The holidays are supposedly the most wonderful time of the year, but if you’re a parent, you know it’s also the most “I’m-bored” time of the year. Between the sugar crashes and the endless wrapping paper, keeping little humans entertained can feel like a full-time job you didn’t apply for.
I’ve been there. More times than I can count. That’s why I put together this list of 20 easy Christmas activities for kids. These aren’t elaborate Pinterest fails waiting to happen. These are simple, low-stress ideas that actually preserve your sanity. Whether you’re stuck inside because it’s freezing or just need a break from the holiday chaos, this list has you covered.
Let’s get straight to it.
The Classics (With a Twist)
You can’t have a holiday season without the staples, but sometimes they need a little shaking up. Here are three classic activities I’ve put my own spin on over the years.
1. Salt Dough Ornaments: The Messy Masterpiece
I love salt dough ornaments. Not because they look perfect, but because in twenty years, I’ll pull out that lopsided handprint and probably cry happy tears.
Mix 4 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt, and 1.5 cups of warm water. Knead it until it feels like playdough, roll it out, and cut out shapes. Use a straw to poke a hole for hanging. Bake at 200°F for about 3 hours, or until hard.
FYI, this gets flour everywhere. I mean, everywhere. Just embrace the chaos. 🙂
2. Paper Chain Countdown: The Visual Timer
Ever wonder why kids ask “How many days until Christmas?” fifty times a day? They need a visual.
Grab a pack of construction paper and cut it into strips. Let the kids go wild with markers or stickers. Then, help them build a chain with 20 links (or however many days are left). Every morning, they get to tear one off.
It’s oddly satisfying. Even I look forward to ripping one off after my coffee.
3. Sock Snowmen: The Sock Drawer Raid
We all have that one drawer full of single socks whose partners vanished in the laundry abyss. Put them to use!
Fill a white sock with rice (or beans), tie it off with a rubber band, and use another smaller sock or fabric scrap for a hat. Glue on buttons and use a Sharpie for the face.
No sewing required. I promise. If I can do it without stabbing myself with a needle, you can too.
Crafty Corner (Minimal Cleanup)
I don’t know about you, but the thought of pulling out glitter gives me hives. These craft ideas are designed to be fun without making your living room look like a unicorn exploded.
4. Pinecone Christmas Trees: Nature’s Craft
Take a nature walk and grab a few pinecones. When you get home (and the mud is cleaned up), let the kids paint the tips green or white. Then, they can glue on tiny pom-poms or beads as “ornaments.”
You can stand them up on the table or hang them with ribbon. It’s rustic, it’s cheap, and it gets them outside for 20 minutes. Win-win.
5. DIY Snow Globes (Bowl Edition)
Forget the expensive kits. Grab a clear plastic bowl or a wide-mouth mason jar. Glue a small plastic toy (think a reindeer or a snowman) to the inside of the lid.
Fill the jar with water, a dash of glycerin (to make the snow float slowly), and a heaping spoonful of fake snow or glitter. Screw the lid on tight. Shake it like a polaroid picture.
Pro-tip: Superglue the lid shut so the water stays inside the jar, not on your floor.
6. Pasta Christmas Wreaths: The Edible Craft
Take a paper plate, cut out the center so you have a ring. Give the kids a bowl of penne pasta and some green paint. Let them paint the pasta and glue it onto the plate ring.
Once it dries, they can add red beads or bows. It looks surprisingly chic for something made out of dinner.
7. Handprint Reindeer: The Keepsake
This is the ultimate sentimental craft. Paint the palm of their hand brown and press it onto a piece of cardstock. Once it dries, let them draw on eyes and a red nose.
I keep one from each year in a binder. It’s a great way to see how much they’ve grown, even if they complained the whole time about the paint being “cold and gross.” :/
Kitchen Fun (Edible Entertainment)
Cooking with kids is either a beautiful bonding experience or a test of your patience. Usually, it’s both. These recipes are simple enough that the mess is worth the payoff.
8. Candy Cane Bark: The 5-Minute Treat
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt a bag of white chocolate chips in the microwave (30-second intervals, stir often). Spread it on the paper.
Crush up some candy canes (put them in a ziplock bag and let the kids smash them with a rolling pan—great stress relief) and sprinkle them on top. Let it harden in the fridge, then break it into pieces.
IMO, this is better than actual bark you buy at the store.
