Looking to do something fun with the kids around the holidays without spending much money? Here are some ideas for holiday fun without breaking the bank. These activities would also be perfect as advent calendar ideas, so if you need some help in that department, this list of winter / Christmas activities for kids may help.
Christmas Activities for Kids
Neighborhood movie night
Host a Christmas movie night for friends and family. Invite the gang over and have everyone bring something to munch on. Kids love to watch Christmas classics over and over and the adults love to visit during the holidays, so it’s fun for everyone.
Here are a handful of Christmas movies that are rated PG (there are a few that are rated G as well) to get you started on ideas…
- The Grinch
- Elf
- Arthur Christmas
- Home Alone
- The Christmas Chronicles
- Noelle
- Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
- That Christmas
- 8-Bit Christmas
- The Polar Express
Build a Holiday Themed Lego
We started this tradition more recently, but it’s something we really look forward to. Each year, we put together a Christmas tree Lego sometime around Thanksgiving and display it somewhere in the house.
And then after the new year, we take it all apart and put it all into bags for the next year. We just put it back in the big holiday decor box we have in storage, along with the directions for rebuilding. So it’s tucked away and ready for the next season.
Holiday storytelling at the Library or Bookstore
Check out local bookstores and libraries for upcoming Christmas storytelling events. Most large bookstores such as Barnes and Nobles or Borders have an author of a children’s Christmas book come in to promote their story and read it to the kids free of charge. Another perk is the author will sign the book if you purchase a copy. And maybe a local bookstore will have a similar offering.
Many local libraries also have special Christmas events such as storytelling, ornament making, or other holiday crafts. And usually, it’s all free!
Make Reindeer Food
As a child, I always left cookies out for Santa and sometimes even a carrot for Rudolph, but what about the other reindeer? Making reindeer food is an easy activity, and it can be geared toward children of all ages.
First, decorate lunch sized brown paper bags or small canvas drawstring bags, etc. You can decorate them with stickers and markers, or you can use pom poms, pipe cleaners, and googly eyes to make reindeer faces. Get creative!
Then, put oats, bird seed, and a little bit of edible sprinkles (optional) inside the bag. One cup total is great – you don’t need much. Then, fold the bag or tie it up and set it aside for Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve, the whole family can sprinkle the treat in your yard to help the reindeer find your house and give them something to munch on.
Make / Decorate Stockings
New family tradition: Make your own stocking! This is a cute idea that will add to your holiday decor and can be switched out year after year or used over and over again. If you wanna make your own stockings, here are a couple of ideas to get you started: quilted stockings for Christmas // DIY stocking for the holidays.
Don’t want to go full do-it-yourself from scratch? No problem – grab and decorate a plain cotton stocking (from Etsy) or a felt stocking from a craft store instead. Kids can use sequins, glitter pens, fake gemstones, pre-cut foam shapes and so much more.
Go to a Holiday Market
Look in your local newspaper for your neighborhood school’s holiday bazaars or local holiday markets. They’re so fun for kids and often have live music, holiday decorations, and booths of handmade items that would make cute holiday presents.
Bake Christmas Cookies
If you’re able to embrace the fact that it will inevitably be messy, baking cookies with kids is super fun! Make it easy on yourself and buy premade dough, so all you have to do is roll it out, cut with cookie cutters, put it on a cookie sheet, and bake.
Or take it a little further and make something from scratch, like these gingerbread sandwich cookies and chocolate hazelnut cookies for the holidays. And if you’re feeling really ambitious, hosting a kids cookie swap is something they’ll remember forever.
Nighttime Drive to See Holiday Lights
Crank the Christmas music to get in a festive mood and drive around town looking at the local lights. Don’t forget to stop by that one neighbor’s who always goes overboard with the decorating, in the best way.
Wrapping Party
Break out the craft supplies and let the kids make / decorate their own wrapping paper for holiday gifts. Lots of gift wrap decorating ideas in my ultimate DIY guide to a paper wrapped gift (and other unique wrapping ideas for the holidays as well).
And while we’re on the topic of gifts, I have a 101 DIY Christmas gift ideas for everyone on your list, if you want to make a gift this year, instead of buying something.
Tree Trimming Party
Decorating the tree with homemade garlands is a special tradition that my son loves. We make hot chocolate, get all the tree items laid out on the floor and decide what DIYable things we want to add for the year. Usually, we make a garland and at least a handful of ornaments. We’ve tried all different kinds of things for garlands – cranberries, popcorn, dried citrus (like my dried orange garland), even gum drops are a good options. We also make a small set of DIY Christmas ornaments pretty much every year.
Make a Christmas Countdown Calendar
Christmas countdown calendars are one of the things I look forward to making this time of year. And they can be made in so many ways (or store-bought). One of my fave ways to do a Christmas countdown / advent calendar is wrapping things individually (like above).
Make a Christmas Wreath
My favorite wreath to make is an asymmetrical one that includes plenty of fresh pepperberry. But this giant Christmas wreath is a close second. If those are a bit too involved for younger kids, something like this DIY cranberry wreath is fun to make too (and easy for little hands).
Put Together a Holiday Puzzle
I love winter-themed / holiday puzzles and they make such a great December activity. Would be a good one to throw into one of your advent calendar days too, if you have one and need ideas.
- 130 piece cute Christmas tree puzzle from Amazon $7.99
- 300 piece gingerbread puzzle from Five Below $6
- 500 piece snowy slopes jigsaw puzzle from Target $22.49
Make Homemade Ornaments
Self explanatory, really. But if you want to make a set of holiday ornaments for the tree, here are a handful of DIY ideas…
Christmas Crafts Workshop
Check out your local craft store to get their schedule for Christmas crafts. Places like Michael’s, for example, often host workshops where kids can create ornaments or other Christmas crafts for free or just the cost of the supplies.
Another option is to turn your home into a mini crafting workshop for the afternoon, weekend, etc and do other DIY holiday crafts without having to leave the house. If that sounds good to you, I have a handful of Xmas craft suggestions that might help:
- No-cost decor for the holidays: gingerbread man decorations made of cardboard
- how can I make a snowflake (holiday craft)
- Christmas tree skirt ideas
- And last but not least, the most amazing homemade ornaments made of air dry clay and paper clay (from Julie O’Rourke).
Make Festive Outdoor Lanterns
A fun way to add some outdoor decor that doubles as lighting, these Christmas decorated lanterns are a great project for kids to try.
Ice Skating
And finally, ice skating! Nothing says Christmastime more than skating and hot chocolate. Break out the old ice skates and head down to the local skating rink, or rent a pair whenever you arrive.
That’s it for now on Christmas activities for kids this holiday season. Have more ideas that aren’t on the list? Add your own in the comments below.
