Winter Break: How To Entertain Your Kids for 10 Days in a Row
Never do I have more respect for teachers and educators than I do during winter break. It's cold outside, and the kids are restless and bored. By December 27th the joy from Christmas has officially worn off, new toys have lost their luster and we're back to the drawing board on the entertaining the children front. Many of you know that my family is fortunate enough to ski during the winter, and so most days you will find us on the slopes in Rangeley.
However, try as we might, even that doesn't entertain them 100% of the time, and we still have long afternoons and evenings to contend with. So, in anticipation of a lot of family time coming up, I'm trying to think of all the things we can do for family fun - emphasis on family. Nothing that makes a huge mess for moms and dads to clean up or requires significant parent intervention and a sugar high (i.e. baking).
My Five Best Ideas For Family FUn Over Winter BReak
Plan a movie picnic day and/or night. Draw the shades, order pizza, get (or stay) in your jammies and pop lots of popcorn. Make it a marathon of all your old favorites for extra family fun! My kids have loved Elf, The Sandlot, Mighty Ducks, The Parent Trap, Cheaper by the Dozen and so many more of my childhood go-tos. Sharing these favorites with them makes for an extra special time for all.
Get outside: If you're lucky to live or be somewhere where there is snow, getting outside this time of year can be tons of fun. Sledding, skiing, snowshoeing are all fun activiites to do as a family. Even if it's not snowing, taking a nature hike is a great way to kill an hour or two and get some vitamin D while you're at it. If you live in Cape Elizabeth like us (or even if you don't!), grab your skates and take a trip to the Cape Arena, complete with a warming hut!
Whip out the board games or a puzzle. When we're 'upta camp', we play a lot of board games and always have a puzzle going, but you don't have to be in a cabin in the woods to enjoy this pastime. Some of our favorite games to play as a family are: Sorry, Cards Against Humanity (family edition), Scattegories and Jenga. If you're playing with adults, Codenames is hands down our favorite right now!
Go to a professional sporting event. Here in Maine we have the Maine Mariners with home games on December 29 and 30. The Maine Celtics also play at home on the 31st. This is a fun, family-friendly way to eat junk food and drink a few beers! Get a group together and make a night of it.
Do a bonfire with S'mores and Hot Cocoa! Make like early pandemic days by inviting some friends over for an outdoor fire! Roast s'mores and set up a cute hot cocoa station for the kiddos (trust me, it's easy!) here's some inspo: https://ainttooproudtomeg.com/build-your-own-hot-chocolate-board/
If you have more ideas, be sure to comment on this post because we know there are going to be a lot of desperate moms and dads out there next week! Happy holidays, see you in the new year!