8 Christmas Themed Activites for Kids
So many things about christmas that are expensive. Here are 8 ways to have a magical time without spending any money.
Christmas Eye Spy
Print it off 2 per page, and hand it to the kids before you go for a walk to see the Christmas lights, or wander round a Christmas market.
I've designed it so that you don't even have to print it off, the tickboxes will work on your phone. (You might have to save it to files before that feature will work). So it's easy squeezy even if you don't have a printer, or if you want something a little more impromptu.
Carol Concerts
Pop your head into your local church to see what all-age services, and carol concerts they've got on. I'm sure they'll be delighted to see you, and it doesn't get much more Christmassy than being in an actual church at Christmas.
Pop into the Library
The reason for going to the library is 3-fold.
1 - They have Christmas books there that you can borrow for free.
2 - They will probably be holding other free events there.
3 - Libraries are awesome. No, really. They're the very best.
Top tip - Everyone should read 'A Christmas Carol' in their lives. I know you think you know it all because you've watched A Muppet Christmas Carol a million times, but I promise, it's a book that still delivers.
Acts of Kindness
Before the invention of Black Friday Deals, the concept of Christmas was a concept of kindness.
Maybe you could ask the kids to make a Christmas card for someone who you know doesn't receive many.
Maybe you could spend an hour litter-picking.
Maybe the kids could go through toys, books, and clothes, and find a few things to donate to a charity shop.
Maybe they'd be more interested in feeding the birds, planting something, or drawing someone a picture. Take a towel to the playground and dry off the swings, play some music at a nursing home.
Make Decorations
Here are some super easy, super cheap Christmas decorations to make:
Salt Dough Decorations - Just mix 1 cup of flour with 1/2 cup of table salt, and 1/2 cup of water. It'll form a kind of dough, with which you can all make Christmassy shapes and figures. Line a baking tray with baking paper and cook it in the bottom of the oven. (Timing it when something else in the oven anyway saves wasting power). Bake it til it's solid. When it's cooled you'll be able to paint it.
Pine Cone Trees - head for a walk in the wood, and fill your pockets with pine cones. Paint them green all over, then add some coloured dots to look like baubles.
Paper Chains - An absolute classic. Cut strips of paper into equal lengths, and get the kids to decorate each strip. Glue or tape the strips together.
Paper Snowflakes - If you've got paper, and scissors then you've got everything you need to make paper snowflakes. Have a look here for some inspiration and instructions.
Perform your own nativity
When the weather is miserable outside, then grab the Barbie dreamhouse and use it in place of the stable. Choose between Buz and Woody as Joseph, and between Barbie and Sindy as Mary.
Bingo would make such a good baby Jesus.
Whatever toys you've got available, you'll have enough for the kids to put on their very own interpretation of the classic tale. Make sure to film it for posterity.
Kitchen Christmas Disco
There is little better in life than a kitchen disco, with wooden spoons for microphones, and enthusiastic dance moves.
Check out this playlist on Spotify for 5 hours of classic Christmas tunes.
Watch the Terrestrials
If you've decided to cut down on subscription services this Christmas, then the BBC is the place to be. It does Christmas for kids so well. Here are my top recommendations for things to look out for on iplayer:
Horrible Histories Christmas.
Shaun the Sheep - (Rafiki has watched last year's The Flight Before Christmas about a million times this year, there's also a Christmas episode Series 2, episode 40.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse will be showing on Christmas Day, they haven't announced what time yet. It looks insanely charming.
BBC One is also going to show an adaptation of the Smeds and the Smoos (these adaptations are always AMAZING).
If you're still eager for more, then ITV Hub has an impressive array of films. Including lots of cheesy Christmas movies for mamas who've completed all those available on Netflix.
For the kids, Christmas titles include 'It's a Very Muppet Christmas Movie'
If you've enjoyed these activities, then you should check these out, on sale now:
Fun for the whole family with this personalised activity pack, with stickers and a certificate.
We need your consent to load the translations
We use a third-party service to translate the website content that may collect data about your activity. Please review the details in the privacy policy and accept the service to view the translations.