Holiday activities for you and your children

Posted Dec 5, 2011 by Nikki Edmondson | Comments ( 1 ) | Filed in:

Now that the holidays and cold weather are right around the corner, it is time to think about getting you and your children in the spirit. Whether you are a crafty family, a movie watching family, or a family who likes to cook together, here are some activities that might become new family traditions.

Looking to have some fun? A fun game that your children will love is “Tic-Tac-Snow.” This quick two-person game is easy enough for young children offers enough strategy to be played by older children as well.

Draw the board shown on a piece of paper, marking a dot at each intersection (eight around the edges and one in the middle). Older children may enjoy helping you make the board, and it is a great opportunity to practice measuring and artistic skills. Game pieces can be made from cotton balls glued to pennies and marked with dabs of paint in two contrasting colors will do just the trick. Give each player 4 pieces. As in tic-tac-toe, the object is to get three pieces in a row. To begin, Player 1 places a piece on any dot, then Player 2 goes and they continue alternating until all the pieces are down. If no one lands three pieces in a row, on the next turn a player may slide his or her piece to the next dot, trying to make a row of three. Play continues until one person makes tic-tac-snow. Repeat as many times as you like for family enjoyment.

If your family is more into cooking, and your children always want to take special treats to share at school or with a special friend, a great idea is to make “Snowman Soup.”. Learning to follow step-by-step directions has been proven to help children develop self-care skills.

Assemble in a small zipper food storage bag mix the following ingredients:

1 individual pack hot chocolate mix

3 Hershey's chocolate kisses

10-15 mini-marshmallow                        

1 small candy cane

Have your child write the poem below, then staple the tag to the top of the Snowman Soup baggie.

Was told you’ve been real good this year. Always glad to hear it!

With freezing weather drawing near, you’ll need to warm the spirit.

So here’s a little Snowman Soup, complete with a stirring stick.

Add hot water; sip it slow, it’s sure to do the trick.

 

For more holiday fun ideas, go to familyfun.go.com and you will find many more activities and recipes to enjoy the season with your children.

1 Comment(s)

  1. Posted by Lotta on Jan 21, 2012
    Your aritlce was excellent and erudite.