The holidays are a wonderful time for family, magic, and — let’s be honest — a little bit of chaos. Between wrapping paper, decorations, baking, and get‑togethers, our little ones often need hands‑on, joyful, meaningful activities to keep them engaged. At Bellybees, we believe in screen‑free, creative play that builds curious minds and family connection. Here are some fun ideas (with Bellybees products sprinkled in!) to help your kids stay entertained, inspired, and learning this Christmas season.
1. Holiday Story Time & Book Snuggles
Nothing beats cozying up with a good story. Choose a special Christmas Eve story session as part of your routine. Let each child pick a comfy spot, grab a blanket, and let the holiday chatter fade into page‑turning.
-
Pull out a Bellybees storybook (or pick a new one) that you haven’t read before — since our mission is to encourage children’s curiosity, these become a treat for the season.
-
After reading, ask your child questions like: “What do you think happens next?” “How do you feel when you’re in this place or situation?” — encouraging critical thinking and emotional awareness.
-
Bonus: Let older siblings or parents be the storytellers. The act of reading aloud becomes part of the experience, not just “listening”.
2. Flashcards & Learning Treasure Hunts
The festive season offers great opportunities to make learning playful and festive. Why not combine the fun of a treasure hunt with educational flashcards from Bellybees?
-
Use Bellybees flashcards (for example, alphabet, numbers, emotions, vocabulary sets) and hide them in red or green envelopes around the house.
-
Give each child a small basket or bag and a simple map (or clues) to find the hidden envelopes. Each time they uncover a card, they say: “What is it? Can you use this word in a Christmas sentence?” or “Let’s make a quick story using this word.”
-
You can adjust difficulty depending on age: younger kids might just match images; older kids might form sentences or describe feelings.
-
The excitement of the hunt + the reward of discovering “learning bits” makes it much more fun than a plain flashcard drill.
3. Craft Kits & Family Creative Time
Christmas is a perfect time for crafts: ornaments, holiday cards, decorations, handmade gifts. Bellybees encourages hands‑on learning and family connection through crafts — and this season you can lean into it.
-
Set aside a “craft hour” each day or every other day: spread out paper, glue, colours, and let kids make their own holiday charms, cards for grandparents, personalized gift tags.
-
Use a Bellybees craft kit (or combine items with our educational puzzle sets) so kids are not just creating — but also learning shapes, patterns, letters, or even simple story‑elements.
-
Make it a family affair: parents and siblings join in, talk about what they’re making, share ideas. The goal is connection and creative expression.
-
After crafting, display the creations around the house — in a “kid‑gallery” on the wall or as part of the tree décor.
4. Puzzle Time + Calm‑Down Hour
All of the holiday hustle means little minds and big minds can get tired — that’s when a calm activity is just what’s needed. Bellybees’ puzzle and workbook lines are perfect.
-
After the big sugar rush/visit or before bed, pull out a Bellybees puzzle or workbook (for example, number‑tracing or word‑workbooks) to give kids a focused, quiet activity.
-
Set a timer for 15‑30 minutes: lights low, maybe some festive but soft music, cocoa on hand. The goal: transition from “high energy holiday” to “calm mind” before bedtime or the next activity.
-
Praise their progress (“Look how you got these words”), and if it’s a workbook, ask them to teach you a word or concept they learned. Teaching reinforces learning.
5. Game Night with a Learning Twist
Turn one evening into a special “games & learning” night. You can skimp on screen‑time, lean into physical games, flashcards, crafts, and fun discussions.
-
Use Bellybees vocabulary cards and set up a “charades” or “Pictionary” game: draw or act out the word. This builds language, confidence, and laughter.
-
Create holiday‑themed challenges: “Find a word that starts with S like Santa”, “Count how many ornaments you can see and write the number”, etc. Use our number‑workbooks or tracing books as a warm‑up.
-
Have a “sharing circle” at the end: each child says one thing they learned today, one thing they liked, and one thing they’re curious about — reinforcing reflection and growth.
6. Family Story‑Making & Writing
Encourage your kids to become storytellers themselves. With Bellybees’ writing and tracing workbooks, you can integrate writing into holiday fun.
-
Use a “My First Learn‑to‑Write / Tracing Workbook” from Bellybees and ask your child to write a short holiday story: “On Christmas morning I saw…”, “The best gift I got was…”, etc.
-
Older kids can use the “Sentence Masters: Independent Writing” workbook (if you carry it) to extend their story, maybe illustrate it, and then present the story to the family.
-
This becomes a keepsake: you can print or bind the story, date it, and store it in the “My Baby’s 1st Year Milestone Keepsake Book” or other memory‑book product from Bellybees. Every holiday will then bring back special memories + learning.
Why These Activities Matter
At Bellybees, we believe that when children are engaged in meaningful, hands‑on learning and when families play, craft, read, and discover together, kids develop creative thinking, strong language skills, emotional awareness, and a love of learning. The holiday season often comes with more free time, more together time — making it the perfect moment to blend fun with education.
Plus: screen‑free entertainment means less passive watching, and more active creating, connecting, and reflecting. Your child becomes an active participant in their learning and holiday fun — not just a passive consumer.
A Few Practical Tips for Holiday Success
-
Plan ahead: Pick 2‑3 key activities (story time, craft hour, game night) and slot them into your holiday schedule. But leave room for spontaneous fun too.
-
Materials ready: Gather the Bellybees books, flashcards, workbooks, craft supplies ahead so you’re not scrambling on the day.
-
Adapt to age: Younger kids will love simple matching or colouring; older kids may enjoy writing their story, doing independent workbook pages, or leading a game.
-
Celebrate progress: “Wow, you traced all these numbers!”, “You found 5 flashcards – great job!” — these affirmations build confidence and enthusiasm.
-
Make memories: Take photos, display their work, bundle the stories/cards you made this year and revisit next year.
-
Be flexible: Holidays bring changes and visitors. If one day doesn’t go as planned, no worries — pick it up tomorrow. The goal is connection, not perfection.
Wrap‑Up
This Christmas, let’s make more than just decorations — let’s make moments of curiosity, creativity, connection and growth. With Bellybees’ array of educational books, flashcards, workbooks and craft kits, you’re well‑equipped to entertain your kids in meaning‑filled, screen‑free ways. From story time to treasure hunts, crafts to calm puzzles, you can build holiday traditions that nourish healthy bodies and inspire curious minds.
Wishing your family a joyful, creative, playful holiday season! 🎄
— The Bellybees Team
0 comments