Activities to do with kids during school break

If you need ideas for some simple activities to keep your children busy over the school break, I’ve put together a helpful list. Many of these activities kids can do independently. Writing this list gave me a few ideas too.

School Break Activities for Kids

Play games: Pull out some board games that haven’t been played in awhile and challenge your kids to play them all. Check out this list of 100+ games for families to enjoy.

Host a play date: I have found that as kids get older, play dates aren’t really anymore work because the friends keep each other entertained. Even better – as a parent if they want to do a swap. Your kids go to their house for one day and you host a day.

Have a movie marathon night: Get into pajamas early and plan a movie marathon. To make it extra special, make popcorn and hot chocolate. (This microwave popcorn popper is our favorite and saves so much money!) We did this over the weekend and the kids were so delighted. It was a reminder to me that things don’t have to be complicated to be fun.

Bake together: Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean you can’t bake. We are making sugar cookies this week because we ran out of time before Christmas. Sugar cookies and cookie cutters are fun anytime.

Visit a local museum: Spend a few hours visiting a local museum. This is especially perfect for a cold or rainy day.

Go to the library: Even if you have a lot of books in your house, going to the library can be a fun excursion and discover new authors and books. Our library also offers videos and audio books (playaways) that my kids love to check out. Your library might also offer special activities like lego meet ups, story times, puppet shows, etc. over the holiday break.

Have fun with legos: From building lego sets to getting creative with legos, these bricks provide hours of enjoyment. Check out this article of lego STEM activities for more inspiration.

Set up a creation station: Have some unused art supplies? Spread them out on the table and encourage your kids to put them to use. You could even make a list of specific things to create/do, depending on your supplies and ages of your kids.

Create perler bead art: If your craft closet or cabinet includes a box of perler beads, encourage your kids to make their favorite characters out of them! You can find a perler bead template for anything online and the little beads will keep your kids busy for hours.

Do latch hook: Buy a simple latch hook kit at a craft store or online and your child will be busy for hours! Check out this list of affordable kits.

Sign up and take an online class: You can find many online classes for kids. Adeline loves this Watercolor for Kids class, which has offered hours of creativity for her. Use code JESSICA15 to get 15% off.

Pull out legos: If your house is like mine, chances are you have a bin of legos just waiting to be built. You can find patterns online of things to build (check out this post to get you started) or just let their imaginations run wild.

Organize/purge kids’ items: Yes, it’s not the most fun activity, but starting the year with a clean closet or organized toys is refreshing for both you and your kids. Adeline and I recently went through her closet and dresser and we both now have relief in her room.

Write to a pen pal: Encourage your kids to write to a friend or family member and mail the letter. I have several friends with kids the same ages as Elias and Adeline and our kids are pen pals. If your child doesn’t have a pen pal, reach out to a friend and ask if you can start the habit.

Create a reading challenge: Hours at home means lots of time to read. Create a reading challenge for your kids and then set dedicated time for them to read during the day. Over break, Elias has been reading the memoir Free Lunch and Adeline has been reading Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.

Build a fort: Give your kids a pile of pillows and blankets and let them go wild. Just be sure they clean up after themselves!

Have a neighborhood potluck: Invite your neighbors over for a potluck. The kids can play and you can enjoy some adult conversation with the people in your community. We do this monthly with our neighbors and it is a highlight of the month for our kids.

Go for a walk: If the weather allows, go for a neighborhood walk. Getting outside is a great way to expend energy.

I hope this list gives you some ideas for activities your kids can do while on school break.