Holiday Playdate Tips and Crafts to Keep Your Gang CHEER-full All Season Long

These simple holiday playdate crafts are the perfect way to slow down and celebrate the season together!

Thank you to Brach’s Candy for sponsoring this post and providing the candy products featured here— all ideas and opinions are my own.  

Holiday Playdate and Craft Ideas

Your to-do list may still feel as long as Santa’s, but most schools will be letting out for winter break by the end of this week! With nearly a week left until Christmas, the kids will be looking for something to keep them entertained. It’s a great time to host a simple holiday playdate to help everyone get their cheer in gear.

Don’t let the thought of a playdate theme intimidate you — planning the day around a theme or activity is actually a great way to keep everyone busy, eliminate bickering and create special memories they’ll remember for years to come.

Holiday-Inspired Decor

You don’t need to create Pinterest-perfect themed decor — assuming you’ve already decked your halls and put up your tree, consider yourself holiday playdate ready! Give your holiday playdate a home base (and keep the kids from snooping in Santa’s workshop) by setting up a festive activity table. Start by topping your table with a simple runner made from a sheet of wrapping paper (you’ve probably already got the roll of paper out anyway). A jar of Brach’s Red & White Mint Canes adds a festive touch to the table — these canes are made with real peppermint oil and would make a yummy addition to a cup of playdate hot chocolate. 

I also added a fun and festive Christmas Tree centerpiece made using Brach’s Star Brites. This took about 30 minutes to create by attaching Brach’s Star Brites to a foam floral cone (available at most craft stores and Walmart) using straight pins. 

Gingerbread Houses and Candy Ornament Crafts

Older kids will absolutely LOVE decorating their own mini gingerbread houses. You don’t need to slave over baking gingerbread from scratch or buy those pricey kits either. We made our houses using graham crackers, icing and a variety of Brach’s candies for decorating. 

• 

• 

To make these houses, you’ll need: 

• Graham crackers: for each house, you’ll need 6 square crackers and 2 crackers cut into triangles.
• White icing: You can make homemade royal icing or use store-bought icing in piping bags
• A variety of Brach’s candies including: Peppermint Star Brites®, Red & White Mint Canes, Holiday Spicettes, Peppermint Nougats, Cinnamon Imperials
• Paper Plates

Assemble the gingerbread houses by piping icing along the bottoms and sides of four graham cracker squares and securing them to a paper plate. Add the triangle pieces on two opposite sides, then lay on the final two squares to make the roof. Allow the houses to sit for at least 30 minutes to let the icing dry before decorating. 

Candy Snowflake Ornaments

Even the youngest kiddos can get in on the holiday craft fun with this easy project. These fun and festive Candy Snowflake Ornaments are simple to make using nothing more than toothpicks and a couple bags 

of Brach’s holiday candies. (The center of this snowflake-shaped ornament is a Peppermint Nougat and the surrounding decorations are Holiday Spicettes).

To make them, you’ll need: 

• Toothpicks
• Holiday Spicettes, Peppermint Nougats
• Decorative ribbon or baker’s twine

First, thread Holiday Spicettes onto six toothpicks (three candies per toothpick for a total of 18 pieces), leaving one point of each toothpick exposed. Next, push the exposed end of each toothpick into a Peppermint Nougat to create a snowflake shape. To complete your snowflake, tie ribbon or baker’s twine just under one of the small gumdrops and then tie it at the top to form an ornament.

Looking for more fun ideas to keep your gang entertained during the winter months? Check out my 8 Easy Activities to Keep Little Kids Busy Indoors and be sure to consult my 5 Easy Tips for Planning Perfect Playdates!