Christmas holidays: Activities to keep kids entertained over the festive break

Fun puzzles, games and other activities to keep the kids (and the adults) entertained over the festive season

Family puzzles, games and toys to while away the festive season (The Independent)

This year might mean we’ve spent more time than ever before with our kids but, let’s face it, that’s a blessing (most of the time!).

Though now school’s back on and we’re not frantically trying to teach at home (hurray) the Christmas break means we can actually do some fun stuff with our children.  

And of course, with limits on our movements still in place, we will probably be doing it in our own homes most of the time, rather than mixing too much with others or going to events, so you'll want to make sure you’ve got plenty of ideas lined up.

If you’ve got younger kids, a spot of “make and do” is fun for Christmas: simple arts and crafts like making Christmas cards, tree decorations or little gifts for relatives can while away a wintry morning.  

We have a whole range of ideas in our best crafts for kids guides, including making superhero masks, tie-dye kits and a “colourmazing” jungle which includes special pens that won’t leak across the lines, meaning pictures look super-crisp.

Remember too that lots of kids really like helping in the kitchen – so getting them in as helpers on any baking you’re doing is another nice activity.

And of course the occasional family game is a bit of must for most of us for Christmas. For younger kids, you might want to choose games that have fairly simple rules as you probably don’t want to do too much explaining, while older kids might like to get competitive. Any sets that involve hours of building are a bit of a must-have to while away wintry days, too.

Don’t forget the great outdoors too, when it comes to Christmas. If it feels like you’ve been cooped up at home for far too long, there’s nothing like a brisk walk with the family to tire the kids out.  

We know the old adage that there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing, so as long as the family’s kitted out, you could even do some walks in the snow should we get it, making snowmen and snow angels as you go.

And after the walks? The bedtime story remains probably the best activity of the day, so be sure to keep this in your Christmas holiday routines.

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Christmas activities to do with the kids: Our reviewers’ picks

Monopoly (£24.01, Amazon) is such a classic board game that’s worth investing in if you’re a game-loving family. This one has a twist on the original, as our reviewer notes in our guide to best board games: “This modern twist on the ultimate family board game comes with an interactive Mr Monopoly banking unit, which is voice-activated and handles all of the game’s transactions. He keeps tabs on players’ money and properties so there are no cash or cards to think about.”

This version is a twist on the regular Monopoly board game (Amazon)

For younger ones (aged three to six), there’s this Christmas Eve Box (Orchard Toys, £12.95) which includes a 20-piece puzzle and a simple Bingo-like game where you turn the cards, and the first to fill their board wins. Take a look too at ourbest puzzles for adults and kids which has a lot more puzzle ideas.

This simple puzzle and game will keep little ones occupied for a while (Orchard Toys)

The brand’s magic maths game (£9.97, Boots) made it into our best educational toys guide, so you might even want to look at that if you’re keen to keep your child’s learning up while they’re on school holidays.

If you’re looking for something a little livelier, though, and your child’s a budding rock star, you might want to check out this amazing Soundbops Starter Pack (£119.99, Soundbops) which we included in our round-up of the best toys of 2020.

This musical game is perfect for any budding little David Bowies (Soundbops)

It’s aimed at three to nine-year-olds and has 10 musical instrument sounds. You can stack the “bops” to make chords and everything comes in a sturdy case to keep it all together.

Our reviewer said this game is “a fabulous introduction into the wonderful world of music, parents will also be pleased to know there’s a headphone socket and adjustable volume switch for when jamming sessions reign.”

And if your children are slightly older, getting in on a building activity with them could be seriously bonding.

K’nex (£25, Argos) was featured in our top of our best STEM toys guide: it’s really good in particular for the fact you can make so many different varieties of things with it. 

You get rods and connectors to build pretty much what you like. Our reviewer said: “These snap together neatly, and while there’s an easy-to-follow booklet with ideas including dragons and robots and diggers and dragonflies, it is also something that encourages freestyle building.”

An exceptional set for young builders (Argos)

If your family likes a game that tests your observational skills we can totally recommend this lovely wooden memory game (Jaques London, £7.99) for children aged four+.

It won the Best Buy award in our review of the best memory games for all ages, with our reviewer noting:  “Players essentially roll the dice and try to locate a piece which matches the colour on the top. You take turns in this way – and whoever has the most pegs at the end is the winner. It’s brilliant for honing memory development as players need to memorise colours and peg positions as well as sequences."

This wooden memory game will get your brains going (Jacques London)

As well as indoor fun, you’ll probably also want to go on some family walks, just for a spot of fresh air. We highly recommend it on Christmas Eve, too, as a great way of (hopefully) tiring the kids out a bit before Santa’s arrival, and before you dish out the Christmas Eve boxes if you’re doing them.

With this in mind, as the weather gets chillier, you’ll want to make sure you wrap everyone up really warm: cold feet can really take the fun out of  a good walk.

Keep your kids’ feet warm with this cosy boots (Jojo Maman Bebe)

For guaranteed cosiness, these snow boots (Jojo Maman Bebe, £22) are a nice option. They come in pink and blue, and were featured in our best snow boots for kids guide of 2020 with our reviewer noting: "They’re wonderfully warm and cosy, and the simple Velcro flap on the side means they’re faff-free for taking on and off.”

Team them with one of our top rated puddles suits that are warm, waterproof and windproof  like this stripey all in one (Wet Wednesdays, £25) – and they’re good to go.

(Jojo Maman Bebe)

As well as baking with grown-up, kids like to bake their own treats too. They can do just that (sort of!) with this baking set (Jojo Maman Bebe, £24) that has plates, knives and spoons, a toaster, toast rack and butter dish. 

This lovely set took the top spot in our kids toy kitchen accessories guide, with our best kitchen sets reviewer noting: “What will really capture your child’s attention is the special details, such as the honey and jam jars with screw lids, the Velcro on the bread loaf, butter and eggs meaning you can attach pieces together, and the wooden dial on the toaster that clicks when moved and a handle to push the toast up or down. Breakfast is well and truly served!”

A soothing bedtime book with a good message is great for bedtimes (Waterstone’s)

Do also remember to have some downtime with the kids during the festive holiday. Quieter activities like the bedtime story will always have their place. If you’re looking for a new book, not necessarily Christmas-themed, we have a lovely guide to the best motivational books to educate and inspire.

For younger children, we like Big Words For Little People: Kindness (Waterstones, £5.99), designed to help younger children learn about looking after others and helping them out of tough situations. Our reviewer of the best motivational books for kids said it is "compassionate and entertaining, and it’s perfect for reading aloud together and is never preachy.”

For more gift ideas for kids, check out our guide to the best toys for kids, or to get them kitted out for cosy home days we’ve found the best kids’ slippers