Waiting for Santa: screen-free plans for 15, 30 and 60 minutes
Choose an activity by the time you actually have. Each one can end when the family is ready.
The gap before dinner is not the same as the gap before bed. Keep three cards on the table and let the child pick one. No special supplies are needed.
Three ready-to-use cards
- 15 minutes: Find five red things in the room. Draw the funniest one and give it a name.
- 30 minutes: Make place cards for everyone joining the meal. A first name or a picture is enough.
- 60 minutes: Build a blanket corner, read a story and let the child choose one page to retell.
If you are waiting for the adults to finish preparing gifts, choose the short card first. It can stop after one drawing. Resist announcing that Santa will arrive the moment the game ends; the real schedule may change.
“Let’s choose something we can finish, and then we’ll see what comes next.” It tells the child what you know without promising an arrival time.