Alright parents, it’s that time of the year. You’ve been prepping for this magical time of year — having your children home for two weeks straight — since you waved them goodbye on the bus to their first day of school. Remember, you tackled an entire summer with your kiddos being home with no agenda. Three whole months—that’s 20% of the year! This winter break will be a walk in the park for you, especially because we’ve crafted a list of activities to keep you and your family sane and free of cabin fever until they go back to school. 

Tackle a giant puzzle

There’s no better time than the present to buy one of those 1,000 piece puzzles. Here’s a few precautions to take, as puzzle pieces are like Legos—you will start to find them in every corner of your house if you don’t keep them organized. 

• As much as your children will be tempted to dump the entire 1,000 pieces onto your dining room table when you open the box, try to fight the urge!
• Pro tip: purchase a giant poster board or frame to keep your puzzle intact as you chip away at it little by little. This also makes it super easy to transfer the puzzle around your house, so you aren’t stuck cooking next to a half-completed puzzle for the next few days. 

Go camping in the living room

You heard that right! Why schlep your whole family, and maybe some pets, sleeping bags, tents, and lanterns to the forest in the middle of December to make camping memories? As much as we love some good ol’fashioned camping, it can be tough to organize a whole trip around the holidays. Trust us, this method is way easier (and cheaper) than traditional camping if you’re in a pinch, and looking for an activity to shake things up!

• Grab every pillow and blanket in your house and pile them all into the living room. Task your little ones with creating a fort for them to sleep in for the night using all the supplies they can find. If you have extra string lights from your Christmas decorations, you can use these to illuminate your living room to mimic the stars. Give them free reign of the remote and let the movie marathon begin. 

Drive around to see the Christmas lights

As each year passes, some families get super creative with their holiday light displays. We’re talking about houses that have synced up their holiday lights to “dance” to the beat of different Christmas songs. It seriously feels like a Disneyland-esque level of production and sophistication. Check your local Facebook pages and town blogs to see if any of these light fixtures are set up in your area. The best part, they are free to watch! If you can’t find any of these extravagant displays near you, don’t worry. Just pile the whole family into the car, grab some hot chocolates, and drive around your neighborhood to view all the Christmas lights in action before the holiday season is over. 

Allow for some culinary explorationSometimes as a parent, your kids will have a spectacular idea that involves: a) them operating your oven, b) you buying ingredients that you don’t have, or c) all of the above. While we don’t encourage any activity that ends with you calling the fire department, try letting your kids get their hands dirty in the kitchen by giving them some room to explore. This could be as simple as them making their own pancake batter or muffin mix. Or, if you have some vegetables that are going to go bad in the next few days (wilted spinach, we’re looking at you), ask your kiddos how they would make a dish incorporating these ingredients. It’s kind of like you are directing your own episode of Chopped! From there, you can get your little ones involved in the whole preparation and cooking process as you raise some tiny Food Network-worthy chefs.