15 Ideas for enjoying time with your kids over the Christmas holidays

By Lucy Summers | Posted: Tuesday December 13, 2016

We asked our fantastic team of family/whānau workers for some tips on how to enjoy time with your kids over the festive season:

Kids don’t need expensive toys – blocks, play dough, string, dress-ups, toy cars and empty boxes offer great opportunities for imaginative play. Get on the floor and join in!

1. Water Play

Set up an outdoor water play area or fill your sink with water and give your child a pile of plastic containers and toys to play with or “wash”.

2. Have a movie night

Pop your own popcorn and snuggle up on the sofa for a family movie.

3. Rain adventures

On wet days, wear gum boots and rain coats and go for a rain walk, jumping in as many puddles as you can.

4. Visit the library

Have a day out at your local library and stock up on books.

5. Camp inside

Make an indoor camp in your living room with blankets and boxes. This can also be a perfect quiet place for them to read their new books.

6. Get active with numbers

Have a walk around your neighbourhood and play counting games, for example, how many cats you see or how many red cars.

7. Have a treasure hunt

If you have a garden, do a treasure hunt for a list of things and draw them, such as a feather, a  flower, different types of leaves and an insect.

8. Craft

Have a craft table or box with paper, cardboard, pens, glitter, glue etc ready. Ask them to make a robot or draw a family member.

9.  Games

Teach them simple card games like snap or knucklebones.

10. Balloon tennis

Blow up a balloon and play balloon tennis. Make sure the balloon doesn’t touch the ground!

11. Wash the car

Turn a chore into something fun. Turn the radio up and have a dance party will washing the car on a hot day.

12. Learn about animals

Visit a pet shop and talk about what the animals eat, where they live, what sounds they make.

13. Dig!

Dig a hole in the garden and look for worms.

14. Play musical statues

Musical statues is a party game classic and so simple. This game will keep them entertained for hours.

15. Have fun

But most of all, try to let all the stress of the season go and enjoy small, simple Christmassy-type things with your family.