2019 Top 10 Winter Break Activities
Winter Break is here and for some of us we don’t have any plans! No worries, Khojo Kids to the rescue. Here are our top 25 activities to do with your child that does not involve screen time.
Let’s go to the museum…Day or Night!
Science is even more fun in your pajamas. Field Museum located in Chicago is a fascinating place to be at any time of day, but kids will get an extra special experience when they come to Dozin’ with the Dinos. They’ll stay up late with museum scientists, do hands-on activities, and explore some of the museums most famous exhibits (like the dino exhibit that’s home to the world’s largest T.rex) with flashlights. The series of slumber parties takes place on select weekends throughout the year. 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive. Check to see if your local museum is doing something similar.
Many museums also have activities set up that you can do with your child. Such as sensory play, art class, etc. Remember, your kid and you don’t have to be dressed perfect. Research the museums in your area, find out the schedule, and GO!! :)
2. Learn a new Sight Word
This activity doesn’t have to wait till break, but since we are here, let’s do it! Post a sight word in a visual area in your home and recite it to your child. Afterwards, act it out. So if the word is “jump”, well jump all over your home. You can even facetime/skype in a relative to join in on all the fun.
3. Volunteer-Soup Kitchen/Community Center
Although receiving gifts are fun, let’s teach our kids the importance of giving. Call your local community center or a few homeless centers and see if you can come in to give your time. It can be through cooking, reading, talking. Most of these dates fill up fast during the holidays, so be flexible. Also it is better to go with an organization or your church. The more the merrier. Also, bring purposeful gifts for other kids as well.
4. Yoga anyone?
Yoga is awesome for improving physical and mental health in kids. At least once a weak I read about kids who are not mentally balanced or are just tired all the time. Although, many other vital things play a role, ex. diet, environment, genetics, let’s work to improve our kids mental health. Give yoga a try, plus it is fun to learn new poses with your child! LOL!
5. Science Experiment
Balloon Chemical Reaction
How you do it:
Use a funnel to add 1/3 cup baking soda to the inside of a balloon. Fill a plastic bottle with approximately 1 cup vinegar. Attach the balloon to the mouth of the plastic bottle, then lift the balloon upright so the baking soda falls and causes the reaction.
6. Homemade Snow Globe (also makes a perfect gift)
Get a jar
Glue the toys or picture to the inside of the lid. ...
Pour half of the tube of glitter into the bottom of the glass jar. ...
Add water to the jam jar, up to the point where the lid screws on. ...
Shake and enjoy!
6. Dance Competition
It’ time for the perculator. LOL!!!
Am I the only one that finds it hilarious when young kids attempt to teach adults the latest dances? Yes! I am not alone! Give this a try and make sure you record it. Try out this cool app called Triller where you can choose a song to dance to and record all on your smart phone. Then look back at your video for more laughs!
7. let’s learn how to pray
If my child can say hi, well he can say Amen! (Amen). Prayer is common in our household and as soon as mommy or daddy is done, my children know to say Amen! During break, teach kids the importance of prayer and what it means. You don’t have to get all deep just yet, but help them learn the fundamentals of prayer and the reasons behind it. Here is a guideline that helped me out. Give this a try and let me know how it goes.
What is prayer?
Why do we pray?
How do we pray?
When do we pray?
What do we pray about?
Who are we praying to?
What are the different types of prayers?
8. bUBBLE fOAM sENSORY pLAY
Bubble Foam
Sorry, but a great childhood comes with fun mess. We can’t escape it! LOL.
What you need:
-tear free bubble bath
-water
-hand mixer
how to make bubble foam:
Add the water, bubble mix, and food coloring to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high for 2 minutes. Add your foaming bubbles to a plastic bin for a fun sensory activity.
You could also add the mixture to a foam soap dispenser to create these bubbles.
Playing with bubble foam stimulates many senses for young children, such a valuable way to support learning and development on many levels. The soft tactile foam is so lovely to touch, a great calming activity to help the busiest of young children relax.
9. Homemade Race CAr Tracks (Imaginative Play)
Get an old cardboard and draw race car tracks. Don’t make it basic though! LOL. Add a park, animals, whatever you want. Place the board on your staircase and do some imaginative play with your child. Race through the city. You can even add stop signs and pedestrians to teach safety.
Imaginative play is essentially when children are role playing and are acting out various experiences they may have had or something that is of some interest to them. They are experimenting with decision making on how to behave and are also practising their social skills. Children learn from experience: from what happens around them, from what they see, hear, smell, taste and touch. To absorb those experiences and make sense of the world, they need to be engaged in imaginary play.
We as adults can often under value imaginative play. Play is a child’s way of engaging and making sense of the world. Role play may appear to be a very simple activity, yet within it, young children learn practical life skills such as dressing themselves, how to cooperate and share with others.
10. Open a Bank Account
Learning about money can be a fun activity. That requires a whole separate post. Once your child understands the value of money and savings, take a trip to the bank. Make it a big deal, because money is a big deal in this world. Teach them how to use money wisely. I would love to dive into this topic, so if you’re interested dm on IG @khojokids and maybe I can create a post with a financial advisor on what to do and not do when teaching kids about money.