Winter break is a welcomed pause, a chance for students to rest, explore new interests, spend time with family, and enjoy activities they don’t usually have time for during the school year.
Whether students want to stay creative, stay active, or simply unwind at home, having a list of meaningful winter break activities helps make the holiday feel special.
Below is a collection of 75 winter break activities, organized into helpful categories so families and students can choose what fits their time, interests, and budget.
TL;DR Winter Break Activities
To make planning easier, these winter break activities are grouped into categories that reflect different ways to relax, create, explore, and reset during the holiday break:
Holiday-Themed Fun
These winter break activities focus on enjoying the seasonal atmosphere using simple materials and familiar traditions. These holiday-themed winter break activities are easy to do at home and often involve family or friends, turning everyday moments into meaningful memories:
- Create handmade holiday cards
- Make paper snowflakes
- Decorate a small tree or room corner
- Bake holiday cookies
- Do a family holiday photo shoot
- Make homemade ornaments
- Build a gingerbread house
- Create holiday playlists
- Write holiday messages to relatives
- Make a family winter memories scrapbook
Creative Arts & DIY Crafts
Creative winter break activities give students unhurried time to explore art, crafts, and hands-on projects during the holidays. These winter break activities encourage experimentation and self-expression without pressure or strict outcomes:
- Paint a winter landscape
- Make snowman crafts from socks
- Try winter watercolor projects
- Create collage art using recycled materials
- Sew simple plushies
- Design a winter-themed comic
- Make paper lanterns
- Draw winter fashion outfits
- Try origami winter animals
- Build miniature winter scenes or dioramas
Reading & Writing Activities
Reading and writing winter break activities are ideal for quieter moments when there’s space to reflect and imagine. These winter break activities help keep minds active while still feeling relaxed, personal, and enjoyable:
- Start a winter reading challenge
- Write a short story set in winter
- Keep a winter break journal
- Write letters to future selves
- Create a family storybook
- Explore winter folklore from different cultures
- Try daily writing prompts
- Create character profiles for a winter adventure
- Make vocabulary flashcards about winter words
- Write a gratitude list
Having a hard time getting through your reading list? Read about 8 Powerful Reading Comprehension Strategies to Help Students Excel in Reading.
STEM Activities for Curious Learners
STEM-focused winter break activities bring curiosity-driven learning into everyday moments using simple, accessible materials. These winter break activities encourage problem-solving and exploration, showing that discovery can happen anywhere during the break:
- Build marshmallow structures
- Explore ice melting experiments
- Make DIY artificial snow
- Learn about winter constellations
- Create symmetrical snowflake designs
- Try beginner-friendly coding activities
- Study animal winter adaptations
- Experiment with hot chocolate temperature changes
- Do winter-themed math puzzles
- Research winter weather patterns
Indoor Games & Family Challenges
Indoor winter break activities are designed for shared time at home and focus on play, laughter, and connection. These winter break activities work well across different ages and help turn ordinary days into fun, memorable experiences:
- Create a winter scavenger hunt at home
- Host a board game night
- Try holiday quiz
- Hold minute-to-win-it challenges
- Play winter bingo
- Have a family dance-off
- Build the tallest marshmallow tower
- Solve a holiday escape-room puzzle
- Play “pass the present” with tasks inside
- Try an emoji guessing game
Speaking of holiday quiz, read 100+ Fun Christmas Quiz Questions to Play This 2025 Holiday Season to spark ideas.
Outdoor & Active Activities
Outdoor winter break activities help balance indoor routines and support healthy movement during time off. These winter break activities encourage exploration and can be easily adapted based on weather or location:
- Go ice skating
- Build a snowman
- Have a snowball fight
- Go sledding or tubing
- Take a winter nature walk
- Build a snow fort
- Try winter photography
- Go bird watching
- Explore a winter hiking trail
- Make snow angels
(If in a warm region, adapt with sandcastles, outdoor walks, or water play.)
Digital & Creative Tech Activities
Digital winter break activities channel screen time into creative projects like designing, storytelling, and making. These winter break activities are especially appealing to older students who enjoy using technology in expressive ways:
- Create a winter-themed video vlog
- Make digital art or posters
- Film a winter stop-motion animation
- Build a simple game or animation with coding tools
- Create a family slideshow
- Take a virtual field trip to snowy places
- Make digital GIFs or memes
- Create a comic using digital tools
- Design wallpapers for family devices
- Make a short documentary about winter life
To help you craft your creative projects, head on to 25+ Classroom Technology Tools That Are Actually Worth Using.
Personal Growth & Reflection Activities
Personal development winter break activities take advantage of the natural pause the season offers. These winter break activities focus on reflection, goal setting, and well-being, helping students start the new year feeling grounded and motivated:
- Set new year goals
- Create a “Wins of the Year” list
- Make a vision board
- Organize personal spaces (desk, room, backpack)
- Create a winter wellness checklist
How ClassPoint Helps Turn Winter Break Activities Into Interactive Experiences
Winter break activities often happen at home, but that doesn’t mean they have to be static or one-directional. Whether families are planning creative projects, reflection moments, or fun challenges, ClassPoint helps turn simple ideas into interactive experiences that everyone can enjoy together.
💡 Turn activity ideas into interactive slides
Activity lists, daily challenges, or winter break plans can be turned into interactive slides that feel more engaging than a plain checklist.
With ClassPoint, you can:
💭 Use Word Cloud to collect favorite winter activities from family members
📣 Use Short Answer to write daily reflections, goals, or creative ideas
🔡 Use Multiple Choice to vote on which activity to do next
This makes planning feel collaborative rather than instructional.
🎨 Create simple at-home challenges
Many winter break activities involve drawing, crafting, writing, or building. ClassPoint makes it easy to guide these activities without overcomplicating them.
You can use Slide Drawing for digital snowflake designs, sketches, or templates or use Image Upload to collect photos of finished crafts or projects
Everything stays visual, clear, and easy to follow.
⭐ Add light motivation and fun
Winter break activities feel more engaging when there’s a sense of progress, especially for kids who enjoy small wins and visual feedback. ClassPoint’s gamification tools add motivation without turning winter break activities into rigid tasks or high-pressure challenges.
With Stars, Levels, and Badges, kids can earn recognition for participation, creativity, and consistency across winter break activities, keeping motivation light and positive. These rewards focus on effort rather than pressure, helping activities feel purposeful without disrupting the holiday vibe.
For families who enjoy a touch of friendly energy, the Leaderboard can highlight participation or streaks instead of competition. Used thoughtfully, it adds excitement and momentum while keeping winter break activities fun and shared.
Find out why gamifying activities work by reading How Gamification Encourages Student Progress and Sparks Engagement.
📝 Capture reflections and moments
Winter break is also a time for slowing down and reflecting.
ClassPoint’s Activities makes it easy to:
✅ Capture thoughts about the year
✅ Share what everyone is grateful for
✅ Reflect on favorite winter memories
✅ Set small goals for the new year
These moments can be revisited later, turning short reflections into lasting memories.
All responses, drawings, uploads, and reflections are saved automatically in ClassPoint’s web app. That means winter break activities don’t disappear once they’re done — they’re stored, organized, and easy to look back on.
Final Thoughts
Winter break is more than just time off. It’s a chance for students to rest, play, explore creative interests, bond with loved ones, and reset before a new year of learning.
With these 75 activities, students can enjoy a meaningful, fun winter holiday right at home.
