How to Keep Kids Engaged This Winter? Try These Holiday Activity Ideas!

Winter is almost here, and with it comes the perfect opportunity to get kids indoors and engaged in exciting, creative activities. To help you gear up for a fun-filled school holiday programme, we’ve put together a list of fantastic winter-themed activities that will keep kids entertained, inspired, and learning new skills. These activities are specially curated for providers to easily set up and run in their programmes—complete with supply lists and step-by-step instructions!

1. Lego Masters: Winter Wonderland Build

The Australian Lego Masters series has been captivating audiences with imaginative builds, making it the perfect inspiration for an indoor activity that lets kids’ imaginations run wild. This winter, why not bring a bit of that magic into your programme with a Winter Wonderland build?

This activity invites kids to become master builders of their own magical winter scenes, complete with snowy landscapes, cozy cottages, and frosty forests. They’ll be thrilled to build intricate winter scenes while developing teamwork, patience, and creativity in a fun, hands-on way!

What You’ll Need:

• Plenty of Lego bricks in winter-themed colours like white, blue, green, and brown.
• A spacious table or designated building area for kids to work comfortably.
• Optional: Winter-themed decorations, soft background music, or fairy lights to create a cozy winter ambiance.
• Snow spray to give the effect of freshly fallen snow on rooftops, trees, and pathways.
• Cotton balls or cotton batting can be pulled apart to create fluffy snowbanks, snow-covered ground, or even gentle slopes around the buildings

Activity Setup: Kick off the challenge by encouraging kids to imagine a winter scene straight out of a storybook. Here’s a simple prompt:

"Imagine a magical winter village where animals are preparing for the season and holiday festivities are in full swing. It’s up to you to design this winter wonderland! Will you build snowy cottages, shimmering ice castles, or a bustling village market? Let’s see what kind of world you can create!"

How to Run This Activity:

1. Solo or Team Builds – Let kids choose whether they want to work independently or team up to create larger scenes.
2. Set a Timeframe – Plan the challenge for a few hours or even a full day to give kids plenty of time to build their intricate designs.
3. Showcase the Creations – Once the builds are complete, set up a display area to showcase each winter wonderland. Add some awards for fun categories like “Most Magical Scene” or “Best Winter Cottage.”

This Winter Wonderland Lego Challenge offers the perfect mix of creativity, teamwork, and festive fun, keeping kids entertained and inspired indoors during chilly days!

2. Festive Christmas Cookie Cakes

With Christmas just around the corner, baking festive cookie cakes is a perfect holiday activity to get kids in the holiday spirit! These cookie cakes can be shaped like Christmas trees, stars, or even the first letter of each child’s name. Kids will love decorating their own sweet treats with holiday-themed toppings and designs.

Watch the full tutorial on how to bake a cookie cake below!

What you will need

• Number of students in your programme x (12cmx8xm) squares of baking paper for the letter or number stencil. Just a side note: kids don't need to create cookie cakes larger than their hand. To maintain a good sized cookie cake. Pre-cut about 50 12cmx8cm squares out of baking paper. (or use festive cookie cutters in holiday shapes like stars, trees, or stockings).

Ingredients for the cookie dough:

• 450g plain flour
• 300g butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla or zest of a lemon for extra flavor

Buttercream ingredients:

• 500g icing sugar
• 150g butter
• 60ml milk
• Food coloring in red, green, and white for a festive touch

Piping bags or you can create your own piping bags. Watch this tutorial.

sprinkles, edible glitter, and other holiday-themed decorations.

Method:

1. Stencil and Dough Prep – Earlier in the day, let kids use the baking paper squares to sketch out their cookie shape or stencil their initial. For a simpler option, use Christmas-themed cookie cutters.
2. Roll, Cut, and Bake – Prepare the cookie dough and let kids roll it out, using their stencils or cutters to create their shapes.
3. Refrigerate the cut dough for about 10-15mins allowing it to set.
4. Bake the cookies -preheat oven to 180°C and bake small cookies for 8min larger cookies for about 12-15mins.
5. Decorate the Cookie Cakes – Once cooled, set up a decorating station with icing, coloured sprinkles, edible glitter, and holiday-themed candies. Kids can use the piping bags to add colourful icing and create festive designs, from snow-covered trees to red-and-white candy cane stripes.

This Christmas Cookie Cake activity is not only fun but also encourages creativity—and the kids get to enjoy a delicious treat after they’re done decorating!

3. Magical Snow Globes

Add a whimsical touch to your programme by creating DIY snow globes. Kids will love the creativity involved in designing their miniature winter wonderlands.

What You’ll Need:

• Small glass jars with lids (reuse baby food jars or jam jars).
• Figurines (small winter animals, trees, or even mini-characters).
• Glitter, distilled water, and glycerin (to make the “snow” fall slowly).
• Waterproof glue.

How to Run This Activity:

1. Assemble the Snow Globe – Let each child pick their figurines and decorations. Glue these onto the jar lid and let it dry.
2. Create the Snow Effect – Fill the jar with water, add a few drops of glycerin, and sprinkle in some glitter.
3. Seal the Lid – Screw the lid back on tightly and turn the jar upside down for a magical winter scene!

