4. Refer to Pinterest: If you search for home school and your child’s grade or age you will find an abundance of projects you can work on with your children. You will find learning worksheets, crafts, book recommendations, and so much more. If you’ve never taken a stab at home schooling, it’s okay. There is no pressure. You just do what feels nature and have fun with it.


5. Cook with your kids: Heading to a holiday party tonight and need your kids off your back? Have them help with the casserole, side dish or dessert you planned on making anyway. Kids LOVE to cook. They love stirring and measuring and licking the spoons. The good news is people tend to think it’s adorable to eat cookies that kids decorated. There is just something about them that tastes merrier. Be safe with the oven or stove stop cooking but otherwise, what’s the harm? (Need recipe ideas? How about a homemade Chex Mix?)

I don’t know about you, but I’m really looking forward to my daughter getting more time at home with me. I’ve missed her this school year. Even though I understand the sentiment of “If I hear, ‘I’m bored!’ one more time I may pull out all my hair,” I am trying hard this year to embrace the time and plan ahead to combat the boredom. These moments count the most because they won’t always be looking to you as the person they want to hang out with the most. Enjoy it now while you can.

 

Category: Family Free Time

Tags: boredom