Christmas is just around the corner, and if you’re wondering how you’re going to make the most out of your precious time with the grandchildren, you’ve come to the right place. To make this holiday season fun for everyone, there are plenty of ideas you can try that involve fun, creativity, food, and bonding. Here are 10 of our favourite activity ideas to make the most of your quality family time this Christmas.
1. Decorate the Christmas tree and the house
An important part of creating a festive atmosphere for the grandchildren is decorating the home and the Christmas tree. Whether you like to deck out the interior of the house, the outside, or both, decorating the house is a lovely tradition that both adults and children can participate in, and will create a nostalgic memory for years to come. Make sure to supervise the little kids, and you can put them in charge of easier and safer tasks, such as hanging ornaments on the tree, putting up stockings and wreaths, and setting up figurines.
2. Build a gingerbread house
Gingerbread houses are as enjoyable to make as they are to eat. Adults and children can enjoy a few hours on this edible project, which can be displayed through the Christmas season or eaten once the icing dries. You can either buy a premade gingerbread house kit or bake the house from scratch. Add your grandchildren’s favourite sweets (and your own!) to get even more creative.
3. Watch the Christmas lights
One of the best things to do with the grandchildren and family at Christmas is to take them to see the Christmas lights. You can either go for a drive or take a walk around the neighbourhood. In Australia, there are some areas in which whole streets will go all out with their festive decorations, so we recommend you do your research to find the biggest cluster of Christmas-decorated homes near you. This activity is suitable for babies, toddlers, and children of all ages.
4. Bake Christmas cookies
Baking is a great way to keep little ones busy over the Christmas holidays. Put them to work, or let them sit and watch their grandparents cook! The smell of freshly baked cookies will put everyone in a good mood for Christmas day. If you’re a fan of muffins, cupcakes, cake, or any other baked goods, you can make whatever you and your grandchildren love to indulge in.
5. Wrap up the presents
If you have Christmas presents for your friends or other members of the family, a family wrapping session is a great activity, especially when you divide the duties up amongst everyone who wants to help. Smaller children will probably need your supervision to use scissors and any tape.
6. Watch some Christmas movies
Ease into the Christmas season with a classic holiday movie tradition: picking a film, popping some popcorn, and putting your feet up. Whether you’re looking for something to watch with toddlers, kids, older grandchildren, or adults, there’s something for everyone. Choose a Christmas comedy, rom-com, musical, romance, action, thriller, or even horror movie.
7. Make some Christmas cards or tree ornaments
Hands-on activities are always a hit with the grandchildren, and there’s nothing better than creating something together as a family. Why not invest in some festive art supplies this Christmas to create some handmade cards, tree ornaments, drawings, or even wrapping paper?
8. Go Christmas shopping
The busyness of shopping centres leading up to Christmas is what makes many excited for the biggest holiday of the year. Take your grandchildren out to the shops to check out the Christmas sales, and do your Christmas shopping or grocery shopping. If you’re not sure what to give your grandchildren for Christmas, this is a great opportunity to find out what they like.
9. Host a Christmas-themed scavenger hunt or games night
Children love games any time of the year, so hosting a games night or Christmas-themed scavenger hunt is a great way to keep kids of all ages engaged. The adults can join in too! There are various types of games you can choose from such as card games, board games, mobile games, or video games. With the scavenger hunt idea, you can easily set it up in the home, and either look up the riddles online or, if you’re feeling creative, you can come up with them yourself.
10. Go carol-singing
There’s nothing like getting into the Christmas spirit by going carol-singing. Many community carolling groups gather to carol in the neighbourhood, at nursing homes, in churches, and more. You can check if they’re kid-friendly and bring along the grandchildren to join in.
Plan your Christmas with these exciting activities for the family
We hope you can take a few ideas from our activity list to create precious memories and keep the family busy, whether you’ve got babies, toddlers, or older children spending time with you over the holidays. Make sure to capture all these joyous moments so you can look back at them again one day with your grandchildren.
