Looking for things to do with your kids during winter break? Work through our A to Z list.
Art is always a popular activity for kids (and adults). Get a range of coloring books and settle in for a cozy afternoon. You can also make art at a local Lincoln shops including Makit Takit, Art Legends, or Paint Yourself Silly.
Birding-Winter birding is a great winter outdoor activity. Schramm Education Center has a Christmas Birding Event on December 29th.
Climb! Check out MW Climbing, an indoor bouldering facility. It is $18/day pass. Or visit UNL Outdoor Adventures Center for indoor climbing and bouldering for $15/day.
Dinosaur and putt putt golf. It is a win-win! Check out Prehistoric Putt Putt, an indoor mini golf course.
Eat somewhere new. Lincoln boasts over 600 restaurants. I’m a sucker for a good burger and fries.
Front Porch is a coffee shop located in Cross the Line Church at 5925 Adams St. The play area at the Front Porch is great. The indoor area has a climbing structure with a slide and many smaller things to play in including some beloved pieces from the Ager Center including the hippo!
Gingerbread. Who says gingerbread houses are just for Christmas? You can make one for New Year's too!
Husker basketball is having a great season! Both teams are playing games over Winter Break. Click here for game schedule.
Ice skating-you can go indoors our outside. Check out all the options!
Jammies Day! Pick a day with your family to stay in your pajamas all day, watch movies, do puzzles, read books. We do an annual Puzzle Day each year when we do all the puzzles in the house and it is one of everyone's favorite days. We usually reserve Puzzle Day for one of the coldest days of the year (usually sometime in January)
Kiewit Luminarium is a new, interactive science center in Omaha and great for the whole family.
Laser Tag is an activity for the the young and the young at heart. My husband still jumps up at the idea of playing.
Museum-Go to a museum. We visited the Durham Museum for the first time in 2024 and loved it. What about the Edgerton Science Center, the Omaha Children's Museum, Sheldon Museum of Art or the newly renovated and opened Joslyn Art Museum.
New Years Eve at Noon is a fun way to celebrate the holiday for younger kids. Check out the many family friendly New Years events around town here.
Organize your closets. Old with the old and in with some space!
Podcast. There are great podcasts for families. Our favorites are: Circle Round, Species and Radio Lab for Kids.
Quiet Time is a much-needed break during the holidays-read a book, a magazine or take a nap.
Read a good book with your kids. Are your kids too old to read to? Listen to one in the car while driving. We listened to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. (All 26 hours of it.)
Scheels has an aquarium, a ferris wheel, an indoor playground, a candy shop, a fudge shop, a mini bowling area, a putting green and more. The ferris wheel and mini bowling cost money but everything else is free to use. We can spend $6 on candy and two hours in Scheels. Pretty cheap fun!
Take a trip down memory lane and look at baby photos of your kids or you! Children love to hear stories about them as children and love to tease parents about their baby pictures (hello, 1980s perm).
Unwind from the stress of the holidays and relax and do something for yourself. Yes, YOU, parent, grandparent, daycare worker, teacher reading this list right now. Think of something that isn't stressful for you and do it for yourself. The best and easiest thing that I can do for myself is go for a walk.
Visit Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. Even if the weather is cold you can spend the day enjoying the many indoor exhibits including the Desert Dome, the Lied Jungle and the Aquarium.
Winter walks are wonderful. Visit Nine Mile Prairie, Pioneers or Spring Creek Prairie for a beautiful (and hopefully warmish) winter walk. All of these places listed are free as well.
X marks the spot. Do a scavenger hunt around your house or town!
Yak it up with an old friend. Remember that great friend that you promised to keep in touch with? Call them up and catch up.
Zoo Lights. I love Zoo Lights at the Lincoln Children's Zoo and they have outdone themselves yet again this year adding more and more and more lights! Zoo Lights is open through December 30, 2022.
