Don’t let lockdown prevent your family from having fun this festive season – see 6 fun activities to try!            

Bright Heart Owl Logo

Bright Heart

We consider lockdown- friendly ways to keep the whole family entertained this festive season.

6 exciting COVID-friendly activities for families this festive period

The festive season is finally upon us! For some families, that could mean up to 10 days holiday this year, but with the coronavirus pandemic still causing real devastation across the country, many of the activities families share together are going to look a little different from how we would have preferred them to be.

Coming together while staying apart

All is not lost, however. There is a variety of things you can do at home (and even outside) with your kids that will keep them entertained as well as keep them safe.

 Before we jump straight into the list, these activities will be suitable to do with your family when there isn’t a global pandemic happening, but with a few tweaks, they will be perfectly COVID secure.

To keep your fun safe this festive season, remember to:

With that in mind, here’s our list of six family-friendly activities you can do with your crew over the festive period.

1. Family talent show

Who doesn’t love a talent show? Kids love to show off, especially with relatives they may not have seen for a while. With this activity, you can keep it small and have a talent show in your little household, or you could organise an even bigger show by utilising video chat with your extended family.

 It might take a bit of planning, but let the kids know they will be “on TV” and organise with the adults that each household will be on video chat to watch each other’s performances.

 If you haven’t got time to organise something with lots of you together, why not try to make sure at least the grandparents can make it by setting up a video chat? Software like Zoom is free to use for up to 40 minutes, or there is Skype, Microsoft Teams, and Google Hangout. If you’re on a mobile device, you can have video chats using WhatsApp too.

Children activities
How about making some fun puppet fish for the show?

2. Scavenger hunt outside

The weather over most of the UK this year isn’t looking too bad, and in all tiers, you and your family are allowed to leave your house for some exercise, which is a great way to burn off energy with active kids!

Take a scavenger hunt printout with you and get them involved in ticking off things that they see. This is an excellent opportunity to teach kids about nature, even in the midst of winter. Just be sure not to pick anything up and stay 2m away from any other families you may see on your walk.

map for a treasure hunt
Hunting for treasure can provide lots of family fun!

3. Make A Time Capsule

You may be thinking that you don’t want to remember 2020 at all, but if you’re a history fan, you will know that a year such as 2020 will be a year that historians will refer back to time and time again.

For this reason, building a time capsule for your family could be a lovely and quiet activity to wind down with. Fill it with things like a diary of what you did over Christmas, things you remember from 2020, handprints, paintings, and even photos if you can print them out.

 You don’t have to bury a time capsule; you can leave it in your loft or under a bed if that’s easier.

4. Online games with relatives

Did you know there are many free online versions of classic board games like Monopoly and Scrabble you can play with relatives who are not in your household?

Of course, there are game consoles that let you play with others, but other games like chess.com are simple and very family-friendly, and they’re a great way to connect with friends and family across the country without needing to be in the same room.

Mother and son with online learning
Connecting with grandparents through an online game is great family fun!

5. Family filming time

Another great activity to play with kids is to set up a family film. This doesn’t mean hunkering down in front of the TV with a movie. This means getting the camera out and starring in your own movie!

This is an exciting activity for kids as it gets their creative minds flowing with ideas for characters and scenes, and even older children can get involved with shooting and editing the film (almost everyone has a smartphone that can shoot video these days).

There are plenty of free apps that will help you edit your film together. Once you’re done, you can upload it to YouTube (unlisted if you are concerned about privacy issues) to share the link with your extended family and give them a good laugh this holiday season!

6. Get creative in the kitchen

Our last activity suggestion is a bit more traditional – getting kids back in the kitchen and enjoying cooking over the festive season.

Teaching children (and teenagers) how to cook is one of the most valuable lessons you can pass onto them as a parent, and it’s great fun, too.

Take this opportunity to try out some more challenging recipes, like bread or cake decorating, and use it as a trial run. Once they get better at the recipes and the pandemic has subsided, they’ll be able to cook for relatives or make sweet treats for family and friends when we’re allowed to celebrate together again. 

Children cooking
Cooking with the family can be loads of fun!

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

While these activities are likely to provide a welcome distraction and a little light relief, it’s important to keep talking to your kids and keep them in the loop with an age-appropriate conversation about what’s happening.

What has been your experience as a parent keeping your children entertained during lockdown? 

We would love to hear about it on our Facebook page.


Share this article

Facebook
LinkedIn