If you’re looking for fun activities to keep the whole family entertained and feeling festive, then look no further! Here is our ultimate guide to festive family fun!
What to play
Everyone loves to play board games at Christmas time, and if you’re looking for something new and different to play this year, then why not try one of these?
Bananagrams
With a similar mechanism to scrabble, but a much more dynamic gameplay, this is a really fun brain-teasing game for children who are starting to develop their spelling and vocabulary skills. If you’re looking for a game to play over the holidays that’s going to keep those little minds sharp but not feel like homework, then this portable, fruit-themed game is a great choice!
Rapidough
If your little ones love creating things with playdough, then this game will be a great choice! Split into two teams, the modellers draw a card and attempt to create the object on the card, while their teammates guess. The first team to guess correctly wins and steal a chunk of playdough from the opposing team! The team to have all their playdough stolen first lose.
Dobble
A fun and competitive snap-based game, Dobble has tons of ways to play and even different themed sets! This is easy enough for kids to grasp, but so much fun for all ages.
We’ve got a bonus recommendation too! If the grown-ups are looking for something to play after the little ones have gone to bed, a game that’s going to have you flipping more tables than Monopoly, then try The Really Nasty Horse Racing Game! Full of bluffing, double-crossing and betrayals, this game will have you all on the edge of your seats and begging for a rematch.
What to bake
Baking and crafts are a staple part of Christmas fun, with so many different things to make. If you’re looking for some activities to keep little ones busy over the holiday season, then why not try one of these?
Gingerbread
Gingerbread is a great bake to make with little ones as the options for customisation are endless. You can make people and animals or take it one step further and make a house! Once you’ve got the basic gingerbread recipe, you can cut it into any shape you like and decorate them with anything – your imagination really is the limit! Here is a recipe for a basic gingerbread house to get you started: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/simple-gingerbread-house
Mince Pie Parcels
Mince pies are so festive and traditional, and this is a super easy homemade version that your kids can make with minimal help. You only need 3 ingredients: filo pastry, mincemeat and butter. You obviously have the option of making your own pastry and mincemeat, but if you buy them from the shop, we promise we won’t tell; the construction is the fun part, anyway!
Lay out your pastry and cut it into roughly 4×4 inch (though you can make them as big or small as you like) squares. Blob a nice generous serving of mincemeat in the middle and brush the surrounding pastry with melted butter. Gather all four corners up in the middle, and twist and pinch to secure. Bake according to your pastry instructions, and it’s really that simple.
What to make
Paper Snowflakes
Paper snowflakes are a Christmas crafting staple. Grab a piece of square paper and fold it in half diagonally, and then in half again. Then fold this into thirds and cut designs into it however you like. Little ones might need some help with this, but once they get the hang of it your whole house will be covered in snowflakes in no time! For younger ones, they can still join in even if they can’t use scissors – just have them draw out their pattern on their folded paper in pencil, and the grown-ups can do the hard part.
Christmas Ornaments
Salt dough is a really cheap and easy way to make Christmas ornaments, as the dough can be made from ingredients you’ve already got in the kitchen. Mix plain flour, table salt and water together in proportions 2:1:1 and form it together into a dough. You can then shape this however you like! Why not try using cookie cutters to make stars, or moulding little Santas? Once you’re done, place any creations on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and pop them in a preheated oven on its lowest setting for 3 hours, or until they feel solid. When they’re baked, grab some paints and decorate them.
Christmas Cards
A really fun activity that’s particularly good for this year is making homemade Christmas cards. If you have friends and family that you may not be able to see this year, which can be particularly confusing for children, why not have your little ones decorate a very special, personalised, handmade card for ‘Santa’ to deliver to loved ones? This is sure to brighten up the festive season for both the little makers and those on the receiving end.
