Do you remember that giddy feeling of your childhood knowing that the holiday season meant time off from school? For most kids, the excitement of the holiday break is a sense of eager anticipation that starts at the beginning of the school year. For parents and caregivers, the second longest break from school can bring on both a sense of excitement and a sense of overwhelm at the thought of having to keep the kids busy on their days off. If you are taking some time off to overlap the holiday break with your family and are planning to staycation at home, there are loads of fun, inexpensive activities to engage your time with the family.

A great way to start is by sitting down to make a holiday bucket list together. This is a list of all the things that you want to do with your time off. The action of collaborating and creating a list together empowers the voice of everyone involved. By simply asking and listening, you are building upon a relationship of trust and respect. Here are some ideas to get the brain juices flowing…

1. Collage

Do you have extra magazines or newspapers around the house? Collaging is a great way to recycle those magazines that you may have only read once or twice and get your kids to tap into their creative right brains. All you need are some glue sticks, scissors, and paper. You can even offer an old shoe box or pieces of cardboard to be decorated with collage art and then seal the art with a layer of modge podge for a nice, sheen finish. Collaging takes time and can be done over the course of a couple days and promotes reflection and self-expression through pictures and words.

2. Stomp in puddles

Mild winter weather in the bay can offer some great opportunities to get outside. Whether that’s bundling up in waterproof clothing and running around outside jumping in rain puddles or enjoying the crisp, winter sunshine and taking a walk to a nearby park or school yard, just the experience of being outside can be calming and grounding. For the weekend warriors, there are loads of family-oriented holiday events happening (both indoor and outdoor) which you and family or friends can enjoy. For holiday events in the East Bay, check out: https://www.510families.com/east-bay-holiday-activities/. For holiday events in the larger Bay Area, check out: https://www.bayareakidfun.com/christmas-fun-in-the-bay-area/

3. Arts and Crafts table

Nothing is more special than a gift made from the heart. A great activity for kids to dive into on days off is arts and crafts. You can go to the local dollar store or find various things around the house and even outside that can be crafted into gifts. Like painting stones, or making necklaces with buttons and beads, creating handwritten holiday or New Years cards to be given out to friends and family, ironing dried leaves or flowers in between two pieces of wax paper to create a heartfelt gift for anyone. Give kids room for creativity and off they will go!

4. Collect things to donate

The holidays are a time to reflect on what you are grateful for and if you read last month’s post on gratitude, you would remember how developing a practice of gratitude enhances our mind and body wellness through personal reflection and human connection. This is the season where there are plenty of toy drives or food drives in the community that are seeking donations. If you have gently used toys or clothes that you are no longer in need of, donating to a good cause can promote a sense of gratitude and empathy in kids and adults alike!

5. Go to the local library

The library is a great resource for free activities. Often, they will have a schedule or other resources available to the community of events such as story times or volunteer events. You can find information on library events online.

With a little creativity and intention, the holiday break can be one of relaxation, creativity and fun for everyone. What fun projects or ideas would you share in addition to the suggested list?

As always, if you find yourself stressed beyond your own ability to cope and bounce back productively, you are not alone and we are here to help. Give us a call today and we can help you by starting with a phone consultation!