This activity helps kids create a keepsake that captures the magic of winter, and they’ll love watching their snow globes sparkle and swirl.

4. Mini Winter Olympics: Indoor Challenges

Bring a burst of energy to the day by setting up an indoor Winter Olympics! It’s a fun way to keep kids active and engaged, even when it’s cold outside.

Event Ideas:

• Sock Skating – Use a smooth floor area, and have kids “skate” around in socks!
• Snowball Toss – Use white, soft pom-poms or cotton balls, and set up buckets as targets.
• Indoor Obstacle Course – Create a course with tunnels, balance beams, and simple exercises that mimic skiing or snowboarding.

Award medals at the end of the games for a fun, memorable activity that promotes movement and friendly competition.

5. Penguin Waddle Relay Race

This silly relay race will keep kids laughing and moving indoors!

What You’ll Need:

• Small beanbags, balloons or soft balls

Activity Setup:

1. Have kids hold a beanbag or ball between their knees.
2. Set up a racecourse, and have them waddle like penguins from start to finish without dropping their “egg.”
3. Divide them into teams for a relay, and let the waddling fun begin!

6. Marshmallow Snowmen Building

Kids can use marshmallows and candies to build their own mini snowmen.

What You’ll Need:

• Large and mini marshmallows, pretzel sticks, chocolate chips, edible markers

Activity Setup:

1. Let kids stack marshmallows with pretzel sticks to create their snowman.
2. Use chocolate chips or edible markers to draw faces, M&M’s as buttons, and decorate!
3. They can eat their creations or display them as a cute winter decoration.

7. Holiday Bingo

Make a custom holiday-themed Bingo game for a fun, easy, and engaging activity.

What You’ll Need:

• Printable Bingo cards with holiday symbols (snowflake, Christmas tree, snowman, etc.)
• Small candies or stickers for markers

Activity Setup:

1. Create Bingo cards with winter symbols.
2. Call out each symbol and let kids mark them on their cards.
3. The first to get a line or full card shouts “Bingo!” and wins a prize.

Here are even more fun and cool winter holiday activities that kids’ activity providers can easily set up to bring extra excitement:

8. Frozen Slime Lab

Kids love slime, and a “frozen” version adds a winter twist!

What You’ll Need:

• White and blue glitter glue, saline solution, baking soda, glitter, and sequins

Activity Setup:

1. Mix glue, a pinch of baking soda, and saline solution to create stretchy slime.
2. Add blue and white glitter, small snowflake sequins, or beads for a frosty effect.
3. Each child can take their own “frozen slime” home to play with!

9. Mystery Winter Science Experiments

Kids love hands-on experiments, so try some easy winter science projects!

What You’ll Need:

• Baking soda, vinegar, food colouring, paper, salt

Activity Setup:

1. Show kids how to create “fizzing snow” by mixing baking soda and vinegar with a bit of glitter.
2. Try “snowy crystals” by painting salt water onto dark paper, letting it dry, and watching it sparkle.
3. These quick experiments bring in some winter science magic and spark curiosity.

10. Eggshell Crayon Candles

What You’ll Need:

• Empty, clean eggshells (try to crack them near the top so you have a larger base)
• Old crayons in assorted colours
• Candle wicks (small wicks are best for eggshell size)
• Small pot or microwave-safe container for melting
• Optional: essential oils (like vanilla, peppermint, or lavender) for scent

Activity Setup:

1. Prepare the Eggshells: Have the kids carefully rinse out the eggshells and set them in an egg carton to keep them steady.
2. Prep the Crayons and Wax: Sort crayons by colour so each candle can be a single colour, or mix different colours for a unique blend. Remove the paper wrappers from the crayons, then break them into small pieces.
3. Melting the Wax and Crayons: Melt the crayons in a microwave-safe container or pot (with adult supervision). Stir until fully melted. The more crayon, the brighter the colour!
4. Add a Wick: Place a small wick in the centre of each eggshell.
5. Pour the Wax: Carefully pour the melted wax-crayon mixture into the eggshells, filling them about three-quarters full. Let the wax cool slightly to ensure the wick stays upright.
6. Let Candles Cool and Set: Allow the candles to fully harden in the eggshells (this may take an hour or so). Once they’re set, kids will have their own unique mini candles.
7. Finishing Touches: If desired, they can decorate the eggshells with a little paint or wrap them with a small ribbon for a festive look.

Why It’s Fun: This activity combines creativity with a lesson on reusing everyday materials, like eggshells and crayons, while letting kids personalise each candle with their own choice of colors and scents! Perfect for older kids who enjoy crafting unique, one-of-a-kind creations.

These winter activity ideas will add creativity, learning, and joy to your school holiday programme, making it a season the kids won’t forget! Try these ideas, and don’t forget to share your own twists and additions in the comments—let’s make this winter a blast for kids and providers alike!