Parents & screens

Less screen, more family: 10 screen-free Christmas activities for kids

The holidays often turn into a screen marathon. Here are 10 family activities and a simple way to agree on gaming time.

Marcos Andrade · Junior's dad and creator of MJ Kids
Published November 13, 2026 · 5 min read
A family baking Christmas cookies in the kitchen with their 5-year-old son, flour on the table and lots of laughs
Listen to this article1:59 · narrated

Over Christmas and the holiday break, kids spend more time at home and screens become the easiest babysitter. The AAP recommendation still applies: up to 1 hour a day of high-quality content for kids ages 2 to 5.

Here are 10 ideas that work with young kids and a way to agree on gaming time without a fight.

10 screen-free Christmas ideas

  1. Decorate the tree together: each person hangs an ornament and shares a memory from the year.
  2. Bake Christmas cookies: kids mix, cut the shapes and decorate.
  3. Make cards for the family: drawings for grandparents, aunts and uncles.
  4. Star hunt: hide a paper star around the house with clues.
  5. Act out a Christmas play with homemade costumes.
  6. Flashlight stories in the dark before bed.
  7. Build a Christmas house with toy bricks.
  8. Drive or walk to see the lights in your neighborhood.
  9. A kindness box: pick toys to donate.
  10. Dance party with Christmas songs.

How to handle screens over the holidays

  • Decide ahead: how long each day and at what time.
  • Make screens part of the celebration, not a babysitter: watch a Christmas story together, for example.
  • Switch off at least an hour before bed, as the AAP recommends.
  • Let the game end the session, if it has a time limit.

A screen that brings the family together

Screens don't have to be the villain. A Christmas story with your child as the hero, heard on the couch with the family, is very different from an ad-filled game alone in a bedroom. See also screen time by age.

A game that knows when to stop

In the MJ Kids game, parents choose the daily time and, when it is up, the hero goes to sleep and says there's more tomorrow.

  • Daily limit of 15, 20, 30 or 45 minutes
  • Option to close the game at night
  • No ads and no purchases
  • Narrated stories to enjoy as a family
Create my child's gamePlay the demo

Frequently asked questions

How much screen time over the holidays?

The recommendation doesn't change: up to 1 hour a day of high-quality content for kids ages 2 to 5, according to the AAP.

How do I avoid fights when it's time to stop?

Agree ahead, give a 5-minute warning and prefer games that end on their own.

Does a Christmas video call count?

It's screen time, but with conversation and love. Join in and enjoy it.

Sources

About the author

Junior's dad and creator of MJ Kids. He has worked in technology for over 30 years and makes games and stories where the child is the hero, with no ads.

Meet Marcos

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