School is out, and winter break is here! Don’t let boredom get you (or your child down) this holiday season. Check out these ideas for students of all ages and levels.

Preschool:

– Help bake cookies.
– Build a fort.
– Read your favorite book.
– Write a letter to a friend.
– Create a holiday craft.
– Stop by the library for activities, story-time, or to pick out some books together
– Additional ideas
 

Elementary School:

– Play a board game with family
– Make your own board game, and play it with family
– Write a poem about Christmas
– Participate in winter indoor fun activities
– Conduct science experiments
– Cut paper snowflakes & make DIY decorations
– Make a magazine collage
– Make a lava lamp
– Bake cookies
– Create a gingerbread house
– Read and discuss a book
– Go on an alphabet hunt
– Create a snowman snow globe
– Go on a neighborhood photo safari
– Ring in the new year with STEM activities
– Additional ideas
– Even more ideas
– And more ideas
 

Middle School:

– Indoor activities
– Make ornaments
– Try STEAM or STEM activities
– Make a gingerbread house (and possibly enter a local contest)
– Create your own Christmas cards, and distribute them
– Conduct science experiments
– Ring in the new year with STEM activities
– Additional ideas
 

High School:

– Host a party with friends & DIY decorate
– Organize a holiday gift exchange
– Read a holiday novel
– Have a Christmas movie marathon
– Participate in indoor activities and workouts
– Clean out your closet, and donate items to the less fortunate
– Read Christmas books to kids (ex. family, library, YMCA, Boys and Girls Club)
– Work on college plans/applications
– Look into jobs
– Search for scholarships
– Throw a friend’s New Year’s Eve party
 

College:

– Learn to cook
– Try your hand at baking
– Make goals for the new year, and set a plan for achieving them
– Try new restaurants
– Make DIY gifts for personalized presents
– Give your room a makeover
– Clean out your room and donate items, to the less fortunate
– Road trip
– Catch up with old friends or friends from home
– Host an epic New Year’s Eve get-together
– Additional ideas
– Even more ideas
 

Ideas for all ages:

– Visit a museum:

Explorations V, Polk Museum of Art, Mulberry Phosphate Museum, Polk County History Center, MOSI, Tampa Museum of Art, Henry B. Plant Museum, The Dali Museum, Ringling Museum of Art, Orlando Museum of Art, Online museums

– Volunteer

Library, nursing home, hospital, soup kitchen, homeless shelter, community center, church or nonprofit, toy and canned-food drives, holiday events
Local volunteer ideas
Additional local volunteer ideas

– Ride around looking at Christmas lights while playing a scavenger hunt game
– Visit a park
– Stop by a local attraction

Bok Tower, The Orlando Eye, theme parks, shows, movies, ice skating, etc.

– Check out holiday events
– Make a 2015 time capsule with memorable items from the year.