31+ Non-Electronic Activities For Kids To Do During Holiday Breaks

Here is a list of over 30 activities for kids to do while they are on holiday breaks. All of these activities can be done at home or close to home and require minimal to no supplies. We are a homeschool family and the activities I will be sharing are things my kids do on a regular basis, but they are all activities that can be done during holiday breaks and are KID APPROVED! I hope you have a fun filled holiday break and your family makes lots of memories together.

Board Games

Who doesn’t love a good board game? I remember playing board games on our holiday breaks growing up and it is a memory I will cherish forever. This is an activity that can last 30 minutes to a few hours!

Card Games

Kids love repetition. My kids can play Slap Jack over and over again and it is an easy game they can do with each other, so my attention can be focused on other things.

Holiday baking and cooking

Those pies aren’t going to bake themselves! Baking is a daily occurance in our house as we bake our own bread! Baking with children does require a lot of patience and you have to be okay if the cookies don’t turn out the same every time, but my kids absolutely love making their own food. Overtime they have all gotten better at following directions and we have fewer mistakes now.

Salt Dough Map

While it may seem like school, this hands-on activity is entertaining for the older kids. Sometimes it can be difficult to find things for the older kids to do, but this one should keep any child over 7 happy and entertained for a while.

Playdough

Obviously the youngers will enjoy playing with playdough while the olders are making a salt dough map. Playdough is a favorite but can be messy, so it might require more supervision than some other activites.

Jewlery making and beads

A girly favorite around here, bracelet making is one of my daughters favorite ways to pass time. She makes them for friends and family members. This also works as a great gift for the grandparents and cousins.

Drawing and Coloring

This is probably the most obvious activity to do on holiday breaks. If you don’t concider it an electronic activity, you can always use Art For Kids Hub on YouTube. Otherwise, coloring books are a great alternative.

Table Paper Drawing

If coloing in books is no longer appealing, you can switch it up by grabbing a big role of brown painters paper from the store and using that. This gives the kids a sense of endless coloring feedom and creativity. This paper also doubles as a paper race track. Lay out a large piece of paper and trace a road on the map. Grab little cars and let the littles drive on their little road.

Rock Painting

This activity is easy and fun. Grab a few rocks on a walk, bring them home, and either paint them or use markers on them.

Reading

This activity is a must in our household. If your kids don’t enjoy reading on their own, try reading to them first. We set 20 minute timers for the younger readers, but the older kids will sometimes read for hours if they are in the middle of a good book.

Face Painting

Grab a good face painting set on Amazon or let the kids use your old makeup pallets. This is a fun way for the littles to be creative.

Declutter and Organize

It wouldn’t be ME writing this article if I didn’t include some cleaning activites on this list. Holiday breaks are a good time to take advantage of going through your kid’s room and decluttering, organizing, and doing a good deep clean. Help them learn to let things go and make room for their new holiday gifts.

Cardboard Robot Family

Start saving your cardboard early and the kids will be able to make an entire robot family! Who knew? Kids can come up with the most creative things with cardboard.

Cardboard Skeleton

If you don’t have as much cardboard laying around for a robot family, try a skeleton for some additional holiday decor.

Paper Plate Puppet Show

After the cardboard, a paper plate puppet show is another great option for passing time.

Dress Up & Make Believe

The younger kids love to dress up and run around with sticks in the yard. My older daughter will make up scripts and they will have whole shows on their own. If you don’t concider it electronic time, my kids will often record their “shows” on the phone and rewatch them on the TV. They have made some pretty awesome home movies over the years.

Holiday Arts and Crafts

This is a fun way to incorporate fun holiday memories. Leaf crafts or season changing crafts are a fun way to help kids understand tradition and time.

Library

Who doesn’t love a good hour or two at the library? While you do have to venture out for this activity, I like to take my computer and work while they play, read, and work on projects outside of the house.

Tea Party

Tea is a favorite around these parts. Set up some stufties and have a whole tea party at home!

Fall & Winter Walks

Don’t let the cold scare you if you live in a colder enviornment. The changing leaves are so beautiful to look at, and the kids love to find new sticks in the winter. A great source of exercise in the cold months, get outside for a little nature walk.

Picnic

Set up the kids in the backyard for a picnic! A new way to enjoy lunch in the cold air with the warm sun.

Family Workout

It is easy to find yourself sitting around all day during holiday breaks if you don’t like venturing out in the cold, so try a family workout to encourage staying active. You can use videos on YouTube or make up your own family workout.

Dance Party

One type of family workout can be a dance party! What little doesn’t like turning some music up and getting the wiggles out?

Snow Fight

An obvious one, but snow fights are such a fun activity for the kids. Kick them outside in the snow and they will find all sorts of things to do with their imaginations.

Marshmallow and Pretzel Sticks

The next time you are at the store grab some marshmallows and pretzel sticks for a fun snack that will keep the kids busy for a while. They can make marshmallow stick figures or build little houses. Give them bowls of this treat and see what they come up with.

Roller Skating

While you are out for your afternoon walk, try putting the skates on the kids for a fun skating adventure.

Bike Ride

A family bike ride is a great activity to release built up energy in the afternoon.

Park

Take the kids to the local park and let them run around for a little while. If you don’t like sitting in the cold while they run around, find a parking spot facing the park and sit in the car. If your kids are too little for that, grab some hand warmers and bundle up tight.

Audiobooks

If your kids are too excited about reading, try an audiobook instead. They can listen to an audiobook while doing arts and crafts.

Scavanger Hunt

Create your own or print a scavanger hunt off online and have your kids go look for the things on the list. This is an activity that can be done indoors or out.

Bubble bath

This is a crowd pleaser for the younger kids around here. Bubbles are just fun to play with, so whether you have toys or not, bubbles will sufice on their own.

Face Mask & Spa Day

Take some time out of the day to pamper the little girls in your life. Face masks, finger painting, and a fun hair day, this activity will make some of the best memories.

Outdoor Yahtzee

Amazon has outdoor yard toys you can get that are so much fun for the kids. We have the Yahtzee dice and Big Jinga. There is also Cornhole and bean bag toss games.