Boredom-busting ideas for avoiding a post-Christmas lull

For us, the period between Christmas and New Year can be a difficult one. Christmas is over but my daughter is still hyped up and wanting to do things, which isn’t always easy, especially when the weather is cold and the house is left looking a little worse for wear.

This year, instead of sitting around feeling a little fed-up and lacking in motivation, I’m planning ahead and thinking of things we can do to avoid the post-Christmas lull.

So we’ll be starting off with a few practical activities like writing thank you notes. We’re also going to switch some music on and tackle the household chores together. I’m keen for my daughter to help out a little more around the house in 2011, so I’ll be reading Joanne’s suggestions and seeing how we get on.

Another goal for 2011 is to spend more time cooking together, so I’ll be buying in ingredients so we can try a few recipes together. The kidsandcooking website looks like a good place to start. It has lots of kids recipes as well as tips on how encouraging kids to help in the kitchen. I also like the look of Jen’s homemade pizza and Maggie’s bread baking recipe.

Crafts are another great way of keeping kids occupied. Activity Village has some great ideas for New Year crafts, including homemade musical instruments and Happy New Year posters, and there are a wealth of craft suggestions on Ready for ten including Debbie’s ice sun catchers and ideas for knitting with kids.

Braving the weather between Christmas and New Year is another option. Cathy has some great play ideas for snowy days. I’m not a fan of the cold weather but it seems a good idea to make the most of it while it’s here. Junior Magazine has a list of the coolest ice-rinks in the UK. We recently visited the rink in Nottingham but didn’t venture onto the ice as it looked too crowded for my daughter’s first experience of skating.

After all that I like Ellen’s idea of a pyjama day and there is bound to be plenty to watch on television if we need a little relaxation. Worthy of note for older children interested in science is the Royal Institution 2010 Christmas Lectures – they are science lectures for families filmed in front of a live studio audience. They will be aired on BBC Four at 8pm on 28, 29 and 30 December. This year’s lecture series is called ‘Size Matters’ which will explore size and scale in the world around us.

On standby we also have numerous board games and there’s still the opportunity to watch a Christmas film and extend the festive season a little longer.

Do you have a post-Christmas lull in your house? Can you add any boredom-busting ideas for the Christmas holidays?