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With the Christmas holiday coming up, the kids will be home again, and even with all their new toys and Christmas presents, they’ll be telling you how bored they are. It is, in fact, GOOD for the kids to be bored, but sometimes we are perhaps not so sure how good it is for the parents?!? 😂
With that in mind, we’ve got a few ideas for where you can go with the kids; and don’t forget to check out our 100 things to do with kids to make memories with them as well.
Obviously, you don’t need to take them out every day, but it’s a good idea to have a couple of things up your sleeve should you need them. So here are a few things to do with your kids this Christmas to get you started:
Children’s Play Village
If you’ve never been to a children’s play village, these are fantastic places to develop your kid’s creativity and imagination. There’s the KidsZania in London, which is described as “An indoor city run by kids” and then the Children’s Play Village in Warwick as well as The PlayTown in Rutland. Have a look online and see if you can find one near you.
KiddyCharts have been to KidZania in London, and we LOVED it; an amazing place for the kids to learn and experience. Do take a little extra for food there though, as it can be a little expensive.
Experience history at a castle
There is no better way to teach your children about the history of Britain than a trip to one of the many castles dotted around the country. Many of them are well preserved or have been restored so that you can see history in action. Often castles will offer all sorts of activities that children love. These include tours designed for children, activity workshops, and play areas.
Your children will be having so much fun; they won’t notice that they are learning at the same time. It’s also possible to get season tickets that cover many different heritage sites, so if you plan to make a few trips, this could help you look after the pennies.
Have fun learning at a museum
A day trip to any museum is all well and good, but did you know you can now sleepover at museums too?
It could even be part of their Christmas present to give your kids a real Night at the Museum experience with the Dino Snores sleepover at London’s Natural History Museum. The kids get to camp out, take part in activities which include a torch-lit trail and dinosaur t-shirt making.
This is slightly more expensive than some ideas at museums though – an awful lot in the UK are free to enter, and it is worth phoning ahead to see what activities they have for the kids.
For example, the Fitzwilliam in Cambridge had a fantastic treasure trail the kids can do, with a rucksack, and so does the Tate Modern in London. Just ask them, and they have always got something special for the kids.
Take a cultural trip to the theatre
No matter where you live, there’ll be a theatre you can get to over the Christmas holidays, and there are loads of shows on too. Either look for London theatre tickets and take your pick from everything the Westend has to offer or see if anything is touring near where you live. And of course, you could always go with the local pantomime which there are loads of over Christmas.
Improve your accuracy with bowling
It’s a classic when the weather is cold, bowling can keep you and your family entertained for a bit, but you might have to add in a good meal or some arcade games in too if you want to stay out all day.
Try not to get a cold bottom ice skating
If you don’t have an indoor ice rink close by then luckily at this time of year, outdoor ones are popping up all over the place. Wrap up warm, go for some fun on the ice, and then treat yourselves to a warm hot chocolate.
Catch a movie at the cinema
The Cinema is another classic thing to do over Christmas, and there’s always some great films out over Christmas. This year you’ll have the choice of Frozen 2, Jumanji: The Next Level, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker; Cats and Little Women, to name a few. Definitely a few great family films to get you started!
If you don’t go to the cinema, you could always have a movie night at home as a special treat. We’ve got some amazing popcorn holders for movie night if you do decide this is for you!
There is plenty there to consider, but if you are looking for MORE then what about:
- Checking out our I’m Bored Jar for even more fun ideas,
- Looking at the Christmas activities eBook we have for you, and
- Getting a bit of colouring in with our amazing free hippo colouring sheets from our very own wild animals colouring book!
You might like to have a bash at some of these ideas too:
- This Reading Mama has a perfect I’m Bored Bingo card to remind kids what to do when they are bored,
- If you are looking for. something a little different, why not these crazy and fun boredom busters from Frugal Fun 4 Boys?
- Finally, The Chaos and the Clutter has the PERFECT answer for all those cardboard boxes, with loads of ideas of what to do with them.
What do YOU think you re going to do with the kids this Christmas, why not let us know on Twitter and Facebook? Or even pop us a note in reply to our newsletter, which you might like to sign up to….
We have loved having you here, do come back very, very soon.
Helen
Helen
Helen is a mum to two, social media consultant, and website editor; and this site is (we think) the only Social Enterprise parenting magazine! Since giving up being a business analyst when juggling travel, work and kids proved too complicated, she founded KiddyCharts so she could be with her kids, and use those grey cells at the same time. KiddyCharts has reach of over 1.1million across social and the site. The blog works with big family brands (including travel) to help promote their services, as well as offering free resources to parents of kids under 10. It gives 51%+ profits to Reverence for Life, who fund a number of important initiatives in Africa, including bringing running water and basic equipment to a school in Tanzania. Helen has worked as a digital marketing consultant (IDM qualified) with various organisations, including Channel Mum, Truprint, Talk to Mums, and Micro Scooters. She loves to be creative in the brand campaigns she works on. Get in touch TODAY!
Paul
Wednesday 27th of November 2019
Great tips! Last week I took my 7-year old to see a musical that was performed at her school by actors from 'West End in Schools'. The musical was called 'Scroogical!', a rendition of 'A Christmas Carol'. We loved it! Anyway, thanks for sharing these tips, cheers!