Tech-Free Activities to Keep Kids Active Over Holiday Break

Set up an indoor obstacle course with your kids to help keep them engaged and active. Incorporate games like the floor is lava, and make sure all the furniture out of the way that won't be part of the obstacle course and bring in pillows and blankets to make sure that the area is as safe as possible for both your children and your belongings.

Depending on where you live it might not be too cold, much less snowy. In that case, take advantage of good weather and head out to the park. You can play classics like catch or tag. Ask them to create their own game and play it with them wo keep them active and creative.

When the weather is chilly and there is snow on the ground, you have the chance to show your kids the potential fun of freshly laid powder. Get them geared up with snow boots, pants and coats so they stay dry and cozy warm.

Teach your kids how to make snow angels or make snowmen together. If you have pets, you could even challenge them to create your family in snow people and creatures. If you have enough snow, they can dig kid-sized tunnels under the snow. They can even make their own and personalize them with outdoor decorations to match their personalities.

In areas that stay temperate all year round, take advantage of the morning or afternoon sun with an adventure outdoors. Help your kids get in touch with nature by hiking a local trail, or even just taking a long walk around the neighborhood can be a good option for getting kids outside and moving.

If your kids need more to focus on when they are outside, bring creativity into the mix. Plan an art project with them before leaving the house and identify what you need to collect to do it. For example, they might want to make homemade crafts with twigs, make hats from paper and leaves or decorate pinecones to hang on the tree for the holidays. Looking for each natural material on the list can help keep them engaged.

This game works as both an indoor and outdoor activity that can be both time-consuming and take their focus off their tech for a while. Set the boundaries for the game like whether they can play indoors, outdoors, or both, and think about timing the seekers to make it a little more active.

There are all kinds of activities you can do in the winter to get your kids outside and in the fresh air. Ice skating gets you and your family active. You can create games, take ice skating lessons or even grab hockey sticks and a puck and head to the rink for a game on the ice.

Another excellent winter activity that’s technology-free is sledding. Look up the popular sledding hills within your community, or head outside the city limits for hills with less traffic.

To help your kids stay engaged with each other while getting exercise, you can create stations and require a certain number of exercises for each activity. Have areas for things like jump rope, jumping jacks, skipping or running. If your kids are up for it, you can time them, and have them repeat exercises to try and their record.

Knowing how to keep kids active can sometimes be as simple as pulling out a board game. If you want them to still be active, play a game like Twister. If you have board games that typically involve less movement, you can institute new rules such as doing jumping jacks every time they roll certain numbers or land on specific spaces.