9. Gingerbread House (The Graham Cracker Hack)
Buying a pre-made gingerbread house kit is expensive, and the gingerbread usually tastes like cardboard. Use graham crackers instead!
Use a sturdy piece of cardboard as a base. “Glue” the crackers together with royal icing (which hardens like cement). Let them go nuts with candy.
The roof will probably slide off. Just laugh and eat the evidence.
10. Santa Pancakes
Christmas morning breakfast doesn’t have to be stressful. Make a normal pancake batter. Pour a large circle for the face. Use blueberries for eyes, a raspberry for the nose, and banana slices for the beard and hat trim.
It’s a fun way to slow down before the present tornado hits.
11. Hot Chocolate Bombs (The Simple Way)
You see these fancy ones on TikTok and think, “No way.” But you can fake it. Melt chocolate, paint it into silicone sphere molds, and let it set.
Fill one half with hot cocoa mix and mini marshmallows. Gently melt the edge of another sphere and seal it shut. Drop it in warm milk and watch it explode.
It’s pure magic for kids.
Quiet Time Activities (For Your Sanity)
Sometimes you just need them to sit down and be quiet for twenty minutes. No shame in that game.
12. Christmas I-Spy Bottle
Take an empty plastic water bottle. Fill it with uncooked rice. Add tiny Christmas themed items: a small bell, a button, a mini eraser. Hot glue the lid on so it never comes off.
Give them a list of items to find and watch them shake it for an hour. Peace and quiet has never been so cheap.
13. Cotton Ball Snowman Sticker Scene
Draw a simple snowman outline on a piece of blue paper. Give them a bowl of cotton balls and some glue. They fill in the snowman with the fluffy stuff.
Add some foam stickers for stars or trees. It’s tactile, it’s quiet, and cotton balls don’t stain the couch.
14. Christmas Coloring Pages
Never underestimate the power of a fresh pack of crayons and a themed coloring book. Print off free pages from the internet featuring their favorite characters wearing Santa hats.
Put on a Christmas movie in the background and bask in the temporary silence.
15. Make Your Own Wrapping Paper
Got brown packing paper from all those Amazon deliveries? Unroll it on the floor. Give the kids stamps, markers, and sponges.
Let them decorate it. Suddenly, your gifts look hipster and artsy, and the kids feel involved. They’ll also point at the presents under the tree and say “I made that!” with immense pride.
Games & Movement (Burn Off the Sugar)
They ate three cookies and now they’re bouncing off the walls. Time to channel that energy.
16. Snowball Fight (Indoors)
Crumple up a bunch of white paper into “snowballs.” Build a fort out of couch cushions and have an all-out war.
The rules are simple: no hitting faces, and everyone helps pick up the “snow” at the end. It usually devolves into chaos, but it’s the good kind of chaos.
17. Pin the Nose on Rudolph
Like Pin the Tail on the Donkey, but with a reindeer twist. Draw a big reindeer face on a poster board (or print one). Cut out a red circle for each kid, put double-sided tape on the back, blindfold them, and spin them around.
Watching them stumble toward the wall and stick the nose on the reindeer’s butt never gets old.
18. Christmas Scavenger Hunt
Hide a small treat or ornament somewhere in the house. Give them clues that lead from room to room.
You can tailor the clues to your house. “Look where daddy keeps his shoes.” “Check the place we keep the milk.” It keeps them moving and thinking.
19. Freeze Dance (Santa Style)
Put on a Christmas playlist. When the music stops, everyone has to freeze like a statue. If someone moves, they’re out.
The winner gets to pick the next movie. It’s hilarious watching them try to hold awkward poses mid-“Jingle Bell Rock.”
20. Wrap a Gift Relay Race
Give each kid a box (shoebox size) and a piece of wrapping paper. Set a timer for two minutes and see who can wrap their box the best.
It’s a practical life skill, and the results are usually so crumpled and taped-up that you can’t help but laugh. The winner gets a candy cane.
Wrapping It Up (Literally)
So there you have it. Twenty easy ideas to get you through the holiday season without losing your cool. The key takeaway here isn’t perfection. It’s not about making the most Instagram-worthy gingerbread house or the smoothest salt dough ornament. It’s about the sticky fingers, the lopsided crafts, and the memories that come with them.
Pick a few of these, ignore the rest, and give yourself some grace. The dishes will wait. The laundry can pile up. Right now, it’s about making magic with those wild little humans you created.
Now go grab some hot chocolate (spiked for you, maybe?) and enjoy the chaos. You’ve got this.
