Fun Christmas Activities Ideas with Nestlé Confectionery

In this article
 

1. Christmas crafts and DIY activities
2. Christmas baking and food fun ideas
3. Christmas giving and kindness activities
4. Christmas games and indoor activities
5. Outdoor Christmas activities
6. Ideas for cosy evenings in
7. Christmas family traditions 

Ho, ho, hello and welcome to our great big Christmas activities list! We’ve got everything from arts and crafts to games, charity ideas and outdoor fun for kids of all ages. We’ve also got plenty of delicious recipes featuring many of your favourite Nestlé treats. So, let’s jump in and see why it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg to make memories and keep the kids entertained this festive season.  

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1. Christmas crafts and DIY activities 

1. Make DIY Christmas cards: grab  the coloured pencils, acrylic paint pens and glitter markers, and create a range of DIY Christmas cards. Think coloured paper, festive stickers or cut-out shapes like candy canes, snowflakes or Santa hats. Or why not use some foraged finds, such as little fir tree sprigs?  It’s the personal touch that makes all the difference.
2. Create salt dough ornaments: with just flour, salt and water, you can make a mouldable dough to create Christmas decorations. Simply roll or shape the dough, then bake it low and slow to set the shape. Finish with acrylic paint for bright colours – or even a little silver and gold.
3. Make paper snowflakes: create  Christmas activity magic with nothing more than scissors and paper. There are lots of different snowflake templates available online, so pick a few and get snipping!  
4. Design homemade gift wrap with potato stamps: get colourful and crafty with Christmas-themed potato stamps. Simply cut a large potato in half, then use a cookie cutter to press into the potato. Use a sharp knife to trace around the edge of the cookie cutter,  and cut away the excess potato to reveal the stamp. Grab some paint, and you’re ready to stamp.  
5. Craft pom-pom reindeer: choose some store-bought pom-poms or if you’re feeling  crafty, make your own. Decorate with googly eyes, a small red nose and twist brown pipe cleaners for the antlers. Use craft glue to secure everything in place and display your creations on your Christmas table or tree.
6. Build a cardboard gingerbread house: turn an old box into a winter wonderland with little more than a craft knife, glue and a white paint pen. You take care of the cutting and let the kids help with assembly and decoration. Add some battery-powered candles inside the windows to get the full effect!
7. Decorate your  Christmas stockings: buy some simple felt stockings so your kids can add stickers, potato stamps, markers, glue and glitter. You could even get  age-appropriate sewing needles and sparkly thread. Encourage them to go wild and make Santa proud!  
8. Create a family Christmas scrapbook: create a holiday keepsake that you can add to each year with a Christmas activity scrapbook. Stick photos in each year, along with Christmas cards, ribbons, or holly leaves to create a special album you can look back on in years to come.  
9. Make homemade Christmas sweet jars:  Looking for a thoughtful gift? Our Rowntree’s® Christmas Sweet Jars blend creativity and fun with all your favourite chewy and gummy sweets. 
    

2. Christmas baking and food fun ideas 

10. Bake classic Christmas biscuits together: nothing spreads holiday cheer faster than a little baking session, and we’ve got a Milkybar® Christmas Biscuit recipe just for you!  
11. Make gingerbread hot chocolate: keep your loved ones warm this festive season with a cup of our KitKat® Gingerbread Hot Chocolate.  
12. Decorate a gingerbread house as a family: with so many great gingerbread baking kits available these days, there’s never been a better time to start a new family tradition. They often come with sugar glue ―  use it to add colourful decorative Smarties® roof tiles!
13. Create Smarties reindeer muffins: tuck into fluffy chocolate reindeer muffins decorated with Milkybar®, mini pretzels for antlers and a cheerful Smarties® for the nose!
14. Have a festive pancake breakfast: pancakes can make any breakfast special, so get festive and fun with a warm, fluffy stack. Add a pinch of baking spice to the mixture for Christmas flavour and serve with fresh fruit and a dusting of icing sugar for a snowy effect!  
15. Make reindeer food for Christmas Eve: ignite imaginations with a simple mix of oats and seeds. We recommend placing the reindeer food in a bowl outside instead of sprinkling it in the garden.  Then, in the morning, you can add the contents to your bird feeders.
16. Make snowman-shaped sandwiches: grab a set of Christmas-themed cookie cutters and go to town with sarnies.. Let the kids punch out their own lunch, and who knows, you might even get a few extra veggies like tomatoes into their diet.  
17. Hold a family Christmas bake-off:  Check out our Christmas Baking Recipes article for inspiration.  
    
     

3. Christmas giving and kindness activities 

18. Write letters or cards to a local care home: sometimes a kind word means more than any gift ever could. Get the kids involved in decorating cards with the potato stamps  you made earlier or fir tree sprigs.
19. Create handmade gifts for neighbours:  gifts you make can mean more than anything store-bought. Our Rowntree’s® Christmas Sweet Cones are a great gifting idea!  
20. Donate toys to a local charity together: take the spirit of giving to the next level and get the kids to donate their preloved toys to those less fortunate.  
21. Pack a Christmas shoebox for a child in need: this is another  Christmas activity that teaches kids the joy of giving. We recommend a combination of small toys and basic toiletry items.  
22. Leave treats for delivery drivers: Christmas is a time of many online purchases, so why not add a little joy to a delivery driver's day? A small Rowntree’s Christmas Sweet Jar is just the thing to spread some holiday cheer.
23. Write gratitude notes to each family member: gifts and treats are always fun, but sometimes a few words from the heart mean so much more. Use coloured pens and paper,and slip each note into a bright envelope. Open the letters on Christmas Eve just before bedtime for maximum family feels !  
     

