Winter break activities for kids, packed into rotating bins
Six lidded bins, each with a theme, filled mostly from what you already own. One comes out at a time, and two weeks of winter break stop running on screens.
The first three days of winter break are wonderful. By the fourth, the toys are all over the floor, nobody wants any of them, and the tablet starts looking like the only thing that works.
The toys aren’t the problem. When everything is out at once, nothing feels new. Activity bins fix that by putting most of it away and bringing it back one theme at a time.
Make six bins
Five themes cover most kids from preschool through about age ten:
- Build: blocks, building bricks, magnetic tiles, a few toy cars for the roads they build.
- Create: crayons, markers, paper, stickers, tape, washable paint for the kitchen table.
- Puzzle: jigsaw puzzles, matching games, a deck of cards, a simple board game.
- Pretend: dress-up clothes, a toy kitchen set, animal figures, a doctor kit.
- Quiet: books, sticker books, coloring books and an audiobook list for after lunch.
A sixth bin for indoor movement, with a beanbag toss, a soft foam ball and painter’s tape for a hopscotch on the floor, helps on the days nobody can go outside.
Fill them from what you already own
Shop the house first. Most of what goes in the bins is already in a toy box, a closet or the bottom of a backpack. Pull out anything that hasn’t been played with in a month, since it’ll feel new after two weeks away. Then add one new thing per bin, a puzzle or a sticker book, so each theme has a small surprise.
Label each bin with its theme on the lid and the side, so it goes back in the right place.
One bin out at a time
The rule that makes this work is simple: one bin comes out, and it goes back before the next one does. Most families settle into a morning bin and an afternoon bin.
When interest fades, usually after an hour or so, it’s cleanup time and a new bin. Kids can choose the next bin, which makes the cleanup go faster.
Messy bins have a home
The Create bin only opens at the kitchen table, on a mat or a sheet of newspaper, with sleeves rolled up. Leave glitter out of the bin entirely, and keep beads, googly eyes and other small pieces away from any child under 3. The federal small parts rules exist to protect children under 3 from choking.
Homemade play dough is a winter break favorite, but the CDC advises against letting children play with dough made with raw flour, because raw flour can carry germs that cause food poisoning. Store-bought modeling dough is the simpler choice for the Create bin.
Let kids help pack the bins
Children use the bins more when they’ve had a hand in filling them. Let each child pick a few things for each theme, write or draw the label for one bin, and decide which bin comes out first on the first day of break. The cleanup rule goes over better too, when the bins are partly theirs.
A loose rhythm for the day
A little structure keeps the days from blurring. It doesn’t need to be a schedule:
- Morning: outside time or the movement bin, while everyone has energy.
- Late morning: a bin of the kids’ choice.
- After lunch: the Quiet bin, for an hour of books and audiobooks.
- Afternoon: a second bin, then cleanup before dinner.
Screens still have a place. They’re no longer the only thing left to do by eleven in the morning.
Put the bins away for next break
When school starts again, put the bins on a high closet shelf, still packed. Spring break, a snow day or a sick day goes better when six packed bins are ready to go. Swap a few items before the next break so they feel new again.
What to actually buy
The bins. A six-pack of IRIS USA 18-quart clip boxes with latching lids, 15.5 by 12.7 by 7.4 inches and stackable, in a pearl finish that keeps the next bin a surprise. Five themes and one movement bin use all six.
The modeling dough. A 24-pack of Play-Doh in 3-ounce cans, labeled for ages 2 and up, for the Create bin instead of homemade dough.
The puzzle. A Ravensburger 100-piece Underwater Wonders jigsaw puzzle for kids, a good size for an afternoon at the table.
The sticker pads. A Melissa & Doug reusable sticker pad set with more than 175 stickers that peel off and go back on, for the Quiet bin.
Who this is not for
- If your kids are in a full-day camp over break, one bin for evenings and weekends is plenty.
- If your children are teenagers, swap the bins for a list of outings, projects and a stack of new books.
- If your home has no closet space, a single rolling bin that you refill each morning does the same job.
Start on any Monday
This week, gather six lidded bins and sort the toys into themes. Pull out anything that hasn’t been played with in a month.
Add one new thing to each bin, label the lids and put them on a high shelf until the first day of break.