The holiday is all about family gatherings, delicious treats, and a well-deserved break from school. No wonder everyone waits for it—kids especially! 

As parents, you love seeing your kids relax, play video games, and binge-watch their favorite shows. But too much screen time isn’t good for children. 

Dr. Jennifer Cross, a child behavioral expert, says that excessive screen time can be detrimental to children’s overall development. It can inhibit their ability to observe and experience the everyday activities they need to engage in to learn about the world. 

Instead of letting screens take over, why not find a balance? This holiday season, let your children relax but also encourage them to try activities that stimulate their minds. 

Here, we’ll share some engaging ways to ensure your little one stays sharp during the holidays. 

#1 Visit Museums

Museums provide a unique and engaging environment where children can learn through hands-on activities and interactive exhibits. These spaces also offer opportunities for kids to experience things they may not encounter in their daily lives. So, take your child to a few museums during the holidays.

Most museums have special exhibits or interactive activities tailored for kids, making learning feel like an adventure. Many places even offer holiday-themed workshops or scavenger hunts that get kids involved in a way that’s both educational and exciting.

Plus, museums are a great place for sparking curiosity. You never know what might grab your child’s attention—a dinosaur skeleton, a famous painting, or even an ancient artifact. Afterward, you can talk about what they saw and learned, which helps reinforce those new concepts and ideas. 

Three of the best children’s museums, according to Parents, are the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Please Touch Museum of Philadelphia, and Boston Children’s Museum. 

#2 Send Your Kids to Camps

Camps offer a treasure trove of experiences, from science and art to sports and nature. 

They are not just about fun; they provide a fantastic opportunity for learning and personal growth in a social setting. So, send your kids to camps. 

Camps offer a wide range of kids’ activities, which range from mind games and engineering activities to confidence development and spy games. These activities not only entertain but also enhance problem-solving skills, teamwork, and creativity.

Enrolling in a camp will allow your kid to step out of their usual routine, explore new interests, and develop lifelong skills.  

Your child, Mission Grit remarks, will come out with a sense of accomplishment, tremendous uplifted power, and great memories. Camps also help kids develop social skills as they make new friends and work together on group activities. That will also limit your child’s screen time, giving them a chance to explore, play, and learn in a safe environment.

#3 Read Together as a Family

Reading is an activity that engages the imagination while keeping those reading skills sharp. Why not inculcate the habit of reading in your child? The holiday season is the perfect time to do this.  

Don’t nag children to read books. Kids do what they see. If you really want your child to develop a reading habit, make it a family affair. 

Set aside time each day when everyone in the household reads together, whether it’s novels, picture books, or even magazines.  

Another way you can encourage your children to read books is to pay them. Mireille Silcoff, a cultural critic, author, and parent, paid her 12-year-old daughter $100 to read a book. And guess what? The trick worked. Her daughter, who never read an entire chapter, read books for school. 

#4 Encourage Story Writing

A new survey has shown that few kids enjoy writing in their spare time. Don’t let your kids be among them. 

Holidays are filled with stories, so encourage your child to write their own. It could be a holiday-themed short story, a letter to Santa, or a journal of their holiday experiences. 

You can even challenge them to come up with a new holiday tradition or write a script for a holiday play the family can perform together. Writing is a great way to keep their language skills strong, but it’s also an outlet for creativity.  

Keeping your child’s mind active during the holidays doesn’t have to feel like extra homework. There are plenty of creative ways to mix learning with holiday cheer; these are just a few. 

Each of these methods will keep them sharp and engaged while still allowing for all the fun and relaxation the holidays are meant for. Rest assured that your kids will have such a good time they might not even realize they’re learning along the way.