Plans for people at home with kids in the run up to xmas?

[Ohdoleavemealone]

I want to keep us as safe as possible in the run up to xmas so we can see our parents (not old or vulnerable) on xmas day.

This means we won't be doing much in the way of externally organised activities so I am on the hunt for stuff we can do at home.

We have already done crafts, a gingerbread house and are planning a brunch with virtual Santa, a "german market" in the garden and xmas films, walks around to see the lights.

Any other ideas?

bump

How old are the dc?

We will be making gifts
Making baubles out of Lego (building cars out of Lego and racing them is also a good time filler)
Playing boardgames
Watching movies
Walking
Spending too much time on iPads
Cleaning and tidying for Christmas
Sweeping up leaves in garden

How old are your children? I think mine will enjoy doing nothing much in that first week. I'm looking forward to lazy days before the craziness of Xmas day and new toys.
Lots of board games and card games.
TV and breakfast in bed. Sometimes I make them picnic boxes for breakfast in bed with brioche rolls, juice cartons etc and leave them in their room before I go to bed. They love it.
Maybe some Pokémon walks to local parks.

They are 5 and 8. Doing nothing means watching too much TV or causing chaos!

Can you turn your living room into an obstacle course, so DCs have to go right around the room without putting one foot on the ground. If they do, it's back to the beginning and start again.

We will make our Christmas wreath, salt dough ornaments and have a lot of screen time. Movie and popcorn time. Make mince pies

@Chottie

Can you turn your living room into an obstacle course, so DCs have to go right around the room without putting one foot on the ground. If they do, it's back to the beginning and start again.

House a bit small for that but I am looking for more xmassy ideas really.

Thank you.

DD and I are isolating now ahead of seeing my parents at Christmas.

Every day we are doing a household job together (washing the car, tidying/cleaning a specific room, little DIY tasks like putting hooks in DD's door), then having a long-ish walk (2-3 miles) and then doing a fun Christmas activity;

200 piece Christmas jigsaw
Making mince pies
Putting Christmas decorations up
Writing Christmas cards
Wrapping presents

A real turning point for me in DD and I being able to happily while away the days during lockdown was realising that she actually really likes to be involved when I'm doing jobs. She thinks washing the car is hilarious. She enjoys washing up. She's brilliant at helping with present wrapping and enjoys it etc.

It works much better for me to involve her than to send her off to play while I do these things on my own. They're also great time fillers.

Oh and DD loves to put the Christmas CD on and have us dance around the house. This is becoming a daily feature.

You could also buy some longer Christmas-themed stories and read a chapter a day at a particular time in the day.

Put them to bed early and then get them back up, wrap them up in the car and drive them around the local area on a Christmas light hunt. My parents did that occasionally and it’s a memory I cherish (the McDonald’s as a late night snack is optional).

Chase snow into the mountains? Probably completely unachievable! We live in the north west and in the country side the top of the hills are covered in snow, I don’t know if we can reach them. Might as well go and see. Is there something similar you can do?

We’re doing this after Friday.
Gingerbread house to build and decorate
Making biscuits with Christmas cutters and decorating them
Making crackers
Making tree decorations
Delivering cards to the neighbours
Walk around the village (advent windows trail)
Drive to areas with lots of lights
Home cinema- DS makes tickets and “sells” me popcorn
Make Christingles and watch a service on YouTube
School and tutoring homework!
Lego gingerbread house
iPad time!

Baking
Walk
Scavenger hunt around the house (Xmas themed)
Gingerbread house competition
Christmas cards
Paper chains
Salt dough decorations
Fake snow scene- set up toys in snow
Christmas crafts- snowflakes, reindeer, cone angels
Christmas slime
Homemade snow globe
Sensory bath (glowsticks etc)
Movie and hot chocolate
Biscuit decorating
Homemade Christmas wrap
Freeze toys and get them to get them out
Make some snow out of cornflour and shaving foam and get them to build a mini snowman
Festive playdough (never too old for playdough)
Christmas bookmarks
Mindful colouring sheets (Xmas themed)

This is where teenagers are ideal. I'd say it's going to be them "self isolating" in their rooms (they are professionals), welded to an Xbox controller or crap on Sky TV.

The most we will see of them will be Christmas Day as we are all off out and then their heads will be in a laptop.

DDS are 6 and 9.

They will happily play together for hours.

In between, board games, Christmas films, crafts, scooters / skates in garden, walk in the field / woods / by the river.

@myneighboursarerude I love your ideas although the chasing snow into the mountains is sadly not an option!!
I am definitely going to get them up for a late night Christmas lights drive though. maybe taking in McDonald's drive through

We're working so it will be a mish mash of films, probably a few board games, screen time and stuffing their faces with snacks.

Mine are a bit younger than yours (4 & 1) but for the four year old we have planned:
Making mince pies
Making Christmas biscuits
Gingerbread house decorating
Christmas movie night with popcorn and hot chocolate
Drive/walk round the town to see all the Christmas lights (we don’t have any neighbours so have to go and see them)
Lots of playing in the garden
Christmas crafts (done quite a bit but have a few more things we can do)
Scavenger hunt (for chocolate coins or equivalent)
Lots of Christmas activities on twinkl - colouring, word searches, cutting and sticking etc

Some great ideas thanks!

I did plan on doing the drive with a little hot chocolate but not late. My youngest is a nightmare if woken. We could do it in their onsies though so it doesn't matter if she falls asleep.

Thank you @INeedNewShoes for this reminder:

A real turning point for me in DD and I being able to happily while away the days during lockdown was realising that she actually really likes to be involved when I'm doing jobs. She thinks washing the car is hilarious. She enjoys washing up. She's brilliant at helping with present wrapping and enjoys it etc.

It works much better for me to involve her than to send her off to play while I do these things on my own. They're also great time fillers.

It makes such a difference to my day/ weekend when I do this with DS, but I often default to trying to do those things on my own while he occupies himself (which he can’t do well). Then I get annoyed for not being able to do the job (feeling guilt because I am trying to get things done so I CAN spend time with him). It works better when he does it with me.