Kids at home for two or three weeks during winter break can be fun at first but after a while you'll need to start sorting out some plans to keep them engaged.
So Kuwait Moms Guide has put together a list of 10 fun and easy activities for kids to do over the winter break in Kuwait that won't break the bank and will get them plenty of fun and sunshine.
Dinosaur Dig at the Beach
1. Read a book about dinosaurs, talk about how dinosaurs once lived in Kuwait, discuss places the dinosaurs might be buried. Then save some meat or chicken bones (well cleaned) and take the kids to the beach. [The Scientific Center gift shop also has plastic dino bones if you prefer. Just be sure to pick them up when the kids aren't around. Or if the kids are young enough, you can just use plastic dinosaurs.] When they are playing, bury the bones and then help the kids ‘discover’ them. [Check our experience here.] When you get home, check out the various types of dinosaurs online or in a picture dictionary and see if the kids can guess what types of dinos the bones might be from. We went to the beach in Ras Salmiya but any clean beach will do as its too cold for them to swim. Good for ages 4-8 years.
Upside Down Day
2. Flip the day. Let the kids have dinner in the morning and breakfast at night. Let them wear their clothes inside out and socks on their hands. Let them call themselves mom and dad and you are the kids. Let them walk backwards or eat on the floor for a picnic. All ages.
Cookie Bakeoff
3. Bake cookies. Get some fun cookie cutter shapes from Lakeland, Tavola, Saveco, Sultan Center or Lulu and use them to bake and decorate cookies. Let the kids help make the cookies, crack the eggs, stir the mixture and then decorate once they are ready. Good for ages 3 to 12 years.
Memory Book
4. Collect photos, mementos, flight stubs, movie tickets and other items from the year and make a 2014 memory book. Let the kids draw pictures or make collages representing their favorite parts of the year past. All ages.
Crafts Day
5. Visit a crafting supply place and make something. There are hundreds of simple crafting ideas for kids online (check out the Kuwait Moms Guide list of crafting places in Kuwait or the Kuwait Moms Guide FB page for more ideas.). All ages.
Scavenger Hunt
6. Have a scavenger hunt. Create a list of simple things the children can find around the house or at the park and then let them go to it. In the park be sure the items can be found (you don’t want them plucking leaves or flowers off living plants). Ages 3+
Family Photo Album
7. Buy a large family photo album, get all your family photos together (print out all the ones you’ve posted on Instagram and Facebook at the local coop photo studio. Shouldn’t be more than a few dinars for a few dozen prints) and let the kids put the album together. Or make multiples of prints and give each child an album. Let them also add in their drawings, mementos, cards, ticket stubs, etc. Ages 5+
New Year's Eve Party
8. Have a New Year’s Eve dress up party at home. Let the kids all dress up in costumes or fancy dress. Have a girls’ make up party with nail polish and lip stick or let them dress up in costumes. Why wear them only one night a year? Let the boys wear their favorite pirate or spider man costumes and the girls wear super girl or Hello Kitty. Be sure though to give them all masks – or let them make masks using basic crafting supplies. All ages.
Learn Something New
9. Learn something. Choose one thing each family member wants to learn in 2014 and make a plan for how each of you can do that. There are lots of online workshops and learning websites for free. Or visit a bookshop to find books on the subject. Or better yet, let one family member teach something they already know to another family member in round robin game of ‘Teach me.’ Each child can teach a parent or sibling something simple that they already know (like an older sibling can teach a younger sibling how to subtract or a younger sibling can teach a parent how to brush a doll’s hair). All ages.
Explore a Park or Playground
10. Enjoy the winter break, spend quality time with your kids. Get out an explore, go to the shops but also go to a farm or the beach or ride bikes along the Corniche. More than anything else, kids want quality time with their parents. All ages.
We wish you all a very safe and happy Winter Break and New Year!
Originally published in Issue #24 of the Kuwait Moms Guide e-Newsletter.
So Kuwait Moms Guide has put together a list of 10 fun and easy activities for kids to do over the winter break in Kuwait that won't break the bank and will get them plenty of fun and sunshine.
Dinosaur Dig at the Beach
1. Read a book about dinosaurs, talk about how dinosaurs once lived in Kuwait, discuss places the dinosaurs might be buried. Then save some meat or chicken bones (well cleaned) and take the kids to the beach. [The Scientific Center gift shop also has plastic dino bones if you prefer. Just be sure to pick them up when the kids aren't around. Or if the kids are young enough, you can just use plastic dinosaurs.] When they are playing, bury the bones and then help the kids ‘discover’ them. [Check our experience here.] When you get home, check out the various types of dinosaurs online or in a picture dictionary and see if the kids can guess what types of dinos the bones might be from. We went to the beach in Ras Salmiya but any clean beach will do as its too cold for them to swim. Good for ages 4-8 years.
Upside Down Day
2. Flip the day. Let the kids have dinner in the morning and breakfast at night. Let them wear their clothes inside out and socks on their hands. Let them call themselves mom and dad and you are the kids. Let them walk backwards or eat on the floor for a picnic. All ages.
Cookie Bakeoff
3. Bake cookies. Get some fun cookie cutter shapes from Lakeland, Tavola, Saveco, Sultan Center or Lulu and use them to bake and decorate cookies. Let the kids help make the cookies, crack the eggs, stir the mixture and then decorate once they are ready. Good for ages 3 to 12 years.
Memory Book
4. Collect photos, mementos, flight stubs, movie tickets and other items from the year and make a 2014 memory book. Let the kids draw pictures or make collages representing their favorite parts of the year past. All ages.
Crafts Day
5. Visit a crafting supply place and make something. There are hundreds of simple crafting ideas for kids online (check out the Kuwait Moms Guide list of crafting places in Kuwait or the Kuwait Moms Guide FB page for more ideas.). All ages.
Scavenger Hunt
6. Have a scavenger hunt. Create a list of simple things the children can find around the house or at the park and then let them go to it. In the park be sure the items can be found (you don’t want them plucking leaves or flowers off living plants). Ages 3+
Family Photo Album
7. Buy a large family photo album, get all your family photos together (print out all the ones you’ve posted on Instagram and Facebook at the local coop photo studio. Shouldn’t be more than a few dinars for a few dozen prints) and let the kids put the album together. Or make multiples of prints and give each child an album. Let them also add in their drawings, mementos, cards, ticket stubs, etc. Ages 5+
New Year's Eve Party
8. Have a New Year’s Eve dress up party at home. Let the kids all dress up in costumes or fancy dress. Have a girls’ make up party with nail polish and lip stick or let them dress up in costumes. Why wear them only one night a year? Let the boys wear their favorite pirate or spider man costumes and the girls wear super girl or Hello Kitty. Be sure though to give them all masks – or let them make masks using basic crafting supplies. All ages.
Learn Something New
9. Learn something. Choose one thing each family member wants to learn in 2014 and make a plan for how each of you can do that. There are lots of online workshops and learning websites for free. Or visit a bookshop to find books on the subject. Or better yet, let one family member teach something they already know to another family member in round robin game of ‘Teach me.’ Each child can teach a parent or sibling something simple that they already know (like an older sibling can teach a younger sibling how to subtract or a younger sibling can teach a parent how to brush a doll’s hair). All ages.
Explore a Park or Playground
10. Enjoy the winter break, spend quality time with your kids. Get out an explore, go to the shops but also go to a farm or the beach or ride bikes along the Corniche. More than anything else, kids want quality time with their parents. All ages.
We wish you all a very safe and happy Winter Break and New Year!
Originally published in Issue #24 of the Kuwait Moms Guide e-Newsletter.
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