C2 Education’s Top 12 Winter Break Activities

Originally Posted on C2 Education Blog

For kids, winter break is a blessed 2 week stretch of video games and television – but for parents, winter break is a time to help keep your kids challenged and ready for their first day back to school. The weather outside may be frightful, but we’ve compiled some delightful activities to help you keep your kids sharp over winter break!

1. De-stress by finishing school projects: Many students have winter break reading assignments or school projects to finish. Don’t let your child wait to the last minute – by finishing school projects early in the break, your child will be able to fully enjoy his vacation without the dreaded homework hanging over his head.
2. Start a holiday reading challenge: Nothing keeps a mind sharp better than reading. Challenge your children to see who can read the most over the winter break. Take a family trip to the library and check out books for everyone in the family – at the end of the vacation, add up page numbers to see who read the most!
3. Resurrect the art of letter writing: The holidays are a great time to get your child into the habit of writing letters. Try getting your older children to write a family newsletter – make it even more challenging by turning it into a funny poem. Encourage your younger children to make holiday cards for family members. And after the gifts have all been given, get your kids (of all ages) to write thank you cards or letters to relatives.
4. All work and no play…: Games are a parents’ best friend – many are so subtly educational that your kids won’t even realize they’re learning. Try organizing a family game night; board games like Monopoly or Life involve basic math skills as well as strategy. Or have your kids go solo with educational games like the ones on Calculation Nation.
5. Day at the museum: Take an outing to a local museum. Many locales have child-friendly museums such as The Children’s Museum of Houston,Port Discovery in Baltimore, The Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Imagine It! in Atlanta, or Noah’s Ark in Los Angeles. Older children can enjoy art or history museums intended for adults.
6. Math in the kitchen: Cooking and baking are great educational activities for kids. Both involve measuring and counting – vital skills for younger kids. And for older kids you could throw in added challenges such as doubling, tripling, or halving a recipe, or you could bring your children to the store and have the compute the cost of ingredients to determine the total cost of a recipe. For a great kid-friendly recipe, see our earlier article on kitchen math fun!
7. Start a daily journal: Encourage your kids to begin a daily journal during the holidays. This type of daily writing helps to reinforce grammar and vocabulary lessons from school – especially if you throw in added challenges like using a new vocabulary word in each entry or using at least 3 different types of sentences!
8. Bask in the world of art: Take a family outing to a local art gallery. Believe it or not, even younger children can enjoy an art gallery if you take the time to discuss the various works. For example, take a tour of the modern art wing and ask your child what he sees in different abstract paintings, or peruse some ancient pottery and discuss what it might have been used for in the past.
9. Gift card budgets: Your children will almost certainly receive a handful of gift cards over the holidays. Have your kids hop online to plan out a budget for their gift cards! This type of activity not only teaches and reinforces basic math skills, but also teaches real life budgeting and consumer research skills.
10. A taste of history: Encourage your kids to research local historical sites and choose one or two to visit. Perhaps you might take a haunted tour, such as those offered year-round in Atlanta, or, if you live near enough, a day trip to colonial Williamsburg is a great educational and fun activity.
11. Learn about your family tree: Since the holidays are a time when families gather together, consider helping your kids research their family tree. Start by researching news stories from the year Grandpa was born, or interviewing relatives visiting from out of town. When it’s finished, have your children share their creation with family members.
12. The ever important test prep: Regardless of your child’s age, there is always a test around the corner. Whether your child needs to prep for annual state standardized tests, the PSAT, the SAT, or the ACT, winter break is a great time to start. With the stress of school at the back of their minds, students can focus more fully on getting ready for upcoming tests. And if your child struggles with test prep, don’t hesitate to look for outside help – contact your local C2 director today!