Keep Your Kids Learning Over Winter Break
The holiday season is upon us and with that comes a long stretch of time with kids out of school. If you can already hear echoes of, “I’m bored,” “There’s nothing to do,” or “Can we watch TV,” this blog post is for you.
Read on for our top tips, tools, and activities to give you ideas of things to do on winter break with your kids. Jump down to the age groups you’re interested in with the links below.
Winter Break Activities for Preschoolers
Winter Break Activities for Elementary Schoolers
Winter Break Activities for Middle Schoolers
Winter Break Activities for High Schoolers
Winter Break Activities for Preschoolers
Preschoolers are natural scientists, engineers, and creators. Tap into these innate qualities with any of fun things to do on winter break listed below!
Coffee Filter Snowflakes
We love when fun activities use materials that are readily available in your cabinets. Create colorful snowflakes while exploring symmetry, patterns, and color mixing using markers, water, and coffee filters. Check out these instructions for guidance.
Winter Sensory Bins
Preschoolers love engaging their senses, so anytime you can bring out a sensory bin, you’re bound for a good time! Fill a bin with fake snow (all you need is baking soda and white hair conditioner), then throw in whatever you might have around the house – small toys, marbles, and winter-themed cookie cutters. Your kids will love the look, feel, and smell of this activity. Definitely lay down an old towel under the bin for easy clean up.
Exploding Snowman Experiment
Don’t let the name of this activity scare you! Using only baking soda and vinegar, you can demonstrate basic chemistry in this thrilling snowman-themed reaction. Let your youngster do the measuring and pouring – this is a great way to reinforce basic math and fine motor skills.
Marshmallow and Toothpick Snowflakes
Whether you live in a winter wonderland or not, kids love snow and snowflakes! These snowflakes will help your preschooler develop fine motor skills and basic engineering concepts. A pro tip is to use day-old marshmallows for this activity if you can – they’re not as squishy and make it easier to create nice-looking snowflakes.
Learn About Winter Holidays
Explore books or online resources about celebrations like Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Las Posadas to foster cultural awareness. This book list represents a range of holidays and traditions while helping young readers explore concepts like empathy, perspective-taking, and inclusivity. No need to buy a bunch of brand new books – use tools like the International Children’s Digital Library or Libby for free access to robust libraries.
Winter Break Activities for Elementary Students
The below winter activities for students will keep your elementary schooler engaged all break long!
Snowstorm in a Jar
With only three ingredients required, this activity is fun to make but also fun to play with for days on end. A snowstorm in a jar helps kids learn about density and chemical reactions, while giving them opportunities to measure, pour, and mix on their own.
Nature Scavenger Hunt
Depending on your climate, it might be difficult to get kids outdoors. However, there are many proven benefits of cold-weather outdoor play, including increased resilience, stronger immune health, and improved mood. Explore a local park or backyard for natural items, like pinecones or icicles, to discuss winter adaptations in nature. After the scavenger hunt, start a conversation about your child’s observations. What did you find that is smooth/rough/prickly?
- What did you find that is damp/dry?
- Was there anything on the list you didn’t touch/pick up? Why?
- What is the most delicate object you found? Why do you say that?
- How would you describe [item]?
- Where did you find [item]?
- Why do you think [item] ended up looking like that? What might have happened to it?
This resource includes a free printable to take your scavenger hunt to the next level. Try extending the activity by having your kids create nature art by gluing items like sticks, leaves, and small rocks on a piece of paper or cardboard.
Homemade Bird Feeders
Building off of that scavenger hunt, gather pinecones, peanut butter, and birdseed to craft feeders, allowing your kids to observe visiting birds. Check out the Audubon Society Guide to North American Birds to identify any that you see.
Virtual Tours
Visit online exhibits from institutions like the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of Natural History, or explore a variety of tours using Google Arts and Culture. Check out the NASA Scientific Visualization Studio to produce visualizations, animations, and images in order to promote a greater understanding of Earth and Space Sciences. Your elementary schooler can also visit NASA Space Place, which is full of interactive games, hands-on activities, and simulations. Check out this blog post for more tips to bring history and social studies concepts to life at home!
Winter Reading Challenge
Print out this resource from Scholastic and set a goal to finish a specific number of books. Remember to use your local library or Libby for free access to tons of books!
Winter Activities for Middle School Students
Is your middle schooler looking for things to do over winter break? We’ve done the digging to find activities and tools that will keep them busy and learning.
DIY STEM Challenges
Kids love creating things with their own hands. You could try this Electric Snap Kit, capable of creating an array of more than 300 electronic devices. Build a catapult or design a marble run with household items to explore engineering.
Storytelling Through Comics
Outdoor Winter Photography
Learn basic photography skills and capture winter landscapes. Your child could even try ToonCamera – a video and photography app that turns your world into a live cartoon. Apply real-time cartoon and art effects to your camera feed, record video, snap photos, and convert existing video and photos from your albums to create instant works of art.
Hour of Code
For middle schoolers interested in Computer Science, have them participate in coding challenges using tools like CodeMonkey, CodeWizardsHQ, and Kodable. Check out this blog post for more tips to get your child interested in STEM learning.
Things to Do on Winter Break With High Schoolers
High schoolers can be tough to please, but with the below activities and tools, your teen will have tons of things to do over winter break.
Volunteer Projects
Volunteering is an incredibly rewarding, humbling, and enlightening way to spend time. Tap into your teen’s interests to identify potential local or virtual volunteer opportunities, such as helping at food banks or writing letters to the elderly. Look into Best Buddies, TeenLife, and VolunteerMatch (select the filter “great for teens” on this one) for an array of volunteer opportunities for your high schooler.
Learn a New Skill Online
With a little extra time on their hands, your high schooler might be interested in exploring a new skill. Platforms like Khan Academy or Skillshare to study art, coding, or photography.
Plan and Cook a Meal
Who doesn’t like a pair of helping hands when cooking all those holiday meals? Support your teen in developing planning, budgeting, and cooking skills by asking them to help with a family dinner over break. These recipes are teen-proof and delicious!
Get a Jump Start on Preparing for Post-Graduation
It’s likely that your teen has started thinking about their future goals after high school. Encourage them to use their idle time over break to study for tests like the SAT, ACT, or GRE. Magoosh is a great tool used by more than 10 million students for stress-free studying and test prep. They could also do some research into potential career paths with CareerOneStop.
Supporting At-Home Learning No Matter the Season
Whether it’s ideas for summer or things to do on winter break, Ed2Grow is here to help you keep high-quality learning going at home. Visit our website to learn more about our PreK-12 Education Resources and get in touch with ways we can better help you help your kids of all ages. Happy holidays!
