Schools are closed and the kids are home which means it’s time to find some fun things to do close to home. Here are some of our favorite ideas:
1. Go on a Holiday Adventure
Liberty Science Center will have its ongoing exhibits open, including the new Pixar exhibit, the Infinity Climber and the recently reopened Touch Tunnel and you’ll also be able to meet a real live penguin during the Holiday Adventure Jenkinson’s Aquarium will bring a feathered friend to LSC on Dec. 27 and 28, with four different presentations. Learn about these flightless birds and how you can help this endangered species.
2. Head Outdoors
Take them skiing, snowshoeing or ice skating. On January 1 you all can go on a First Day Hike as a group.
3. Seek Out Drama
Head to a local theater to see a musical, comedy or kids show.
4. Hit the Lanes
Practice your bowling skills at a local alley.
5. Go Driving
Your teens will want to be one of the first to drive on the new indoor karting track at Supercharged! There are two tracks that make up the longest indoor karting track in the world. There’s also axe throwing, bumper cars, a Drop & Twist tower and dozens of arcade games. Topgolf is next door, too.
6. Turn on the Lights
Even though Christmas will have passed, there are plenty of light shows and holiday houses to see, either on foot or by car. GLOW! in Gloucester County won The Great Christmas Lights Fight on ABC, and is a must-see!
7. Celebrate Kwanzaa
Learn about the seven principles of this special holiday. Eat a Harambee breakfast, shop at a vendor market, light the kinara and dance to West African drumming.
8. Cash in Some Free Drinks
QuickChek is giving away free coffee every Friday in December, and Starbucks is offering free hot chocolate every weekend through December 31, when you make qualifying purchases.
9. Go Prehistoric
Dinosaurs Dynamite is a 75-minute double feature live show where your kids will root for the bravest dinosaur of them all. Or, check out Jurassic Quest which is more of a hands-on exhibit where you will see life-sized dinos roaming around the convention center.
10. Keep History Alive
Keep the kids interested in history this break during Patriots Week. Civil War flags will be unveiled on the first floor exhibition of the New Jersey State Museum. This rotation includes a late-war national flag with hand-painted battle honors belonging to the 7th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, a rare artillery swallowtail flag or guidon, and a presentation flag of the 23rd New Jersey donated to the regiment by the “Sunday School Army” of Burlington County.
11. Take a Road Trip
Visit some of the most Christmassy towns in New Jersey, like Vernon Twp. (home of Mountain Creek Ski Resort), Lambertville, Morristown and Cape May.
12. Show Off Your Creativity
Art studios around NJ are offering camps for the week; Around the Corner Art Center in Freehold Twp. and Marlboro will assign your kids projects like painting on canvas, sculpting, and painting with acrylic. Marlboro Twp. offers a LEGO, Coding and Robotics Camp where kids in grades 1-5 can build robots and then use computers to guide the models’ behaviors.
13. Ride a Roller Coaster
Six Flags Great Adventure is open all week, so you can ride your favorite rides while also catching the last few days of Holiday in the Park, which decorates the theme park with millions of dazzling lights.
14. Enjoy Storytime
Most local libraries will be open, so sit down and read a good book, check out their magazine selection and browse the DVDs you can borrow. If your child’s teacher assigned a project over winter break, the library is a great place to have some quiet time to work on their homework.
15. Visit a Museum
Plan a day trip to the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton, the Newark Museum of Art in Newark, or Imagine That!!! in Florham Park.
16. Have a Ball
Silverball Retro Arcade in Asbury Park is a fun place to play old school pinball games.
17. Dream Big
American Dream in East Rutherford is a massive complex with shopping, restaurants, Nickelodeon Universe, Big SNOW, LEGOLand Discover Center, SeaLife aquarium, the DreamWorks Water Park, an ice skating rink, Angry Birds Mini Golf and blacklight mini golf. While inside, visit TiLT Museum and Paradox Museum for exhibits that will blow your mind – and blow up your social media feeds with awesome photos and videos. Check out our reels on Instagram for a preview.
Don’t forget to check our list of Things to Do This Weekend for more ideas on how to keep the kids occupied. Plus, we rounded up fun NYE parties the kids will enjoy!
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