Cool ideas for festive and fun Christmas activities for children (and adults)
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We have selected some cool ideas for festive and fun Christmas activities for children (and adults). Family is something really precious and Christmas is one of these special days that strengthens ties and touches hearts. Winter holidays are about good mood, festive spirit and spending time with family.
Traditions and activities are different in each country and in each family but it depends on parents to create memories and habits so that kids understand the meaning of the holiday, and not only get excited about Santa coming and bringing gifts. More than traditions, moms and dads will be teaching values to children, and building memories that they will carry throughout their lives. You do not need to wait for the school vacation. You can start your Christmas activities list in early December.
Christmas activities for children – make a list
Sit down with your children and make a list of all the activities for the holiday season. Ask them what they would like to do and share some of your ideas. Our list below will be of help so use any of the activities and ideas below.
Nativity themed Christmas activities for children
There are many websites on the internet from where you can print free birth scenes of baby Jesus and children will be able to color them.
Tell the story of the baby Jesus – this is an excellent opportunity to go out and see the Nativity scene arranged at the church near you or at the town square. Even if there is no such composition around your home, you can organize a special night for the kids, sing Christmas song and dress the kids like the nativity characters.
Another option is to put together the nativity scene as a festive decoration in your home, explaining what each character means and who they were.
Christmas activities for children – charity, decoration, arts and crafts
Christmas is time to share, time to give, so you can choose a poor family and make a surprise. Look around in the neighborhood and choose a family that you know is in need and leave a surprise basket at the door. There are many ways to help the less fortunate and children can participate in this and learn by example.
What could be the better time than Christmas to ask them donate some of their toys to other children? Of course, it doesn’t mean that all their favorite toys should be donated. You need to explain, especially to smaller kids or to the children donating toys for the first time, that they can give one, two or more toys, or as much as they like.
Writing letters and crafting greeting cards is a wonderful activity. Children can help in the design of drawings for distant grandparents, relatives and friends of the family who live far away, or even cards for relatives who live nearby.
There are many DIY Christmas gifts ideas suitable for children. Your kids can choose some materials or even recyclables to make small gifts for other kids, siblings, cousins, friends, grandparents and relatives, so you can organize an afternoon for crafting and wrapping gifts.
Bake and decorate cookies. This is one of the favorite kids’ activities. You can wrap each cookie as a Christmas gift or host a cookie swap party with other children from the neighborhood. Children are entertained, especially if the Christmas treat is meant for a purpose, such as delivering cookies to a neighbor, or a cake with a message to the grandparents. Check out some dessert recipes that everyone will enjoy. Your children will love helping to pack and deliver these desserts.
Craft Christmas decorations – there are hundreds of kid friendly craft tutorials on the internet – paper crafts, salt dough tree ornaments, crafts with buttons and beads, etc. The children can make original decorations from dried pasta, natural materials like pine cones, acorns and walnuts, edible garlands from popcorn so plan an afternoon or two for crafting.
Decorate the home for the holiday! Decorating the house for the holidays is one of the top Christmas activities for children. The holiday is full of symbols and you can use the time to explain the meaning of the Christmas tree, wreath and other symbols while decorating. You can ask them to craft decorations in traditional colors or in their favorite colors. Place a small Christmas tree in their room and let them decorate it with the ornaments that they crafted.
Outdoor Christmas activities for children
You cannot keep children inside all the time, especially at holidays. There are many outdoor activities for children and you can have a family entertainment night by talking a drive to see Christmas lights display or the festive decoration downtown. Make hot chocolate and watch a movie when you return and this would be a lovely evening for the whole family.
Think of the outdoor decoration of the house. Have a walk in the park with the children to gather materials for decoration. Craft wreaths and ornaments for the porch, the front door, the front stairs and spend an afternoon decorating the front yard. Of course, you should not forget the Christmas lights as they give the magical touch to your decoration.
Singing Christmas carols – you can gather the children of the family or the neighborhood and organize a choir. Choose some songs, one to three songs that they can memorize and rehearse. This little choir could be the joy of the neighborhood passing from house to house.
Organize short day trips to historic places or houses, museums, Christmas market or exhibitions. This is the best time to see the interesting places near your home. Almost any museums and other organizations have special exhibitions or Christmas workshops for children, so do not miss this opportunity for a fun morning or afternoon. You can go to a tree farm to pick a tree for your house.
Doing these activities together with the children will help create memories and focus on the meaning of Christmas, teach them to help, to share and give to one another, and appreciate family time.