7 Christmas Activities for a Super Fun Kids' Dinner Table

Having kids sit through a dinner without wanting to get up and play is hard enough during the rest of the year, but when it comes to the holidays, kids are very often distracted by friends, family, decorations, and gifts. The problem is that adults like to talk and visit during parties and dinners, so what are the kids to do?

Here are seven Christmas activities to place at your kids’ table during these social gatherings to keep them having fun and not wanting to get up and play. You will find free printable winter and Christmas activity sheets, too!

[divider]Craft Sticks[/divider]

So many things can be done with simple craft sticks! Glitter glue, pom-poms, googly eyes, mini bells, string—all these can be used to make endless creative crafts or ornaments. Challenge your kids to use their imaginations and construct their most creative designs using the supplies you have provided.

[divider]Crayons for Tablecloth[/divider]

One of the simplest ideas for Christmas activities at the table is to use a paper tablecloth and provide crayons for the kids to draw masterpieces. Be sure to explain that this is the only time it is acceptable to draw on the table, but that you look forward to seeing their beautiful designs!

[divider]Pipe Cleaners[/divider]

Never underestimate the fun that can be had with simple pipe cleaners! Kids can use these to shape miniature people or connect them all together to make larger creations. Just be careful with your smaller children, as sometimes the wire can be sharp.

[divider]Bucket and Stickers[/divider]

Kids can use stickers to decorate small buckets to carry all their crafts. Have a second plate at each place setting for them to use for crafts that need to dry, but have them collect all their other works of art in these decorated buckets. (Hint: You will likely receive a lot of Christmas stickers in the mail this time of year, so keep your eyes out and save those!)

[divider]Wooden Craft Kits[/divider]

The great thing about wooden crafts is that you don’t have to use paint to decorate these—markers, glitter glue, and stickers will do the trick. You can buy these in kits for ornaments or other decorations, so it’s all easy and ready to go!

[divider]Cupcake Decorating[/divider]

You may need to tread carefully with this one since it involves a lot of sugar, but for dessert, you can have the kids decorate their own cupcakes. Frosting, edible glitter, holiday-themed candies, sprinkles, and fun wrappers can all be used to turn your kids into little pastry chefs. It might even be a fun idea to turn this into a competition and have the adults be the judges!

[divider]Activity Sheets[/divider]

These two activity sheets can be used as placemats just like kids are used to having in a restaurant. Click on the links below to download and print. Choose the winter- or Christmas-themed activities.

Whenever children are engaging in any type of craft, it is an opportunity for learning. Beyond just keeping the kids entertained at the dinner table, these Christmas activities serve as a chance to explore creativity, experiment with colors, test out patterns, and construct objects using basic lessons in engineering and design.

Learning is all around us, even at the dinner table. Try some of these out at your parties and family dinners this season and let us know how it went. We’d love to see pictures!

*Craft supplies and festive table decorations provided by Zurchers.com!

Games and Contests, Student Activities

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