Quick Holiday Activities - making a list of what you are grateful for

Quick Holiday Activities to Calm the Holiday Chaos

November 16, 2018 Kristin, Exploring Domesticity

Do you need some quick holiday activities to keep the kids busy and calm the holiday chaos? We have some quick ideas for crafts, decorating, activities, and – of course – food!

Can we all say, “Pizza to the rescue!?”

Here are some ideas to keep it simple and have some ideas ready to throw at the kids during the busy holiday season. Keep your sanity with these quick holiday activities your kids will love.

This post is sponsored by Red Baron but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

We participate in affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

The time between Halloween and New Years is a crazy blur most of the time.

It’s holidays back to back to back. There is so much to be done – Christmas shopping, family get-togethers, decorating, Christmas cards, etc… The kids are in school and there are holiday concerts, parties, and activities. Then, they’re off school and it seems even busier!

It’s chaos.

I feel like my kids want to do all the holiday things. I can never keep up. I also can’t seem to get them to understand that those things take preparation and mom has a lot of other holiday activities on her plate.

So, the easiest way to keep them satisfied and keep Mom sane is to have a bunch of quick holiday activities they can easily do to keep them satisfied.

Quick Holiday Activities to pull out at a moment’s notice

The key to taming the holiday chaos is to keep things simple. Keep your meals simple, keep your schedule as simple as possible, and keep the kids activities super quick and easy. These quick holiday activities

Crafts

It’s easiest to stick to old standbys and use whatever materials you have on hand for the most part. That way, you can always direct the kids to a simple craft when things are getting crazy.

Hand turkeys
Christmas cards – here are some people to make sure not to forget!
Snowman picture with cotton balls
Pipe cleaner turkeys, Christmas trees, stars, candy canes, etc.
Cookie cutter painting
Holiday bracelets with beads and jingle bells
Paper snowflakes
Countdown paper chains – like our Disney one!
Ornaments

Ornaments

This is a fun one because it’s so inexpensive and easy. It’s also exciting for kids because it’s special for the holidays. You can get inexpensive plastic ornaments from the Dollar Tree and decorate so many ways! You can get them on Amazon too, but they’re a bit more expensive. Did you know that you can order from the Dollar Tree and ship to your store for free?!

We love doing poured paint ornaments, but the kids can really fill them with anything! If you have confetti, glitter, beads, sequins, photos, etc. they’re all set and can let their creativity fly!

Decorating

Our kiddos live for decorating the house for each season! That’s why we have our Christmas tree up in the middle of Thanksgiving. They can’t resist, and I love Christmas too. With all the decorations laying around, we have a lot of quick holiday activities whenever the kids need them.

If you have certain things you put out each year, why not have the kids do it? If they’re old enough, they can probably do the whole project themselves. If they’re younger, let them decorate their own small tree, position the nativity, or put up Christmas window clings.

There are some things we love to do as a family, but if I’m in the kitchen or busy close by I’m perfectly ok with letting them enjoy themselves and proudly show me their hard work.

Activities

There are plenty of things to be done during the holidays. It may seem like chaos, but if you can turn that to-do list into some quick holiday activities to keep the kids busy, even better!

Make a Christmas list – a collage from a catalog works
Write down what they are grateful for (or color a picture for the little ones)
Stack plastic cups to make a Christmas tree
Make a list of holiday acts of kindness
Decorate felt Christmas trees
Make a Christmas or Thanksgiving Lego creation
Wrap presents

Food

This is when things really get crazy! I feel like I’m in the kitchen way more during the holidays. If I’m not, it’s likely I’ve forgotten about dinner all together during the holiday chaos.

Pizza is our friend during those crazy holiday evenings. Just last night, I was so happy to have Red Baron pizza on the menu! Little Guy had homework to complete before he was able to run some errands with Dad. Little Lady wanted to do some hand turkeys, but didn’t come in from playing in the snow until close to dinner time. Luckily, I was able to get our cheese and supreme pizzas in the oven while she was making her hand turkey, and it was ready just in time for the guys to get home.

Isn’t pizza a life saver!?

Everyone will stop whatever they’re doing for pizza. There will be no complaints, Mom will be a rockstar, and for a moment that holiday chaos fades away.

So, set your kiddos down with some quick holiday activities, check out where to get your Red Baron pizza, tackle your holiday to-do list, and then put your feet up, grab a slice, and sit back to savor the holiday season!