25 Cheap Christmas Activities for Kids at Home
By Cedar & Ledger
Winter break is long, and paid outings add up fast. Here are 25 Christmas activities kids can do at home with things you likely already have, plus a simple plan and an example budget.
Planning the week after Christmas too? See New Year's Eve with kids at home for a fake midnight and 25 cheap ideas.
25 low-cost activities
- Make paper snowflakes and tape them to the windows.
- Bake and decorate simple sugar cookies.
- Write a letter to Santa.
- Build a blanket fort and watch a holiday movie.
- Drive or walk around to look at Christmas lights.
- String popcorn or paper chains for the tree.
- Make homemade gift tags from old cards.
- Hold a family Christmas scavenger hunt.
- Draw and color holiday cards for grandparents.
- Read a Christmas book by flashlight.
- Have a hot cocoa taste test with toppings.
- Make a gingerbread house from graham crackers.
- Do a kindness challenge: one good deed a day.
- Put on a living-room Christmas talent show.
- Make a wish list using "want, need, wear, read."
- Build a snowman (or a sock snowman indoors).
- Wrap small gifts for siblings together.
- Count down the days on a paper advent chain.
- Have a Christmas pajama breakfast.
- Make pinecone bird feeders with peanut butter and seed.
- Write a kids' year in review: favorite moments of the year.
- Play holiday charades or a draw-and-guess game.
- Sort old toys to donate before new ones arrive.
- Make a Christmas Eve box together.
- Make thank-you cards to send after Christmas.
A simple plan for the break
- Pick one activity a day. Write them on a calendar so kids can see what is next.
- Mix quiet and busy days. Follow cookie day with a reading or movie day.
- Gather supplies once. Paper, tape, markers, glue and string cover most of the list.
- Save the special ones (lights drive, Christmas Eve box) for the days right before Christmas.
Example budget, not advice
Example numbers: craft paper and glue $8 + baking supplies $12 + cocoa and toppings $6 + graham cracker house supplies $9 = $35 for 25 activities, about $1.40 per activity. Compare that with one family outing at, say, $15 a ticket for 4 people = $60.
Tools that help
The Kids Christmas Printables Pack covers several of these in one download: a letter to Santa, a wish list and a kids' year in review. The Advent Countdown makes the daily plan easy to follow, and the Holiday Gift Budget keeps December spending in one place. See also our easy Elf on the Shelf ideas, Christmas scavenger hunt clues and Christmas Eve box ideas.
Common questions
What if we have no snow? Make indoor sock snowmen or paper snowflakes instead.
How do I keep costs down? Use what you have first, and set a small cap for supplies before the break starts.
What ages is this for? Most ideas work for ages 3 to 12 with an adult helping the younger kids.
Made with AI assistance and reviewed before release.
More ideas: 50 Christmas bucket list ideas for families.
Related template: the bundle kids christmas 2026 template. Also see: the bundle christmas family fun 2026 template · the elf visit planner 2026 template · Holiday Gift Budget
See all Cedar & Ledger templates
Try the free holiday gift budget calculator →
Frequently asked questions
What does this guide cover?
25 low-cost Christmas break activities for kids with household items, a simple plan and an example budget of about $1.40 each.
Do I need a template to do this?
No. A notebook or a sheet you build yourself works fine. Cedar & Ledger also sells spreadsheet templates (I'd earn from a purchase); see the template box at the top of this page.
Is this financial advice?
No. It's general information with example numbers only, not financial, tax, legal or medical advice. Use your own numbers and check anything important with a qualified professional or the official source.