Screen-free Christmas activities for kids

The Christmas holidays are long, exciting and, by the third rainy afternoon, occasionally exhausting. Screens have their place, and nobody needs to feel guilty about a Christmas film, but a handful of ideas ready to go makes the slower days calmer, and some of them become the traditions children remember.

Everything here needs little preparation and few materials. Ages are rough guides: most activities can be simplified for little ones or made more ambitious for older children.

Crafts and making

1. Paper snowflakes (ages 5+)

Fold a square of paper into a triangle, then in half again (and again), snip shapes from the edges and unfold. Younger children can draw the cutting lines while a grown-up cuts. Stick them on windows with a dab of washable glue or tape.

2. Salt dough decorations (ages 3+)

Mix two parts plain flour, one part salt and roughly one part water into a dough, roll it out, cut shapes, poke a hole for ribbon and bake low and slow until hard. Paint them the next day. Handprints make lovely keepsakes for grandparents.

3. Paper chains (ages 3+)

Strips of paper and a glue stick: the simplest decoration there is, and a good way to use up wrapping paper offcuts. Count how long you can make it before Christmas Day.

4. Homemade Christmas cards (ages 3+)

Folded card, crayons, stickers and a bit of glitter if you are brave. Children can write (or dictate) messages for teachers, grandparents and neighbours.

5. Colouring and drawing (all ages)

Colouring is one of the easiest ways to create a quiet hour. Christmas colouring sheets, a sketchbook for drawing presents they hope for, or a colouring book of their own family all work. Older children and adults often enjoy joining in with more detailed pages. If you’re choosing supplies, see our guide to colouring pencils versus felt tips.

In the kitchen

6. Decorate biscuits (ages 3+)

Bake (or buy) plain biscuits and set out icing, sprinkles and sweets. It is messy, and that’s half the fun. Biscuits make good homemade presents in a jar with a ribbon.

7. Make a gingerbread house (ages 5+)

Kits are widely available, or you can bake your own panels. Building one takes patience and works best as a team effort with a grown-up holding walls while the icing sets.

8. Help with Christmas dinner (ages 4+)

Give children real jobs: peeling carrots (older children), washing vegetables, folding napkins, writing name cards for the table. Being trusted with part of the big meal matters to them.

9. Hot chocolate and a story (all ages)

Not every activity needs to be busy. A mug of hot chocolate and a Christmas book on the sofa is an easy daily ritual for the countdown.

Outdoors

10. A winter walk with a mission (all ages)

Give the walk a purpose: collect pine cones and holly (from your own garden or where it’s allowed) for decorations, spot robins, or count Christmas trees in windows.

11. A Christmas lights walk (all ages)

After dark, wrap up and walk round the neighbourhood looking at lights. Children can vote for their favourite house.

12. A treasure hunt (ages 4+)

Hide clues around the house or garden leading to a small treat. Picture clues work for children who can’t read yet.

13. Feed the birds (ages 3+)

Make simple bird feeders from pine cones, a little lard and bird seed, or thread cereal hoops on string, and hang them where you can watch from the window.

Games

14. Board and card games (ages 4+)

Christmas is a natural time to get the board games out, especially when grandparents visit. Simple matching and card games suit younger children; older ones can take on longer strategy games.

15. Charades and guessing games (ages 5+)

No equipment needed. Act out Christmas films, songs or presents, or play “guess who I am” with famous characters written on sticky notes.

16. Put on a show (ages 4+)

Children write and perform a play, a puppet show, a magic act or a concert for the family. Make tickets, set out chairs and dim the lights.

Quiet time and giving

17. Christmas Eve box (all ages)

A Christmas Eve box is a small box opened on Christmas Eve: new pyjamas, a book, a hot chocolate sachet and a quiet activity such as a colouring book. It helps excited children wind down on the most exciting night of the year. Our guide to Christmas Eve box ideas has fillers for every age and budget.

18. Thank-you cards (ages 4+)

In the days after Christmas, children can make thank-you cards or draw pictures of their favourite present for the people who gave them. It’s a calm activity, and grandparents love receiving them.

19. A family memory book (all ages)

Print a few photos from the year and make a scrapbook together, adding drawings, tickets and notes. Talk about favourite moments as you go.

20. Sort toys to give away (ages 5+)

Before or after Christmas, children can choose toys they’ve outgrown to donate. It makes space for new ones and is a gentle way to talk about giving.

Making it work in real life

Children often start an activity more readily if the paper and pencils are already on the table, so set things out and step back. A “jar of ideas” helps on bored afternoons: write activities on slips of paper and let the children pick one.

Mix busy and calm. An energetic walk in the morning makes a quiet colouring session in the afternoon much easier. Join in when you can, because most activities are more appealing when a grown-up is doing them too, and colouring alongside a child is a good way to chat. And don’t aim for perfect: wonky paper chains and over-iced biscuits are the point.

A present that keeps them busy

If you’re looking for a gift that is itself a screen-free activity, a colouring book made from your own family photos gives children pages full of people they know. Ours is printed on one side of 150gsm paper, so pencils and felt tips both work, ready to wrap for Christmas morning or to go with a Christmas Eve box. Order by Saturday 12 December 2026 for Christmas delivery. See our Christmas page for dates and ideas.