The weeks before Christmas fill up fast, and the quiet stretches in between can easily disappear into screens. Having a few simple plans ready makes it easier to say "let's do something together" instead.
Every idea below uses things most homes already have or can find cheaply. Each one comes with a supplies list and a rough age guide, but you know your kids best, so adjust freely. If your Christmas falls in summer, as it does in Australia, most of these work just as well in the sunshine.
Make something
1. Paper snowflakes
Fold a square of paper into a triangle, fold it once or twice more, then cut small shapes along the edges. Unfold it to see the snowflake, and no two will come out the same. Tape a row of them to a window for an easy decoration, or use coffee filters, which are thin and easy to cut, for a softer look.
- You need: square paper or coffee filters, scissors, tape.
- Ages: about 4 and up with help folding; many kids around 7 and up can do it alone. Use child-safe scissors for small hands.
2. Salt-dough ornaments
Mix roughly 1 cup of flour, half a cup of salt and about half a cup of water into a firm dough, adding the water a little at a time. Roll it out, cut shapes with cookie cutters and poke a hole near the top for a ribbon. Bake at a low temperature, around 250°F (120°C), for a couple of hours until hard, or let them air-dry for a few days; thicker shapes take longer. Paint them once they're cool and dry.
- You need: flour, salt, water, a rolling pin, cookie cutters, a straw for the hole, paint, ribbon.
- Ages: 3 and up for rolling and cutting; an adult handles the oven. Salt dough isn't food, so keep it away from little mouths and pets.
3. A cardboard gingerbread village
Save cereal boxes, tissue boxes and cardboard tubes for a week, then turn them into a little village. Cover the boxes with brown paper, draw on doors and windows, and add "icing" with white paint or paper strips. Cotton balls make good snow. A grown-up does any cutting with a craft knife.
- You need: empty boxes and tubes, brown and white paper, glue, tape, markers, cotton balls.
- Ages: 4 and up, with more detail work for older kids.
4. Homemade cards for neighbors
Fold paper in half, decorate the front and write a short message inside. Kids can make one for each neighbor, a grandparent or someone who helps your family through the year. Deliver them together, handing them over at the door or leaving them on the doorstep.
- You need: paper or card, markers, crayons, stickers, envelopes (optional).
- Ages: all ages. Pre-writers can draw while a grown-up writes the message.
5. Cookie decorating
Bake a batch of plain sugar cookies, or buy plain ones to save time, then set out icing and sprinkles. Give each child a plate and a few cookies of their own to decorate. Check for allergies before inviting friends, and keep the oven a grown-up job.
- You need: plain cookies, icing, sprinkles, butter knives or spoons, plates.
- Ages: 2 and up with help; older kids can pipe their own designs.
Play and share
6. A printable escape room
A printable escape room turns an afternoon into a mission. Kids read a story, solve a set of puzzles, collect the answers and use them to crack a final code. Our Santa's Workshop escape room is set on Christmas Eve: the Toy Machine has jammed, and players solve six puzzles to find the letters of the secret password that restarts it. It takes about 30 to 45 minutes and can be played solo, in teams or with a whole class.
- You need: a printed kit, pencils, scissors (with a grown-up), a split pin or a pencil, and a timer.
- Ages: about 7 to 10; younger kids can play with a grown-up helping.
7. Story time with hot cocoa
Pick a stack of holiday books from your shelves or the library, make mugs of cocoa and read together under a blanket. Older kids can take turns reading a page aloud. For a change, make up a story as a family, with each person adding one sentence. Let the cocoa cool to a safe temperature before handing it to younger children.
- You need: books, cocoa, mugs, blankets.
- Ages: all ages.
8. A kindness advent jar
Write a small kind act on each of 24 slips of paper, fold them and put them in a jar. Each day in December, someone picks one and the family does it together. Ideas: help set the table, draw a picture for a grandparent, leave a thank-you note for the mail carrier, or let a sibling choose the bedtime story.
- You need: a jar, paper slips, a pen.
- Ages: all ages. Pre-readers can pick the slip while a grown-up reads it aloud.
9. A winter scavenger hunt
Make a list of things to find, with a small drawing beside each item so non-readers can join in, and set a time limit. Indoors, look for something red, something that jingles or a star shape; outdoors, try a pine cone, footprints or a house with lights. For a summer Christmas, swap in a shell, a shady tree or something green.
- You need: a printed or handwritten list, a pencil, warm clothes or sun protection for outdoors.
- Ages: 3 and up. Stay together outdoors, with a grown-up nearby.
10. A family talent show or carol night
Everyone prepares a short act: a song, a joke, a magic trick, a dance or a poem. Kids can make tickets and a paper program, and someone can be the announcer. For a carol night, choose a few traditional carols everyone knows and sing them together, with instruments made from pots, wooden spoons and rice in a tightly closed bottle.
- You need: paper for tickets and programs, a "stage" area, homemade instruments (optional).
- Ages: all ages.
Making it work
You don't need to do all ten. Pick two or three that fit your week and put them on the calendar, so they actually happen instead of staying good intentions. A simple plan is enough:
- Choose one craft, one game and one quiet activity.
- Gather the supplies a day ahead.
- Leave room for kids to change the plan. Their ideas can be the best part.
Most of these activities make a bit of mess, so lay down newspaper or an old tablecloth before you start, and keep a damp cloth nearby.
For more ready-to-print activities, you can browse our shop. Whatever you choose, the point is the time together, not a perfect result.
