Your child’s holiday vacation from school creates space to continue learning—at home. With purposeful activities planned, you can keep the vacation time filled with exciting new experiences that keep your child learning, even while they are having fun!

One way to plan ahead for some holiday fun is to engage in reading activities together. If your child struggles with reading, this is an ideal time to help them at home, or with a reading program. At Read Smart, we understand how frustrating it can be to see your child struggle with reading. We’ve helped thousands of kids improve their reading skills and confidence.

Here are some holiday activities to spark your creativity and launch you and your children into a vacation filled with creativity and fun.

Reading Activities to Enjoy Over the Holidays

• Go to the library—Encourage your child to find interesting books to read over the holiday vacation. Challenge them to complete all the reading before the break is over. Be willing to read aloud with your child, and enjoy the adventure together.
• Buy a new book—Pick up a new book or two for your child to enjoy over the holiday vacation. Or, involve them in choosing a new book to enjoy on their break.

Craft Activities to Enjoy Over the Holidays

• Make a book—Create a 5 senses book about the holidays and include in it pictures of the things you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch over the holidays.
• Make a snowman ornament—Make clothespin snowman ornaments that you can put on your tree year after year and remember the fun you had making them! Simply paint the clothespins white, add a few dots for eyes, glue a pom on for the nose, and add a creative touch for the scarf, hat, or buttons.
• Make peppermint ornaments—Place peppermint candy into metal cookie cutters and simply bake them. These work well as ornaments or as decorations on presents.
• Create art with candy canes—Use candy canes to create symmetrical artwork. Simply provide paper, glue, and candy canes for your child, and let their imagination bring forth creative, artistic symmetry.
• Make a poinsettia—Work with your child to make a paper poinsettia from a red napkin, and use it to decorate your home or gifts. Look up the history of how this amazing flower became the official plant of Christmas and help your child appreciate the beauty and history of this wondrous flower.

Make a Gingerbread House to Display Over the Holidays

There’s nothing quite as fun as creating your own gingerbread house as a family. Simply bake the house’s delicious smelling ingredients, then allow it to cool completely.

• Gather a variety of candy types in which to decorate your gingerbread house. Mix the icing that will serve as the glue for the house and have fun creating a one-of-a-kind gingerbread house together.
• If you design all this on a piece of cardboard covered with aluminum foil, you’ll be able to relocate it into the perfect spot in your home for display after its completion.

Cultivate Creativity Over the Holidays

Some of the best gifts kids can give over the holidays are the ones they have made themselves. Provide craft supplies for your children to make meaningful gifts for others.

• Watercolor paints, crayons, and colored paper can go a long way when it comes to cultivating creativity in your children.
• When screen time is limited, and supplies are made available, creativity will skyrocket in your home.
• Kids can make snowflakes out of coffee filters or pipe cleaners.

Create a Culture of Giving Over the Holidays

Many children are interested primarily in themselves. Create a culture or tradition of giving over the holidays so your children can learn the value of blessing other people.

• Participate in a Samaritan’s Purse gift along with your children.
• Get involved in a community giving program to help those who need food.
• Bake cookies together for a lonely senior who lives in your neighborhood.
• Send care packages to our military for Christmas.

Outings to Enjoy Over the Holidays

• A Children’s Nutcracker — December 6 at TCC VanTrease PACE
• Tulsa Ballet’s The Nutcracker — Dec 12-21 at Chapman Music Hall, Tulsa PAC
• Tulsa Oratorio Chorus — Dec 19 at Cascia Hall’s Helmerich Theatre
• Lights on Main – A favorite Main Street activity in Jenks, OK
• Stroll down Broken Arrow Main Street, and go ice skating at the outdoor rink