Thinkabara

❄️ Winter Break Activities for Kids: Advent Calendar, Santa Letter & New Year 2027

Everything for a cozy winter break in one free pack: a printable advent calendar with one family activity a day (an every-family version and a Christmas version), a letter to Santa, Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa coloring pages, New Year 2027 coloring and a resolutions sheet, and boredom busters for the long days in between.

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📅 Printable advent activity calendar

Cut out the 24 squares, fold them and tuck them into envelopes, a pocket calendar or a jar — or just color in each day as you go. Activities are short (15–60 minutes) and cost little or nothing.

Our Family Advent Calendar December 1–24

  1. 1Make paper snowflakes and tape them to a window
  2. 2Hot cocoa and a winter story under a blanket
  3. 3Draw your dream winter vacation
  4. 4Go on a winter walk and count the birds you see
  5. 5Write a card to a grandparent or neighbor
  6. 6Bake cookies together
  7. 7Family board-game night
  8. 8Collect warm socks or a coat to donate
  9. 9Movie night with homemade popcorn
  10. 10Learn about a winter holiday a friend celebrates
  11. 11Build a snowman — or a sock snowman inside
  12. 12Have a winter song dance party
  13. 13Make a family time capsule of this year
  14. 14Look at the longest night: go stargazing with a flashlight
  15. 15Hang a pinecone bird feeder
  16. 16Do a secret kind deed for someone
  17. 17Build a giant blanket fort and sleep in it
  18. 18Start a big family puzzle
  19. 19Cook a favorite family recipe together
  20. 20Freeze colored ice ornaments outside or in the freezer
  21. 21Visit the library and pick a winter book
  22. 22Drive or walk around to see the lights
  23. 23Video-call someone who lives far away
  24. 24Share your favorite memory of the year

✉️ Letter to Santa template

Dear Santa,

My name is ______________________ and I am ______ years old. I live in ______________________.

This year I have been:   ☐ very good   ☐ mostly good   ☐ trying my best!

Something I’m proud of this year:

Three things I would love for Christmas:

One wish for someone else:

I will leave you: ☐ chocolate chip cookies ☐ sugar cookies ☐ carrots for the reindeer ☐ ____________

Love, ______________________   🎄

🖍️ Christmas, Hanukkah & Kwanzaa coloring pages

🎄 Christmas

🕎 Hanukkah

🕯️ Kwanzaa

⛄ Winter

Kwanzaa runs from December 26 to January 1. Each night, families light one candle on the kinara for one of the seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective work, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. Learn more on our Kwanzaa page.

🎆 New Year 2027 coloring pages & resolutions

🎉 My 2027 Goals

Name: ______________________   Age: ____   Grade: ____

📚 Something I want to learn

💪 A way I will keep my body healthy

💛 A kind thing I will do for others

🎨 Something fun I want to try

🏠 A way I will help at home

📖 Books I want to read

⭐ My favorite memory from 2026:

🔮 By next New Year’s, I think I will be ____ inches tall, my favorite food will be ______________ and my best friend will be ______________.

⛄ Winter break boredom busters

Two weeks is a long time. When the advent square is done and the gifts are unwrapped, try one of these — or shake our screen-free boredom jar for 100 more ideas filtered by age and time.

Making winter break work for every family

Classrooms and neighborhoods celebrate many different holidays in December — Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the winter solstice, New Year’s, or none at all. That’s why this pack includes a secular advent calendar alongside the Christmas one, and coloring for several traditions. Teachers can send home the every-family calendar with confidence, and kids can learn about a friend’s holiday as one of the advent activities.

Keep the schedule light. A simple rhythm — one planned activity, one outdoor time and one quiet time each day — prevents the “I’m bored” spiral without packing every hour. Write the plan on the fridge so kids know what’s coming. And when school starts again in January, the next milestone is the 100th day of school, usually in February.

Questions parents and teachers ask

What can kids do over winter break?

Mix a few big plans with lots of small, cozy ones: an advent activity calendar (one small family activity a day), sledding or a winter walk, baking, a library trip, crafts, a family puzzle, and a New Year’s countdown. The ideas on this page need little or no money and work whether you get snow or not.

Is there a non-religious advent calendar for kids?

Yes. The “Every family” version of the printable advent calendar has 24 activities with no religious content — hot cocoa and a story, paper snowflakes, a winter walk, a kind deed — so any family or classroom can use it. A Christmas version with tree decorating, carols and the Nativity story is also included.

How do I print the letter to Santa?

Tap “Print the letter to Santa.” Only the letter prints, on one US Letter page. Kids fill in their name, how they’ve been this year, three wishes, one wish for someone else and their favorite cookie.

When are Hanukkah and Kwanzaa?

Hanukkah lasts eight nights and follows the Hebrew calendar, so its dates change every year, usually landing in late November or December. Kwanzaa is always December 26 to January 1, with one of the seven principles celebrated each day.

What are good New Year’s resolutions for kids?

Kid-sized goals work best: read a certain number of books, learn to ride a bike or tie shoes, help with one chore without being asked, try one new food a month, or do one kind thing each week. The printable resolutions sheet gives a prompt for learning, health, kindness, fun and helping at home.

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