Parenting

15 Holiday Activities for Families with Little Ones

There is so much extra family time during the holidays!

With our kids home more for holiday vacation that leaves open time that they need to be entertained.

Sometimes it’s hard though, thinking of a family activity everyone will love!’

My kids have a 7 year age gap. Luckily they love doing pretty much everything together.

But, I still like to plan activities I think both my son and daughter will enjoy doing with the family!

15 Holiday Activities for Families with Little Ones

Here are 15 holiday activities the whole family will love, even the little ones!

1.Build a Snowman

Building a snowman is fun no matter what age you are. If you don’t live where it snows, see if there is somewhere nearby you can drive to play in the snow for the day.

2. Search for Christmas

Looking at neighborhood Christmas lights has always been a family favorite! Driving around the neighborhood with hot chocolate in hand on a cold winter night looking for Christmas lights is so magical for little kids. I remember doing this with my parents as a kid and still enjoy doing it with my kids today!

3. Put Together Holiday Snacks

Winter activities with little ones are no fun without snacks. Both my kids always need a snack when we are out and about.Make festive bags with your kids and fill them with their favorite snacks. We did this with Goldfish! Goldfish Colors are so much fun and they go perfectly in a holiday bag to take on a family winter outing. The bright colors of the Goldfish always make my kids smile!  Visit the Goldfish website for more fun holiday activities, crafts, and recipes!  

4. Take a Winter Nature Walk

Do you have any fun trails or parks near your house. Take your kids on a winter nature walk and look for plants and animals that are out more during the winter.

5. Visit Local Holiday Events

Check your local paper or website to see if there are any fun family activities during the holidays. Our local libraries always put together free seasonal activities, craft time, and story times for families.

6. Write Christmas Lists

Take some time to sit down with your family to write Christmas lists. You can decorate them together and make them fancy. It’s fun to help the little ones with theirs too!

7. Have a Holiday Family Movie Night

Pick an age appropriate Holiday movie that your whole family will enjoy. There are some movies we look forward to watching with our kids every year as a part of our holiday traditions.

8. Make Homemade Gifts

Find an easy gift that you can make with both your older and younger kids. These can be for family, friends, or they can even make gifts for each other.

9. Pick out a Christmas Tree

There is something about visiting a tree lot with the whole family to pick out a Christmas tree. Picking a tree is definitely an activity the whole family can enjoy!

10. Put up Christmas Decorations or Lights

Let your kids help you put up Christmas decorations and lights. There are jobs that everyone can do here. I’ve had my toddler hold strands of lights or held her up while she puts some on a tree. She loves the whole experience!

11. Bake Cookies for Santa

Get your kids in on the magic of Christmas and help them bake cookies for Santa. If they are too little to help with the baking part, maybe they can help decorating the cookies.

12. Sing Christmas Music

Look up the lyrics to your favorite Christmas songs and get the kids to sing along with you. You can even sing along with them to music in the house or car. My husband and I like to break out our guitars to sing Christmas music with our kids each year.

13. Start a Holiday Tradition

Let your kids help you think of a new holiday tradition to start. It will always be special to them because they helped plan it!

14. Play Secret Santa

Teach your kids to give back by letting them help you play secret Santa to someone you know is in need. They will love helping you pick the gifts and deliver them each day.

15. Read Christmas Stories

Snuggle up with your kids to read Christmas stories. Your older kids can help with the reading and can also share their favorite Christmas stories from when they were little.

What are your little ones favorite Christmas Activities? I would love to hear from you in the comments below!

Sammy

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