John KIRAGU
- Jan 4
- 7 min read

20 fun family activities for the festive season

"Holiday seasons come with excellent opportunities to spend quality time with family, friends, and loved ones while demonstrating genuine kindness, love, and joy."

Photo by Any Lane on Pexels

The festive season presents a time for reconnecting with family, appreciating the gift of life, and revitalizing your energy. Families engage in fun activities such as hosting a holiday game night, baking unique Christmas cookies, going swimming, creating a home cinema, and going on picnics. These fun activities not only build a strong emotional bond but also enhance communication, bring a sense of belonging, and create good memories for the season. Here are some enjoyable and memorable activities to do with your loved one during the holiday season.

1. Have a holiday photo shoot together

Festive photos with family during these happy moments avail priceless family memories, increases self-esteem, relaxes, improves knowledge, and nurtures the family relationship. It is also the most appealing and enjoyable way of documenting family history, as it enhances an entertaining and vibrant way of story-telling. Consider having a photo taken with family, as it is the most incredible form of celebrating during the festive seasons and provides acceptance and comfort among the family.

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2. Watch Christmas movies

Take quality time with family during the afternoon or evening to watch Christmas movies. Everyone can choose their favorite flick and watch it as a family. Cuddling up in a blanket with some popcorn and a warm cup of coffee or cocoa while watching makes it feel extra special. Watching with family will make you feel fuzzy and warm, and it will remind you of the wonderful times you spent as a family growing up. Watching TV with family during the holidays is enjoyable because it releases a feel-good hormone that reduces anxiety and stress while strengthening family relationships.

3. Engage in swimming activities

Swimming is a fantastic and enjoyable way to keep your family active during the holidays while also improving physical fitness and lung health. It is an enjoyable way to keep your family active during the holidays while also improving physical fitness and lung health. Swimming around the pool and giggling not only make the family jovial but also strengthens the family unity. Even floating in the pool with family members creates memorable moments. Swimming enhances the production of feel-good hormones that make you feel happy. Consider incorporating swimming activities with your family as it has additional advantages such as helping the family burn more calories, keeping their heart rate up, and building strength.

4. Be kind and give back with good deeds

Sharing what you have with others, helping out at home, volunteering at the soup kitchen together, and offering someone unexpected gifts is the best way to teach your kids how important it is to give back. Consider visiting the children's families and sharing their holiday wishes. Festive activities with family, such as sharing what you have with others, can always bring a feeling of comfort and joy and fill the soul with excitement and new zeal.

5. Bake cookies

Baking with your family during the holidays can bring back sweet memories of past celebrations. You can spin up this festive season by incorporating the online baking classes with the family to learn new recipes and baking skills, thus celebrating the holiday on a sweet note. Cookie-baking strengthens family traditions, boosts children's self-esteem, gives children confidence, and is enjoyable. Though it might be a little messy, both adults and children enjoy working together in the kitchen, and the best part is to taste the final product as a family.

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6. Family night game

Playing games with family during the holiday season promotes social skills such as graceful losing or winning, following rules, and taking turns. Family games also enhance the bonds between children and their parents, siblings, and family members and their peers. It facilitates fun routines and enhances tradition-building among families. For those with a competitive streak, it is suitable to engage in board games such as Monopoly, Cluedo, and Scrabble, while those who like team games should try trivia, pictionary, or charades.

7. Play in the snow

Snowball fighting is the best way to have fun together. You can also make a snow fort, go tubing in the snow, create snowball lanterns, and make snow angels. If there is a safe place for sledding, you can take the kids for this fun outdoor activity. Ensure that they are safe from dangerous material such as rocks and wood trunks. These activities enhance children's physical development, learning, and provide unlimited opportunities to stimulate their play. Wearing warm clothes to play in the snow with families creates happy memories that last throughout the holiday season.

8. Prepare a fancy dinner

Preparing and serving delicious food with your family is a key aspect of the holiday season. It also gives you the opportunity to spend quality time with your family. Eating and preparing a nourishing meal together gives everyone a chance to show their care, love, and support. Cooking together brings the family together, and it is an exciting, fun, enjoyable, and therapeutic family activity with numerous benefits.

