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Winter break is typically best spent traveling to see family and friends or celebrating with a fun Christmas family vacation. However, a trip away may not be in the works for your family this year. During the holidays, don’t despair when these uncertain times leave you with a house full of bored kids. There are plenty of ways to take full advantage of your break—you may just have to get a little creative! Use these five original activities to keep both you and your children busy, sane, and accomplished this holiday season. Whether you’re working from home or not, these are activities you’ll surely want to carve out time to enjoy with your kids. No need to worry—spending the Christmas break at home can be productive, meaningful, and memorable for the whole family.

Decorate Your Home with All Things Jolly

There’s no better way to spruce up your home and occupy your kids’ time than with decorating. When your kids get to be a part of the decoration process, it’s almost guaranteed that they’ll get pumped up for the holidays. Who knows, it may end up becoming a Christmas tradition for you and your family. Plus, Christmas decorations don’t have to be expensive, and you can even spread the jolly into their bedrooms. For ideas on how to decorate your home, Christmas tree, and stockings, check out these simple Christmas arts and crafts for kids!

Cook and Bake: The More the Merrier!

Cooking or baking is a great way to keep your kids entertained come Christmas time. This doesn’t mean you have to make gourmet meals, but you can show them how to make your favorite holiday dishes and desserts. Not only will this get them cooking at a young age, but it will also instill comfort and happiness with food and the holidays. It’s the perfect time to bond and share family recipes or stories while preparing something delicious for your family to enjoy. Of course, kids love making a mess and mixing all sorts of things together, but we’re sure their favorite part will be seeing the masterpiece they helped create. Look over these easy Christmas recipes for you and your kids to make:

• Chocolate dipped candy canes or pretzels
• Homemade hot chocolate
• White chocolate–covered Chex mix and cereal
• Gingerbread cookies and houses
• Red and green mashed potatoes
• Candy cane shaped pizza

Wrap and Make Gifts Together

Gift-giving is so special, especially when it’s homemade and unique. Receiving a gift from a kid is even more heartfelt. Whether your kids want to make gifts for their friends, grandparents, cousins, or other family members, all you need is some construction paper, markers, crayons, and colored pencils. There’s not much else to it! They can even repurpose some old things laying around the house, such as picture frames or shoe boxes. If you bought gifts, you can have your kids help wrap them or even make custom wrapping paper.

Participate in Local Christmas Activities and Events

Christmas-time snow calls for outdoor fun and adventures. Gather up your skis, snow tubes, and sleds for an action-packed day in the cold. End the night with a warm cup of hot cocoa and smores. Load your family in the car and drive around the neighborhood to see the Christmas lights and decorations. Drive to town to go pick out a Christmas tree together. Or, perhaps your town is hosting safe and socially distanced events for the community. Whatever the case, many of these activities are only around for the season, so don’t miss out!

Watch Your Favorite Christmas Movies

Watching Christmas movies is the ultimate way to indulge in the holiday spirit without breaking the bank. If your kids have their favorite Christmas movies, pick out a few and watch them on the weekend while enjoying some of the freshly baked meals you made together. Or, you can share some of the Christmas movies you watched as a child. Luckily, there are tons of Christmas movies to choose from. Some of the best Christmas movies for you and your family to watch, both traditional and modern-day classics, include:

• Home Alone
• A Christmas Story
• Elf
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• Frosty the Snowman
• The Polar Express
• The Nightmare Before Christmas

Countdown to a Summer Spent at Frogbridge Day Camp

Christmas time is almost here! Before you know it, the next major event your child will be counting down to is the summer vacation season. Unfortunately, planning activities with your child for three long months is not an easy undertaking. Why not let an experienced summer day camp take over for you? Don’t miss out on the chance to give your child the best summer ever at Frogbridge Day Camp in Millstone Township, New Jersey. Frogbridge Day Camp is the best of summer day camps in Central New Jersey, complete with indoor and outdoor activities designed to give your child the opportunity of a lifetime. We’ve begun 2021 summer day camp registration and tours, so when you’re ready, come discover the Frogbridge Difference today by calling (609) 208-9050 or completing a contact form.

Hosting a Thanksgiving dinner is stressful. People wake up at the crack of dawn to start cooking the turkey, all while trying to prepare the sides that need to be ready a few hours later. Add a few children into the mix, and the scene could easily make even a world-class chef overwhelmed. Here are few tips for hosting a kid-friendly Thanksgiving, with everything from picky-eater-approved foods to keeping the kids entertained.

Serve Kid-Friendly Foods

There’s no denying that kids are picky eaters. After an entire morning and afternoon of playing, they may not be in the mood to try unfamiliar foods. With so many delicious items like turkey, potatoes, and stuffing, kids may just want a simple peanut butter and jelly. To keep with the holiday, cut the sandwich into the shape of a turkey. Some other kid-friendly foods to have at your Thanksgiving dinner are:

• Mac and cheese: Mac and cheese is a classic kids food. Adults love it, too. But when making it for kids, simply make it from a box. Kids love it when the noodles look like their favorite characters.
• Turkey nuggets: Turkey may not be your kid’s favorite, but chances are you’re cooking one on Thanksgiving. Instead, cut some turkey into small pieces, cover in bread crumbs, and bake.

Making dishes kid-friendly is an easy task. All it takes is a little creativity.

Have a Kids Table

Keep the adults at one table and let the kids have fun at their own table. Place a large sheet of paper on the table, provide crayons or markers, and let the kids color. They’ll finally be able to fulfill their dream of coloring on the table. Plus, it keeps your nice tablecloth mess-free. You can also buy Thanksgiving-themed paper plates to avoid one of your fancier dishes accidentally getting broken.

Kid-Proof Your House

Kid proofing your house will go a long way in creating a kid-friendly environment. Remove anything breakable well before guests start arriving. Close or block off any areas that you don’t want curious kids wandering into.

Keep Kids Entertained

Thanksgiving is a time for family to come together and catch up on everything that happened throughout the year. To children, however, it’s a long, dull day. Keeping them entertained before dinner is critical to ensure they don’t act out. Here are a few ways you can keep your kids busy while dinner is cooking.

Play Games

Before your guests arrive, pick out a few board games for the kids to play. Monopoly, Connect 4, and Candyland are classic games, and the adults can join in on the fun too.

Watch Movies

When inviting your family over, tell them to bring one of their favorite movies. Once everyone arrives, let the kids decide what film they want to watch. Make some popcorn, and they’ll be busy for at least two hours.

Create a Scavenger Hunt

Put together a list of items for kids, or adults, to find throughout the house. Items could be food, decorations, or everyday objects. The person who finds the most by dinner can have first dibs on dessert.

Let Kids Help

A sure-fire way to keep kids entertained is to let them help with the festivities. They can help set the table or stir ingredients with you. You could even trust older kids with cooking a dish or dessert. Children who feel like they have an important role to play are less likely to act out.

Discover the Great Outdoors With Frogbridge Day Camp

While it may be challenging to keep kids entertained during the winter months, it’s easy to keep them entertained during the summer at Frogbridge Day Camp. Across our 86 acres, our campers enjoy fishing, archery, swimming, zip-lining, and rock climbing. If you’ve never experienced the wonders of Frogbridge Day Camp, we invite you to schedule a personal tour. All tours are private, with one family at a time, following all recommended protocols such as social distancing and face coverings. To schedule a Frogbridge Day Camp tour, call our office at (609) 208-9050 or complete our online contact formtoday.