Things To Do With Your Kids Around The Christmas Holidays

With the Christmas holidays just around the corner, you might be thinking about how you’re going to keep the little ones entertained.

The holidays are a wonderful chance to spend time together as a family, and with so many festive activities taking place, there is also plenty to keep you busy.

Whether you want to get out of the house for the day, have a crafty day at home or spend a cosy winter evening together, we’ve got just what you need to suit every mood.

Below, we’ve pulled together a list of things to do with your kids around the Christmas holidays to give you some festive inspiration.

Happy holidays!

Visit Santa

We’d be crazy not to kick start the list with a visit to Santa! As a child, is there anything more magical than meeting the big man himself and telling him what you want for Christmas?

Of course not!

And the best thing about it is that there are loads of different ways you and your little ones can visit Santa, often surrounded by other fun activities so you can make a full day of it.

Most towns and cities will have some sort of Santa’s grotto set up around the festive season, so check out what’s going on in your local area. If not, you can venture further afield to places like theme parks, shopping centres, garden centres and even Lapland UK, to meet jolly old Saint Nick.

Theme parks like Alton Towers and Legoland even arrange Christmas stays and Santa sleepovers for a dreamy weekend away with the kids.

Alternatively, you can ride the rails with experiences like Polar Express, Bluebell Railway, Didcot Railway Centre and hundreds more, allowing for a magical train journey as you meet Santa and his helpers. 

Choose a tree and put up your decorations

Another important Christmas tradition is choosing your Christmas tree and putting up your decorations. If you have a real tree, it is always an exciting outing going to choose the perfect fir for this year’s festive season.

But even if you have a synthetic tree, you can still have hours of fun getting the decorations out of the loft, unravelling the tangled lights and turning your home into a winter wonderland.

For an extra bit of fun, why not spend the day before getting the children to craft their own decorations? They can make paper chains, snowflakes, fingerprint snowmen, snow globes, and so much more!

They get to be as creative as they like and revel in the joy as their decorations are hung around the house for all to see.

Catch a pantomime or show

Is Christmas even Christmas without a pantomime or seasonal show?

At this time of year, there will be plenty of pantomimes and shows taking place all over the country, so you’ll certainly be able to find something in your local area. You’ll be able to enjoy all the classics like Aladdin, Cinderella and Snow White.

Or, for a special treat, you could take a day out to London to experience any one of the many incredible stage shows at the West End. These include Elf the Musical, Frozen, The Snowman and many more shows that will quickly get you into the festive spirit.

Do some Christmas baking

This time of year also brings with it plenty of cold and rainy days, so if you don’t really want to leave the house and brave the weather, don’t fear!

Kids love getting involved in making cakes, biscuits, pastries and other delicious seasonal goodies, so why not have a cosy day at home and do some Christmas baking?

There are loads of great recipes out there that are easy to follow and make with children in tow. You could even have them bake some snacks for Santa or maybe prepare some treats for an upcoming family Christmas party.

Of course, you don’t need a reason to eat yummy seasonal snacks, so you could just have some fun at home baking and then tuck into these later as you watch a Christmas movie, which leads us nicely to our next point.

Watch a Christmas movie

As Christmas rolls around, streaming sites are flooded with hundreds of new and classic Christmas movies for all the family to enjoy.

You can gather your snacks and get snuggled up on the sofa with a blanket (and maybe a Christmas jumper) and put on your favourite films. Why not have a movie marathon and let everyone choose a film they want to watch?

Alternatively, you could make more of an event of it and either go to the cinema or to a drive-in movie if there is one in or near your local area.

There are lots of different locations around the UK that show Christmas films at this time of year, which can make for a lovely family day out, whether that's the cinema or drive-in. But ag