activities for dc's on the run up to Christmas

[mamasmissionimpossible]

How do you entertain your dc's on the run up to Christmas? My dc's are ds 6 and dd nearly 4. They have finished school now. I don't want them to get bored and squabble or tire them out before the Christmas. I'm also 30 weeks pg, so am too tired to run about Any ideas? Thanks.

Monday - Take them to soft play so that they can run around for a couple of hours and you can read a book in the cafe.

Tuesday - Ditto the park with a good play area.

Wednesday - Puss in Boots (Shrek spin-off) is on at the cinema.

Thursday - If there's one near you, take them to a museum that's good for children (Science Museum/Planetarium/Museum of Childhood if you're in London).

Friday - Ice skating?

Saturday - Crib service at a nearby church.

Thanks AKMD for those ideas. Sadly London is an hours train ride and too much for me at the moment. We have some museums here (south coast) will have a look at their schedules to see what is on.

Hmm. They are also the perfect age for pantomimes. If you're anywhere near hastings you could lock them in the castle dungeons :o

sounds like a great idea, I'm sick of all the squabbling.

My dds are 4.5 and just turned 1. My plans for next week are:

Monday: Museum

Tuesday: Soft play with friend (so I can have a chat with the other mum while the kids look after themselves play together)

Wednesday: DH is home so I think we'll go further afield...maybe a visit to Bath markets.

Thursday: Ballet show with dd1 while dd2 stays with my mum. I plan to get dd1 to buy some token gifts for the family after the ballet, but that will depend on how mental town is.

Friday: PJ day with lots of baking, cooking, making of decorations, and finally dvds...as many as they can watch without going cross-eyed

Saturday: DH home (yay!) and Christmas Eve (yay!!). Nothing planned...we'll go with the flow.

This is the first time that I have the whole week before Christmas to spend at home, so I'm really looking forward to it. I was home last year, but dd2 was a newborn premmie and things were just too too stressful and not festive at all.

Being pregnant with older children at home is the hardest thing imaginable. Can you rope in some help? Send the kids to a friend's house for a while? Or call someone over to yours so the children can play while you have some company?

Erm, that was a long post. Sorry

NanAstley - Thanks for your schedule, it is helpful to have an idea what other people are up to so I can steal their ideas

My Mum and a Dad are kindly having the dc's on Tuesday and DH will be home on Friday so only a few days to fill on my own. It is hard when I have play peacemaker between them all the time!

We have the panto booked for the 28th Dec, hopefully dd won't play up and get bored!

Mine are 8, 5 and 11months. I tend to go for active mornings out - walks in the wood, park, library, shopping. Then a hot lunch followed by quiet time for a couple of hours - this is often a DVD, lego playing, playdough, drawing. Essentially it is quiet activities so I can tidy/ cook/ have a hot drink before they go mad again. If its not lashing down with rain I find wrapping them up warm and lots of fresh air really tires them out. We live in the country so not lots of near by soft play type activities but with the woods near by we enjoy collecting fir cones and bits of slate to write our names on.

Our week is l

Our week is looking like this:
Monday: dd1 has cricket 10am-12pm then we're going over to grandparents to see relatives who have come over for a couple of days.
Tuesday: home in the morning so making paper chains/baking then husband is taking them shopping and out for dinner so I shall spend the afternoon wrapping presents.
Wednesday: cinema - probably to see the new Alvin and Chipmunks film.
Thursday: going up to London to surprise daddy for lunch
Friday: not sure yet, maybe meet friends for a park trip?

Saturday: breakfast with FC at local garden centre then drinks at a friends, home for hot choc and new pjs!
Friday:

Our week is looking like this:
Monday: dd1 has cricket 10am-12pm then we're going over to grandparents to see relatives who have come over for a couple of days.
Tuesday: home in the morning so making paper chains/baking then husband is taking them shopping and out for dinner so I shall spend the afternoon wrapping presents.
Wednesday: cinema - probably to see the new Alvin and Chipmunks film.
Thursday: going up to London to surprise daddy for lunch
Friday: not sure yet, maybe meet friends for a park trip?

Saturday: breakfast with FC at local garden centre then drinks at a friends, home for hot choc and new pjs!