Top 5 Budget-Friendly Holiday Activities for Children

With the holidays approaching, parents are scrambling to find this year's hottest toy. Unfortunately, financial times dictate a parent's ability to purchase everything on a child's list. This year must be about simplicity and getting back to the true meaning of the holidays by engaging the creativity of a child and allowing children to explore their imaginations. Provided will be a comprehensive list of budget-friendly holiday activities for children.

Activity #1: Holiday Coloring Pages

One of the simplest and most budget-friendly holiday activities for children is coloring pages. This activity can be created with your child. All of the required elements are a pack of copy paper for under $3 at any major retailer, a pack of permanent markers for less than $4, a box of crayons for less than $1 and an imaginative spirit. Take a piece of paper and outline a holiday scene. For instance, during Thanksgiving, draw a picture of a turkey, or a snowflake for the Christmas and Hanukkah season. Once the picture is complete, your child is ready to color. For added sentimental value, the creations can be given to a local senior center or cut out and attached to holiday cards.

Activity #2: Christmas Ornaments from Scratch

Regardless of the deals marketed from various businesses, Christmas ornaments are an expensive decorative idea. The second budget-friendly holiday activity for children consists of making Christmas ornaments from scratch.

The ingredients needed for this activity are 4 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt and 1 1/2 cups hot water. Mix the hot water and salt until the salt is dissolved, then add the flour. Kneed by hand, cut into pieces and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Once the ornaments have cooled, decorate and let your child's imagination run wild.

Activity #3: Create a Crayon

This budget-friendly holiday activity for children will need to be supervised by a parent or responsible adult. Instead of throwing away old and broken crayons, save them. Place crayon pieces in a double boiler and melt. Once melted, place creation on a sheet of wax paper and allow cooling. Use a cookie cutter to create wacky shapes, and you have a fun way to save money.

Activity #4: Create Your Own Puzzle

No list of budget-friendly holiday activities for children would be complete without making a puzzle. The materials needed are old pictures, a piece of cardboard and glue. Once dry, turn over the cardboard and draw the puzzle pattern. Cut out the pieces, and countless hours of fun will follow.

Activity #5: Upcycle Creations

Upcyclying is a concept of reusing items around the house instead of throwing them in the garbage (or even the recycling bin). Want to create a budget-friendly holiday activity for children? Take paper towel rolls, an old newspaper and old socks, put them together, and you have an age-appropriate "friend" reading a paper with a hat. Place the sock on the top of the roll for the hat. Glue a small portion of the newspaper to the roll and decorate the friend. A quick and simple creation. Use other things from around the house to form your own ideas.