6 Fun, Festive and Educational Activities for Winter Break

By Ryan Crawley

As a teacher, I’ve heard countless students proudly inform me that during winter break they did not bother to pick up a book. They usually do this with a smile on their face as if they are gleefully confessing to some sort of crime that only affects me. While their lack of learning concerns me, and it takes awhile to catch them back up on the whole learning thing, their parents should be more concerned about the quick drop off of their skills that can happen in a mere two weeks.

Below is a list of activities for winter break that will help educate your children even while they are out of school. The best thing is that they may not even know they are learning, so they won’t put up a fight against you! Much of it is based around the holidays, and it will hopefully put them in the Christmas mood!

The 12 Books of Christmas
This book reading activity is a direct rip-off of the 12 Days of Christmas, except instead the children will have a reading list of 12 books that they must read during winter break. These books should be chosen together as a family and each one should incorporate some sort of holiday theme. Maybe a book can be about helping others, kindness, or be centered around the holidays. In any case, it has to contain at least a little bit of the holiday spirit!

Each Child Creates a Top 5 List of Favorite Holiday Shows
Every child enjoys creating a list of top favorite things in their lives. Ask a child to make a top three list of their best friends and they will put a lot of thought into the subject. They will start to rationalize just why certain friends do not make the cut. This is what the top five list of favorite Holiday shows will do as well. They will use their critical thinking skills and not even realize it. Plus, the more holiday shows they watch, the more they might have to go back and revise the list. This will be a very carefully thought out list when it is all said and done. If you would like them to add even more to it, they can write brief summaries on the show or movie also. Writing skills are essential in every subject area and every career field, so why not create opportunities for your children to improve on theirs?

Create a Video Christmas List for Santa
Even young kids can now put together an impressive video using iMovie or any number of the similar video apps out there. By putting them in charge of making their own Christmas list video on what they would like for Christmas, you are allowing them to use their creativity and voice through technology. Plus, each of the videos is going to be quite the keepsake to look back on as the kids become older. It will be a family treasure to share in the years to come.

Write a Thank You Letter to Santa and Others
Every child can learn to improve their manners. By writing a thank you note to Santa and others for the gifts they receive, this is teaching them to always be thankful and show gratitude. In addition, it will be teaching them to show gratitude for perhaps gifts they were not all that excited about receiving. Manners are something that need to be taught and learned early and often in life, otherwise by the time they are adults, it might just be too late.

Neighborhood Map Predicting Santa’s Arrival
Map skills can be difficult for children to learn. However, if you provide them something important enough to use their map skills on, they will become very active learners. Have your child draw a map of the neighborhood. Ask them to determine the path that Santa might take when traveling from house to house. Of course, they will have to label the map with a compass rose and other important details as well. This is done all in an effort to figure out when Santa might actually be arriving at their house.

Baking With the Parents
Parents that fail to teach their children basic kitchen skills early on will only have themselves to blame later when the kids can’t even make a bowl of cereal on their own. By asking for their help with the Christmas baking, you are not only starting a family tradition, but you are giving them confidence in the kitchen. If you don’t ask for their assistance, you may just be cooking for them for the rest of their lives. Nothing worse than a 40-year-old who can’t make a pot of boiling water or figure out how to operate the toaster.



Ryan Crawley is a writer/educator from Illinois. Born into a family of eleven, he spent most of his childhood watching old reruns of Three's Company and Happy Days. He has his Masters in Reading and Literacy, and is a certified Reading Specialist. He spends his free time writing, working out, and hanging with his two dogs Flair and Smoosh Face.