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Looking to do something fun with the kids around the holidays without spending much money? Here are some ideas for holiday fun without breaking the bank. These activities would also be perfect as advent calendar ideas<\/a>, so if you need some help in that department, this list of winter \/ Christmas activities for kids may help.<\/p>\n Host a Christmas movie night for friends and family. Invite the gang over and have everyone bring something to munch on. Kids love to watch Christmas classics over and over and the adults love to visit during the holidays, so it\u2019s fun for everyone.<\/p>\n Here are a handful of Christmas movies that are rated PG (there are a few that are rated G as well) to get you started on ideas\u2026<\/p>\n We started this tradition more recently, but it\u2019s something we really look forward to. Each year, we put together a Christmas tree Lego<\/a> sometime around Thanksgiving and display it somewhere in the house.<\/p>\n And then after the new year, we take it all apart and put it all into bags for the next year. We just put it back in the big holiday decor box we have in storage, along with the directions for rebuilding. So it\u2019s tucked away and ready for the next season.<\/em><\/p>\n Check out local bookstores and libraries for upcoming Christmas storytelling events. Most large bookstores such as Barnes and Nobles or Borders have an author of a children\u2019s Christmas book come in to promote their story and read it to the kids free of charge. Another perk is the author will sign the book if you purchase a copy. And maybe a local bookstore will have a similar offering.<\/em><\/p>\n Many local libraries also have special Christmas events such as storytelling, ornament making, or other holiday crafts. And usually, it\u2019s all free!<\/p>\n As a child, I always left cookies out for Santa and sometimes even a carrot for Rudolph, but what about the other reindeer? Making reindeer food is an easy activity, and it can be geared toward children of all ages.<\/p>\n First, decorate lunch sized brown paper bags or small canvas drawstring bags, etc. You can decorate them with stickers and markers, or you can use pom poms, pipe cleaners, and googly eyes to make reindeer faces. Get creative!<\/em><\/p>\n Then, put oats, bird seed, and a little bit of edible sprinkles (optional) inside the bag. One cup total is great \u2013 you don\u2019t need much. Then, fold the bag or tie it up and set it aside for Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve, the whole family can sprinkle the treat in your yard to help the reindeer find your house and give them something to munch on.<\/em><\/p>\n New family tradition: Make your own stocking! This is a cute idea that will add to your holiday decor and can be switched out year after year or used over and over again. If you wanna make your own stockings, here are a couple of ideas to get you started: quilted stockings<\/a> for Christmas \/\/ DIY stocking<\/a> for the holidays.<\/em><\/p>\n Don\u2019t want to go full do-it-yourself from scratch? No problem \u2013 grab and decorate a plain cotton stocking<\/a> (from Etsy) or a felt stocking from a craft store instead. Kids can use sequins, glitter pens, fake gemstones, pre-cut foam shapes and so much more.<\/p>\n Look in your local newspaper for your neighborhood school\u2019s holiday bazaars or local holiday markets. They\u2019re so fun for kids and often have live music, holiday decorations, and booths of handmade items that would make cute holiday presents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re able to embrace the fact that it will inevitably be messy, \u00a0baking cookies with kids is super fun! Make it easy on yourself and buy premade dough, so all you have to\u00a0do is roll it out, cut with cookie cutters, put it on a cookie sheet, and bake.<\/p>\n Or take it a little further and make something from scratch, like these gingerbread sandwich cookies<\/a> and chocolate hazelnut cookies<\/a> for the holidays. And if you\u2019re feeling really ambitious, hosting a kids cookie swap<\/a> is something they\u2019ll remember forever.<\/p>\n Crank the Christmas music to get in a festive mood and drive around town looking at the local lights. Don\u2019t forget to stop by that one neighbor\u2019s who always goes overboard with the decorating, in the best way.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Break out the craft supplies and let the kids make \/ decorate their own wrapping paper for holiday gifts. Lots of gift wrap decorating ideas in my ultimate DIY guide to a paper wrapped gift<\/a> (and other unique wrapping ideas for the holidays as well).<\/em><\/p>\n And while we\u2019re on the topic of gifts, I have a 101 DIY Christmas gift ideas<\/a> for everyone on your list, if you want to make a gift this year, instead of buying something.<\/p>\n Decorating the tree with homemade garlands is a special tradition that my son loves. We make hot chocolate, get all the tree items laid out on the floor and decide what DIYable things we want to add for the year. Usually, we make a garland and at least a handful of ornaments. We\u2019ve tried all different kinds of things for garlands \u2013 cranberries, popcorn, dried citrus (like my dried orange garland<\/a>), even gum drops are a good options. We also make a small set of DIY Christmas ornaments pretty much every year.<\/em><\/p>\n Christmas countdown calendars are one of the things I look forward to making this time of year. And they can be made in so many ways (or store-bought). One of my fave ways to do a Christmas countdown \/ advent calendar is wrapping things individually (like above).<\/p>\n My favorite wreath<\/a> to make is an asymmetrical one that includes plenty of fresh pepperberry. But this\u00a0giant Christmas wreath<\/a> is a close second. If those are a bit too involved for younger kids, something like this DIY cranberry wreath<\/a> is fun to make too (and easy for little hands).<\/p>\n I love winter-themed \/ holiday puzzles and they make such a great December activity. Would be a good one to throw into one of your advent calendar days too, if you have one and need ideas.<\/p>\n Self explanatory, really. But if you want to make a set of holiday ornaments for the tree, here are a handful of DIY ideas\u2026<\/p>\n Check out your local craft store to get their schedule for Christmas crafts. Places like Michael\u2019s, for example, often host workshops where kids can create ornaments or other Christmas crafts for free or just the cost of the supplies.\u00a0<\/p>\n Another option is to turn your home into a mini crafting workshop for the afternoon, weekend, etc and do other DIY holiday crafts without having to leave the house. If that sounds good to you, I have a handful of Xmas craft suggestions that might help:<\/p>\nChristmas Activities for Kids<\/h2>\n
Neighborhood movie night<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nBuild a Holiday Themed Lego<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nHoliday storytelling at the Library or Bookstore<\/h3>\n
Make Reindeer Food<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nMake \/ Decorate Stockings<\/h3>\n
Go to a Holiday Market<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nBake Christmas Cookies<\/h3>\n
Nighttime Drive to See Holiday Lights<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nWrapping Party<\/h3>\n
Tree Trimming Party<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nMake a Christmas Countdown Calendar<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nMake a Christmas Wreath<\/h3>\n
Put Together a Holiday Puzzle<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nMake Homemade Ornaments<\/h3>\n
Christmas Crafts Workshop<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nMake Festive Outdoor Lanterns<\/h3>\n