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

I have a list of ideas on my phone to make it easier for myself, some that are family activities or to do on their own, some inside and some outside etc, so I can pick one that fits the moment and it's saves me stressing to think of something. Some examples are -

Wrap up warm and go for a walk (look at lights?)
Make paper snowflakes
Bake
Make paper chains
Snuggle up together with a film, popcorn and hot chocolate
Make Christmas cards
Write Christmas cards for friends
Make some tree decorations
Paint baubles

They won't all be done, but it makes things easier during a stressful time if I have something to suggest at the drop of a hat. In the past I've come up with baking or something messy when the last thing I needed was mess, this prevents that and I can save the messy ones for when I've got time

Family walks, playing games, binge watching favourite programmes/films, meeting up with friends and relatives.

A few fun Christmas trips, visiting family and friends, Christmas films, Lego and craft stuff.

If it's not raining, then a nice walk in the countryside then home to snuggle under a blanket and watch a film.

We also have a few days out planned, one to a theme park and one to London.

When we are in the house we plan on spending time building the lego they get for christmas.

They love going for torch walks around the neighbourhood once it's dark as well.

We save going to a pantomime to between Christmas and New Year as that week can seem a bit flat. Get outside as much as possible if weather ok, lots of baking and crafts.

My youngest has his birthday on the 29th so everything Christmas is over for us by then.
We tend to do baking and crafting in the run up to Christmas.
It's a nice time between Christmas and new year because we are lucky enough in this house to all be off together so we do a lot of family activities.
Walks in the woods.
Bike rides (or scooters or whatever else Santa brought)
Playing with new board games
Playing new computer games
Playing with new toys
Reading new books
Also lots of laying around watching films and eating too much.

Crafts - making our own gift tags
Baking - mince pies, chocolate treats, fudge etc
Community - parcels for the homeless and donations to local cat shelter
Winter camps - couple of days at local sports club when I am working
Winter walks - forest and round streets to see decorations
Film fest - popcorn and Christmas films
Trips - panto, Father Christmas etc

Holiday homework first day...fun thereafter! I book up a fairly decent selection in advance eg panto and also do a few more random bits eg wellie walks and a bit of TV watching.

Holiday homework first day...fun thereafter! I book up a fairly decent selection in advance eg panto and also do a few more random bits eg wellie walks and a bit of TV watching.

I have two boys in my world who wake at 6am everyday and need to be active. We go outdoors everyday to do some activity the park, walking or in the garden playing. If the weather is too bad they play indoors with Lego, duplo, jigsaws. I find busy hands stop trouble brewing.

We visit Christmas markets and take our elderly neighbour to the kids school Christmas fair. She loves that one and has more fun than the children!

We snuggle up on the sofa and watch kids Christmas classics like polar express and cheesey Christmas 24 films.

Lots of visiting family and friends for pot luck dinners, inviting people who are on their own for dinner over the holidays.

Going out on walks to blow away the cobwebs preferably to the beach or woods.

Visiting museums are usually cheap and have lots of activities over the holidays.

We are usually away as my parents live the other side of the country. So one week is spent exploring their part of the world. We come back for New a Year were I usually get a selection of children for a sleep over. The week before school goes back, I work and my son can do whatever he wants ( which is nothing). And then it's all over until the next break....

To be honest I don't really have to come up with ideas now my child is nine and especially over Xmas as he has loads of new stuff normally to play with or keep him entertained.

Other than that we play games, watch tv or a good film etc, maybe the odd sleepover.

Dd has discovered craft this year (4.5) so we have been busy making Christmas presents for grandparents and other family members.

Her current favourite are peg caterpillars. Wooden pegs with a magnet on the back and then use small pom poms and glue on to the front, 2 googly eyes and hey presto a fridge magnet... We are going to make some little notebooks today to go with them

We also have some plastic baubles that we are decorating as rudolph and then filling with sweets for her friends, making Christmas cards for immediate family and then we are going to make some candles as gifts next weekend when dsd and dss are here. Dss has no interest but dsd is super excited! Dss will be on fudge and mince pie making duty I think!

The pegs have cost me about £6 and have made 20, candles will be about £8 r for materials and no idea how many it will make, we have saved pretty jars all year to pour them into.

Baubles have been pricey as they were £5 for 5 empty ones in the range and need to buy sweets and pipe cleaners so probably gonna be about £2.50 each when finished.

Crafts, playing with new toys/games, old movies- or new movies!, and just generally ‘chilling’ together as a family with no particular place to go after the madness of the weeks leading up to Christmas.

They are usually so tired when they break up from school, that they are happy to relax around the house. They are happy to entertain themselves a lot of the time, playing playmobil, lego, games, online, crafts, play-doh, drawing etc. They love to drag their bedding and pillows into the lounge and have a chilled cinema session with popcorn. We usually bake cup cakes or cookies and decorate. This year we are going sledging on an artificial slope as a treat.

I think they're the easiest holidays to entertain kids - new bikes and scooters to play on and lots of new toys to enjoy too. Plus lots of relatives to visit. Much easier than summer although not as good weather!

We dont get now movies all year we wait for December do some baking and cuddle up to watch a movie

There's always loads for them to do at Xmas time so not usually a problem. We do lots of treasure hunts as part of their advent calendar, the elf keeping an eye on them etc.. and have screen time to a minimum as much as we can.

Baking and doing lots of different crafts is a favourite in our house.

It depends on the weather. Home made spa day, movie and popcorn or baking if it is raining, orienteering, geocaching or golf if weather is nice

Watch movies while shopping online on the iPad.

Christmas arts and crafts, baking, movies and board games!

Can't beat a film and games day

Various things - snuggle up and watch a film or read together, bake cookies or even a meal. Go for a walk with the dog and tell each other stories as we go. Use the internet to look up craft ideas. Play board games, word games, crossword puzzles. Play the alphabet game and work through all the letters and decide before hand what subject you are going to use eg countries or vegetables and keep going until you get stuck and then use books or the internet for help.