How do you keep your children entertained during the festive holidays? Share with NOW TV - chance to win £300 NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

The couple of weeks (or so) holiday from school at Christmas time can be a long slog once the ‘big day’ is out of the way, especially if the weather is not very kind.

NOW TV would love to know your top tips on keeping the children entertained during the winter school break - do you brave the sales, snuggle up for a movie afternoon, encourage long wintery walks or dig deep and go to soft play? How about some baking or crafts? What about older children? Do you limit device time or allow them some extra time with their tablets? When do you get any holiday homework done? What do your children like doing in the Christmas holidays?

NOW TV say “'With NOW TV, we have a host of family movies lined up for the festive period - from Frozen to The Polar Express and even the classic Sound of Music! Families can also enjoy newer movies like Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them and The Lego Batman Movie - all from the comfort of their own front room'

Whatever your tip or best advice for other parents, add it below and you will be entered into a prize draw where one person will win a £300 voucher for the store of choice - from a list.

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

Standard Insight T and Cs Apply

A really big jigsaw but needs to be on a topic they enjoy and adults should get involved too.

We'd normally struggle with ds2 but after a day off school perfectly fine but subject to the 48 hour rule, he's discovered the joy that is the motion sensitive nightlight on the stairs.

Velcro walls and Velcro suits.
Works brilliantly.

As long as the weather is not too bad then going out for a walk every day - even if just over the local park - makes us all feel happier.

Indoors, we definitely have a bit more screen time than the rest of the year, but also do crafts, board games, play music, Lego etc.

Library, cinema, laser quest all options too if we need to get out of the house.

Visit relatives and friends, go shopping, visit the Christmas Market in the city, go ice skating, bake, watch movies, go for walks (if the weather isn't foul), play board games, have friends and relatives over, see a show, go to the cinema.

We try and pack a lot in!!!!

Get them to make placecards for Christmas dinner! Home made paper chains, Christmas decorations. Tinsel is cheap enough, and with some pritt stick and paper, you can make fantastic thank you card, in anticipation! Clear out the toy boxes, and take some things to a charity shop to make room for new toys!

Fresh air every day - long walks with the dog. If they are not getting out & about they will not be tired at the end of the day and won't go to bed/sleep.
Board games, lots of them - and play with them, not just leave them to it.
Crafting is always a good one - and baking.
Play dates - if they are happy playing with their friends with new toys it frees up time for me to do a few chores.
And sometimes with a good film on - just snuggle up under blankets with hot chocolates - chill out and enjoy!

I raid Pinterest for craft ideas that are actually doable rather than ones that end up with everyone drenched in PVA glue and tears. Snowflakes out of toilet roll tubes was a winner a couple of years ago. Also the 7yo has just discovered a love of baking, so I shelf my neurosis about having the kitchen covered floor to ceiling in egg and flour and let him help with the mince pies.

I'll be subjecting them to a new cartoon i did the music for called EY UP DUCK!

Trailer: goo.gl/7zE4mP

Valium, for all of us, never fails.

Walks and hot chocolates afterwards.
Visits to the various relatives - love spending time with their cousins especially.
Play with their new Christmas toys!!
Walk to our specialist sweet shop to buy candy canes for people in the neighbourhood.
Advent of kindness - list of kind acts to choose from in return for advent chocolate.
Writing thank you letters.
Christmas survey - bundle them in the car with a sheet of paper and drive around the neighbourhood - they count the number of Christmas tree, stars, santas..

Pre planning day out with the kids,
Watching Xmas movies
Cooking and baking
Inviting family and friends over and have sleep overs

Baking bread, knocking it back is the boys favourite thing. Trips to the seaside in the wind and drinking tea from a flask. Snuggling with hot drinks and blankets in front of familiar movies and endless episodes of Dr Who. Just hanging out together.

depending upon weather we go for walks, collect pine cones etc for craft projects or walk around neighbourhood in evening looking at Christmas decs on houses. snuggle with hot chocolate watching christmas films or have major crafting day. baking christmas theme cakes, biscuits to share. or quiet time listening to music and reading new books.

Lucas will be mostly entertained by building all the Lego he gets for Christmas 🤣. We have family with us for a lot of the holidays so there will be some trips out/walks. Before Christmas we’re off to London to see the lights and Disney on Ice :)

We have an activity advent so they have an activity to look forward to everyday. We do things like making gingerbread houses, eating dinner by candlelight, family games night, making paper snowflakes, walking round to see the lights etc
Once advent is over they then have all their new gifts to entertain them!

Lots of dancing to Christmas music here, and we have paper chains to make, cards to decorate, Christmas films to watch. We'll never do it all.

We go through the house and look for toys that Santa can take back to the north pole and refurbish to give to children who don't have much. Then we go through the kitchen and find food to donate at the elf bank for the hungry helpers and then we go out with our goodies and take them to the Santa drop off points to be collected. Keeps them busy and teaches them a good deed or two aswell.

While we do go out and visit grottos / general Christmas activities, I think the pressure to do these things can get a bit much, especially at the most expensive time of the year ! I like to do simpler things at home, making home made pizzas and cuddling up with a Christmas film, making Christmas shaped biscuits and decorating them, making hand made Christmas cards for grandparents abroad, decorating the house together. I love having the kids home at Christmas and am gutted that this year they finish really late on the 22nd :(

We join with a big group of friends for a family walk. The children walk better with their friends and we finish off in a pub for a late lunch.

It's always entertainment time in our house, lol. I can't stand the thought of my little one being bored and to be honest I don't think she ever is, she is always playing and we play together and go out etc but I think it's just something I feel. Like if it is really bad weather and I can't take her out I feel guilty, :/, silly I know!
Anyway we like doing activities together such as building with bricks, writing and drawing on her chalk board, reading or simply playing wizzers! I might do a bit of baking and get her involved, she likes mixing and rolling out things like icing or dough. Or we will do some crafty bits if I can keep her attention for long enough, ha ha, she likes gluing and sticking especially, she is fascinated by stickers!
If we go out we will go and feed the ducks or she likes to put the items we need in the basket if we are shopping. If the weather is nice we have a park near that she loves and the library as well where she loves choosing her books for bedtime reading.
It's tiring don't get me wrong but there is nothing better than entertaining my little one and seeing the smile on her face when mummy is playing or taking her out. It's lovely!

We build lego castles with my stepdaughter but I like to snuggle up anx watch netflix films with my little boy

lots and lots of christmas baking. making home made paper chains and decorations. winter walks. Christmas movies. I think that its nice just being together without the rush of our normal routine - sometimes it is about just spending time together pottering around and not doing much.

We make clove oranges, string cranberries and make stained glass biscuits - I thought this was just my self-indulgent nostalgia but when I was busy last year and didn't do it, the girls reminded me that we had to! We also go for a walk and sneakily cut some holly - I make a big deal of the subterfuge, "if everyone did it..." etc etc and must only cut a little as the berries are food for the birds, but they find it exciting in case we get 'caught'... DVDs from the library exactly a week before Christmas; as the following 2 weeks are bank holidays we get 3 weeks for the price of 1! It's a great trick - the library told us about it and we do it every year now - saves money on buying dvds for Christmas (and a great way for adults to work through a box set too as it's hard work over a week!) Prefer it when they break up closer to Christmas and have more holiday afterwards as otherwise the wait is tedious beforehand

We planning plenty of activities at home....colouring, baking, games or watching movies....All depends on weather. If possible lots of walk to our local park and farm.