BJU Press Blog

christmas activities

4 Easy Christmas Activities for Kids

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easy Christmas activities for kids
As the holidays approach, the pressure to make every day count becomes even more intense. You desperately want your kids to have beautiful holiday memories, but with all the busyness of homeschool, church, community events, family gatherings, and more, it can be hard to set aside time for those Christmas activities or to deal with the cleanup afterward, especially during certain seasons of family life. Here are four easy Christmas activities for kids that involve relatively little preparation and minimal mess.

Tour the Holiday Lights

If you have a holiday light show near your home, pile everyone into the car one night and drive over. Even if there’s no light show nearby, you can drive through local neighborhoods. There are always a few winter wonderlands at private homes where the owners have gone above and beyond. Add your favorite holiday playlist, and you’ve got a simple, fun, memory-making family Christmas activity.

Cookie Swap

Maybe you’re not keen on the idea of making Christmas cookies or treats from scratch this year. Maybe there’s been sickness in your family, you’ve recently had a new baby, or the toddlers just aren’t in a place to enjoy that sort of family Christmas activity. But you want your kids to experience and enjoy a variety of holiday treats—so why not organize a cookie swap with friends?

At a cookie swap, several families buy or make a few dozen Christmas cookies or special treats. Then everyone gathers to sample the goodies and trade bags or tins of the Christmas cookies to take home. To keep cleanup manageable, arrange to swap treats at a friend’s home or at church. You could even combine activities and go to an outdoor pavilion, perhaps near a skating rink or playground.

DIY Christmas Ornaments

If your kids are eager to participate in decorating for the holidays, let them craft a few ornaments for the tree. One easy way to do this is to purchase a bunch of durable plastic Christmas balls and different stickers (holiday-themed stickers, googly eyes, sequin stickers, etc.). The kids can plaster the ornaments with stickers, creating masterpieces fit for the tree—and there’s no glue involved!

Christmas Bingo

Want to keep your kids occupied while you’re driving or shopping? Use free printable games like Christmas bingo! Just print out the cards, give your kids some dot stickers, and let them conduct a visual scavenger hunt from the car seat, stroller, or shopping cart. They’ll have fun, and you’ll be free to focus on your destination or your shopping list.

In your season of life, making Christmas memorable might seem overwhelming. Just remember that activities for kids don’t have to be complex or Pinterest-worthy. The simplest family Christmas activity can yield some of the best bonding moments, learning experiences, and holiday charm.

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Rebecca is a work-at-home freelance writer, novelist, wife, and the mom of two bright-eyed little ones. She credits her success in writing and her love of books to her own mom, who homeschooled three kids from pre-K through high school.

4 Christmas Science Projects for Your Homeschool

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candycanes for Christmas science
As Christmas approaches, your kids are probably getting more excited about the holidays and less enthusiastic about school. Why not combine science learning with a holiday theme? Explore these four exciting Christmas science projects for your homeschool.

Christmas Slime

If you haven’t made slime with your kids yet, consider trying this homeschool science experiment around the holidays. There’s nothing quite like the amazement on a kid’s face when a simple combination of glue, borax, and warm water turns into the perfect play material. To add a Christmassy (or Christmessy) touch, use sparkly green or sparkly red glue.

As you create the slime, talk about the elements necessary for the project and explain the chemical reaction that’s involved. You can explain the nature of the polymer molecules in the glue, and how the borax in water results in borate ions that connect to those polymers, changing their behavior.

Festive Cranberries in Soda

What makes soda bubbly? What happens when a small dense object is dropped into a liquid filled with carbon dioxide bubbles? Pour a glass of Sprite®, carbonated water, or another clear carbonated beverage. Next, drop in a few cranberries.

Since they’re dense, the cranberries sink at first. But watch as the carbon dioxide bubbles collect around the cranberries and carry them up to the top! As those bubbles pop, the cranberries will sink again, and the process will repeat continuously. This homeschool science experiment should keep your kids fascinated for a while, and you’ll get the opportunity to talk about buoyancy, density, and the properties of carbon dioxide.

 Dissolving Candy Canes

How do different liquids affect the state of a solid—in this instance, a candy cane? Fill four clear jars about halfway with different liquids—one with cold water, one with hot water, one with cooking oil, and one with vinegar. Ask your kids to make scientific predictions about what might happen to a candy cane when it’s left in one of the jars. Have them measure the candy canes before you begin.

As the kids place a candy cane in each jar, set a stopwatch to time the dissolving process. Have your children observe and make notes. Which liquid dissolves a candy cane the fastest? Which one is slowest? How long does it take before the candy cane is completely gone? What happens to the liquids in the jars?

The candy cane dissolving process fascinates kids of any age. If you have preschoolers who shouldn’t be around the hot water and other liquids, make them their own sensory toy using a clear plastic bottle filled with water and chunks of candy cane, with a tightly closed lid. They’ll enjoy shaking it around and making their own observations.

What other kinds of Christmas candy can you use to change up this Christmas science experiment? Does shaking the jars make the process any faster? Allow your kids to question, observe, and practice the scientific method as long as they want with this activity.

States of Matter with Chocolate and Crayons

Once you’re done dissolving candy canes, you can go on to experiment with the states of matter of your Christmas chocolates. Simply fill sandwich bags with chocolate pieces and have your children hold them and try to melt the chocolate with their hands alone. How long does it take? Do the same with crayons. Do they melt? Once you’re done with the chocolate and crayons, you can turn them into fun shapes or make ornaments!

For more Christmas science experiments for your homeschool, check out Pinterest or your favorite homeschool blogs. You can try the ice and salt melting experiment, fizzing candy canes, or the foaming snowman. As you blend science with elements of Christmas, you can remind your children of just how amazing God’s creation is, and how Christ’s birth was part of His great plan to redeem it.

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Rebecca is a work-at-home freelance writer, novelist, wife, and the mom of two bright-eyed little ones. She credits her success in writing and her love of books to her own mom, who homeschooled three kids from pre-K through high school.