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

Our favourite thing to do is a long walk followed by a movie and a hot chocolate, made with orange syrup, cream and marshmallows and dusted with gold. Heaven!

my son aged 12 uses his tablet a lot over the holidays sometimes he does go outside and see friends to get fresh air and some time away from the tech also he loves to walk the dog when i take the dog out fresh air and a nature walk

Snow, wind, rain or shine we’ll all be outdoors going for long walks with our faithful hound Molly Mac 😘 When we get home we all love putting our cosy lounge clothes on. Logs on the fire then all snuggle up to watch a family film. Usually we’ll all get stuck in to prepare tea after a good homemade meal it’s activities like painting, colouring playing with games then bath time a little tv, usually the beginning of Frozen as my son loves the ice song they all sing!😂then story and bed the perfect day spending quality time over the holidays 👌😍💕xxx

Visiting family and friends, baking, going for walks and an odd Christmas movie

lots of baking and games, and weather permitting trips to the park

On the offchance we brave the shops, one of us will take magazines, books and felt tips and sit in a cafe with DS while the other looks for bargains. No way will I brave the sales with a child .

Lots of simple activities; baking, making and colouring some thank you cards, taking the bikes out into the countryside; watching a film; building entire cities with train tracks and all the different building blocks in the house; that can take HOURS .

Visiting people, hosting even more people and their children. On quite days go to the library.

We watch films and make cookies!

Lots of Christmas baking.

Christmas films on TV and maybe a cinema trip.

Board games.

Long walks.

My kids love building dens, using every sofa cushion in the house, blankets, pillows and duvets. If you can face the mess it keeps them quiet for hours.

We've got a whole host of ideas planned for the holidays, depending on the weather. I do tend to overplan so need to remember to relax too!

We've got some voucher codes for days out, but we also have free ice skating and swimming locally for children so intend to make full use of those.

Also, DH and I have said that we need to remember to give them downtime at home. This means playing hide and seek "but only in the house!" and lots of colouring and baking.

Get outside, regardless of the weather! My DC need to get outside every day so we do. We gave trips planned to the seaside and the mountains planned for the Christmas break as well as walking along the local harbour, local forest, and trips to the play park.

Having said that, we also like our movie time, snuggled on the couch.

We:
Go for walks in the woods and round local ponds
Feed the birds in the park - if they're hungry enough they come and eat from our hands which we love
Visit reindeer at the local garden centre
Go to a panto or Christmas show
Play board games
Watch Christmas films and Boond/StarWars family classics
Visit friends
Set up the fiddlier Christmas presents (eg build Lego/Warhammer When younger; build Raspberry Pi/sound systems now they're older)
Go to Christmas events at local NT houses. DC have always loved these for some reason. They ask every year.
Go round local light shows
Head into London for a look round the sales/Christmas lights
Go to Winter Wonderland
Sort out bedrooms to accommodate new toys/gear/clothes
Read
Listen to music
Cook together
take down the decs and wrap them up for next year together
Have fireworks on NYE
Invite friends round where they get on with the DC and we get on with the parents, and just relax
Go for a proper hike with flasks of cocoa and soup
If snowy - build snowmen/go sledging
Go swimming
Go cycling

My top tips on keeping the children entertained during the winter school break would be :
Visit to Santa Grotto & Christmas fairs.Doing some last minutes shoppings with them and after enjoying hot chocolates and cookies.
Lots of crafting,Christmas decorations,cooking,baking cakes,biscuits. ..Watching Christmas films on Now Tv surely,cuddled up on the sofa under a big soft and warm blanket,with the heater on,eating chocolates/biscuits/cakes and drinking hot chocolates.Reading Christmas books one a night from the 1st December till Christmas.Chrismas holiday is about family and spending time together so we limit the use of the tablets in our house.Long walks through the woods collecting beautiful yellow leaves and acorns to craft with them.Inviting family and friends over on Christmas eve to share a festive meal all together.And on Christmas enjoying the looks on the faces of the children when they opened up their presents.We love Christmas as its a very important time of the year for us 😉

Thanks for the comments - am pleased to say SuzCG wins the £300 voucher.