4. Christmas games and indoor activities 

24. Have a Christmas movie marathon: pop some popcorn, get cosy and let the marathon begin! Our Christmas movie night article has plenty of hacks for turning a quiet night into the unmissable event of the season.
25. Play Christmas bingo: from legs eleven (11) to two little ducks (22), there are tonnes of Christmas bingo card templates available online. Download a few, get your bingo lingo call sheet and let the games begin-go!
26. Go on a festive family scavenger hunt: who doesn’t like finding festive toys and treats like our Christmas shortbread snowmen? Create a simple scavenger hunt with an easy map to follow and let the chaos unfold.  
27. Enjoy Christmas trivia night: test your family’s Santa smarts with our fun and festive Christmas Quiz for Kids!  
28. Set up an indoor snowball fight with cottonwool balls: for a quick and easy Christmas activity for kids, look no further than a big bag of cottonwool balls! Set up a few couch forts and let them go wild. When the fun’s over, you can scoop them up and let the kids re-use them in some DIY Christmas cards – or to make a nativity scene with recycled cardboard and play-dough figurines.
29. Play a "Santa Says" game: think Simon Says but with Santa! For a game rules refresher, check out our Children’s Party Games article.
30. Host a Christmas karaoke session: grab a cheap mic that can plug into a Bluetooth speaker and hit up YouTube for plenty of fun Christmas karaoke songs!  
31. Build a Christmas puzzle together: for a moment of calm in all the silly season madness, turn to a large Christmas-themed puzzle. It’s a great way to unwind as a family and even better when paired with a mug of Hazelnut Hot Chocolate.

5. Outdoor Christmas activities 

32. Go on a Christmas lights walk: no matter how old you get, the turning on of the Christmas lights is always a special occasion. So, put those walking shoes and take the kids for a sparkling adventure at your nearest town square.
33. Visit a local Christmas market: feel all the festive magic as you stroll around your local Christmas market.  
34. Go sledging or have a snowball fight: two winter traditions that need no explanation!  
35. Take a winter woodland walk: release the stress of Christmas planning with a nature walk. Keep your eyes peeled for holly and ivy to forage for decorations.  
36. Build a snowman family in the garden: whether it's Olaf or Frosty, bring your snowy creation to life!
37. Go carolling around your neighbourhood: give this time-honoured tradition the respect it deserves and belt out a few Christmas classics with the kids.  
     

6. Ideas for cosy evenings in  

38. Read Christmas books by the fire: blankets, biscuits, a cup of tea and stories by the fire. Bliss!  
39. Have a “no phones” Christmas story night: it’s no secret that we all spend  too much time on our phones. Declare a “no phones” night and quality time will follow.  
40. Make a festive family playlist:  Jingle all the way to a  cracking family night.  
41. Watch a virtual Christmas concert: nothing gets you into the holiday spirit quicker than tuning into a Christmas concert or live show. From Josh Groban to Michael Bublé, there are plenty of artists to choose from on YouTube.  
42. Do a holiday-themed family photo shoot: break out the Christmas jumpers, make some hilarious memories, and turn them into a family Christmas card!  
43. Make a holiday vision board for next year: it’s never too early to start planning your next holiday getaway. Ask each family member to contribute an idea, destination or dream activity.

44. Create a time capsule to open next Christmas: will Labubus still be popular next Christmas? Who knows, but your time capsule will be there to remind you, should they fall out of favour!  
     

    

7. Christmas family traditions 

45. Have a themed family dinner: get crafty and creative in the kitchen! Fancy an Elf Night Dinner? Serve small plates of tasty tapas. In the mood for a Santa Dessert Table? Try our Aero® Christmas cheesecake or Milkybar® Christmas biscuits recipes. For more festive bakes, explore our Christmas baking recipes.
46. Wear matching Christmas pyjamas: it’s silly but your kids will love it. For extra festive fun, print something unique to your family on the matching pyjama tops.  
47. Hang a new ornament and share its story: adding a new family ornament to your tree each year is a lovely tradition that your kids will always remember.  
48. Share memories from past Christmases: create a carousel of photos and videos from last year’s Christmas and have a Christmas Eve viewing!  
49. Light a candle and reflect on what you're thankful for: teaching gratitude is the Christmas gift that keeps on giving from generation to generation.
50. Host a “12 Days of Christmas” countdown with mini activities: nothing builds excitement more than little festive wins each day! Read our Christmas party ideas for inspo.  
     

Our list might not be as long as Santa’s, but we’ve got enough fun-filled festivities to make this season truly memorable. It’s all the nice and none of the naughty, so pick a few or pick them all and have yourself a merry little Christmas!  

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