Keeping the kids entertained over the Christmas holidays can be a real challenge, but it needn't cost the earth. Here are some ideas for things to do with the kids this Christmas on the cheap.
After spending more than you’d probably intended to on gifts, food, and decorations for the Christmas period you’re likely to be less than thrilled at the prospect of spending even more on entertaining your little ones. Fortunately there are plenty of things you can distract their attention with cheaply or for free, which will ensure you aren’t hearing “I’m bored!” by the second day of the holiday. Here are our top tips.
See Santa
Taking your kids to see ol’ Saint Nick is a great way to inject a little magic into their Christmas at low cost. Contact your local shopping centre to see when Santa will be visiting, then round up the kids and take them along for a truly festive morning or afternoon. Generally it won’t cost much more than a few quid a head, though this does depend on where in the country you are (Santa is likely to charge more in London).
Some shopping centres will let you see Santa for free, and even throw in a present for your child too. If there are no presents being offered you could always wrap up a small present yourself to give to your child afterwards ‘from Santa’. Local schools and nurseries may hold Santa’s Grotto fund-raising events so this may be worth looking into.
Make the most of the library
Take your kids to your local library and there’ll be enough to keep them entertained for hours. As well as the obvious reading, surfing, and movie-renting opportunities there are likely to be workshops and scheduled slots for story-time for younger children throughout the holidays. Check with your local library to see what’s on in your area.
Get crafty
The Christmas holidays are the perfect time to start some arts and crafts activities with your kids. If you feel like joining in you can, or if you’re less craftily-minded it’s easy to set your kids up with some glue, card and glitter then let them go crazy. You may want to put plastic sheets or newspaper down where they’re working though!
Get your kids to make Christmas decorations or even Christmas gifts. Fimo and Plasticine are good ways to encourage children to mould fun festive shapes which they can decorate the house or the Christmas tree with. Check out craft sites such as World of Christmas and the CBeebies site for ideas.
Take them out
If you have a Hollywood Bowl near you, you can take your kids ten pin bowling for just a penny each until 3rd January, 2010. Children and adults alike will love the competition and fun of bowling, and for a penny each there’s really no reason not to go.
You can also get free cinema tickets when you become a ‘Very Important Family’ with Woolworths.co.uk. If you register as a VIF you’ll get free tickets to your local cinema on Saturday mornings.
Another fail-safe plan is to simply take your kids out for a wintry walk. If it’s cold tog them up in hats, scarves, gloves, and ear-muffs, then let them loose in the countryside (supervised of course!). They’ll burn off lots of energy and be too exhausted to cause trouble for the rest of the day. You can also visit Enjoy England for some ideas.
Play games
You don’t need to spend loads on the latest games console to keep your kids occupied. If you’ve an empty afternoon to fill why not bring out the traditional board games such as Monopoly, Scrabble, or Trivial Pursuit. Simple card games like Snap can also provide hours of fun.
The internet also has a wealth of games and activities resources to while away the hours such as Black Dog, Kiddy House and Kaboose.
Entertaining your kids at Christmas needn’t be costly or a chore. If all else fails, gather the rabble together for a Christmas story or a festive film – and hope for the best!
