Winter break is long: about two weeks with no school, short days and, in many places, cold weather that keeps kids inside. These winter break activities for kids mix snowy fun, cozy indoor projects and a little learning, with free printables you can print in a minute.
Start with a winter break bucket list
Before the break starts, sit down with the free winter break bucket list. Kids star their favorite ideas, plan the week on the planner page and fill a boredom jar with the cut-out strips. When someone says “I am bored”, they pull a strip.
Outdoor and snow day ideas
- Build a snowman, a snow fort or a snow family. No snow? Make a sock snowman instead.
- Go on a winter nature walk and look for animal tracks, icicles and red berries.
- Feed the birds and count how many come in ten minutes.
- Have a sledding afternoon, then warm up with cocoa.
- More ideas and printables: snow day activities for kids.
Cozy indoor activities
- Winter dot to dot: connect the numbers to find mittens, cocoa and a snowflake
- Winter would you rather cards: 48 questions for the dinner table
- Winter color by number and the winter coloring pages
- Roll a Snowman: a dice drawing game for two or more players
- Paper snowflake templates to decorate the windows
- Indoor scavenger hunt for a stormy afternoon
- Winter hidden pictures for quiet time
Keep learning without it feeling like school
Fifteen minutes a day keeps math and reading fresh for January. Make it a game: a puzzle after breakfast, then the rest of the day is free.
- Winter math worksheets, 3rd grade with answer keys
- Winter crossword puzzles, grades 2 to 4
- Read a book together every evening and keep a list of the titles on the fridge.
Christmas and New Year at home
If your break includes the holidays, add a few festive extras: Christmas riddles, a Christmas lights scavenger hunt for an evening drive, and the New Year activities for kids to finish the break with goals for 2027.
A simple winter break day
- Morning: breakfast, then one learning puzzle (15 minutes)
- Late morning: outside or an active game
- After lunch: quiet time with a book, a dot to dot or coloring
- Afternoon: one idea from the bucket list
- Evening: a family game or a movie, and check off what you did
Questions parents ask
Are these printables free?
Yes. Every printable linked on this page is a free PDF to print at home.
What ages are these activities for?
Most ideas work for kids about 4 to 12. Younger kids may need help reading the cards and cutting the strips.
How do I stop the break from turning into screen time?
Plan one or two activities each day with the week planner, keep the boredom jar in sight and agree on screen times in advance.
See also: winter activities for kids and all free winter printables.