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9. Dancing

Family dancing is essential, as it boosts your mood and changes the tone of the day. Music leads to body movements that stimulate the brain, develop memory, encourage listening in children, and enhance social and cultural activities. Dancing with family creates gasps, excitement, heightened heartbeats, and goosebumps. It also facilitates the production of endorphins (also known as happy hormones), which reduce anxiety and stress and cause the body to feel optimistic, calm, and happy.

10. Going on a trip

Going on vacation with family during the holiday season creates lifelong memories and breaks the family away from the usual routine, thus opening the mind to new experiences, food, and culture. Vacations also enhance happiness and make you more relaxed afterwards.

11. Green and red paper chain

You can make crafts as a fun family activity that enhances gratitude. You can join green and red paper to create a chain and hang it indoors. On every link in the chain, you can write something that you are really grateful for.

12. Create ornaments

Making your own ornaments during the holidays facilitates sweet memories, and it’s the cheapest and best way to have fun with your family. You can try to create ornaments with popsicles, cinnamon sticks, or even fruits. There are various funny ornaments to create during the festive season, such as the Santa Claus ornament, which not only brings excitement and sparks conversation, but also is a special way to commemorate and show love to family and friends.

13. Going out for a Christmas tree farm

A fun family holiday activity might involve driving to a Christmas farm and picking your favorite tree that you think will look good in your home or house. Decorating a Christmas tree offers a wide range of well-being and health benefits, as it provides good exercise, enhances family bonding, sets a positive mood, rekindles your spirit, and makes you feel good.

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14. Go for a walk or hike

Walking with family is not only a fun activity, but also ensures that everyone gets the essential benefits of walking and enhances a healthy and active lifestyle. While spending time with family, you are able to have fun, keep your loved ones healthy, and get active together. The benefits of walking with the entire family, from children to adults, include building healthy bones, preventing diseases, reconnecting, and improving mental health.

15. Send a smile

You can let the family and friends that are with you during the holidays know that you care and think about them by letting your kids paint or draw festive pictures. Taking the pictures to the mailbox with the kids and sending them. Watching the letters go into the mailbox together with the kids is super fun.

16. Tour through the light display

The most relaxing and enjoyable form of the traditional holiday season is driving through the holiday light display with family. From the warmth of your vehicle, the beautiful light makes the family admire the dazzling sights. You can make the tour cozy by having the entire family listen to festive tunes, drink hot coffee or cocoa, and dress in pajamas in the car.

17. Family biking

Riding bikes facilitates unity and encouragement among family members. It strengthens family bonds and encourages sharing and open conversation, which enhance mental strength, fitness, and being in nature. Family biking reduces anxiety, stress, and depression while increasing focus. It also allows you to interact with nature and laugh with your family. Family biking is a great way to spend time with family and contribute to positive attributes.

18. Host a fashion show in your home

Hosting a fashion show for children is a great way to spread joy during the holiday season. They will strike amusing poses and pretend to be celebrities so that you can record and compile the amusing moments for a photo shoot. These activities will keep everyone active, entertained, excited, and out of trouble while strengthening the family bond.

19. Plan a safe family fishing adventure

Fishing with your family and kids is a great recreational activity that strengthens family bonds, promotes physical and mental health, and teaches life skills. It gives the kids an opportunity to enjoy and explore the natural environment. The green environment is linked with cognitive development, improved mental wellness, and overall health. It facilitates competence, memory, and moderate stress and anxiety.

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20. Have a family house party

You can make the holiday fun by hosting a family craft party, as it gives a sense of belonging. Gathering with your loved ones gives you confidence and hope since there are people to lean on. It also helps you organize fun games and gives you more flexibility.

Making quality time with your family through fun activities such as family night games, watching Christmas movies, family biking, going on a trip, walking, and hiking not only brings joy, excitement, and appreciation among family members but also creates sweet memories, builds strong bonds, and facilitates a better and healthier lifestyle during the festive season.