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The holiday break offers a precious opportunity to reconnect with our children, away from the usual rush of school, work and extracurricular activities. In a world dominated by screens and digital distractions, intentional family time has never been more important.

Creating Meaningful Moments

Ditch the Devices

Set clear boundaries around technology. Establish device-free zones and times where phones, tablets and computers are put away. This simple step creates space for genuine interaction and shows your children they have your undivided attention.

Plan Collaborative Activities

Engage in activities that bring everyone together:

  • Bake holiday cookies as a family.
  • Work on a challenging puzzle.
  • Create a holiday craft project.
  • Play board games or card games.
  • Start a family movie marathon with classic films.

Embrace Spontaneity

Some of the best memories come from unplanned moments. Leave room in your schedule for impromptu adventures, living room dance parties or unexpected conversations.

Making Memories, Not Just Passing Time

Share Stories

Use this time to share family history. Pull out old photo albums, tell stories about your childhood or create a family storytelling tradition. Children love hearing about their parents' experiences and feeling connected to their family's history.

Create New Traditions

Holiday breaks are perfect for establishing unique family rituals. These don't have to be elaborate – they could be as simple as a special breakfast, an annual family photo or a game night.

Practical Tips for Quality Time

  1. Be Present: When you're with your kids, truly be with them. Put away work thoughts and focus on the moment.
  2. Listen Actively: Ask open-ended questions and show genuine interest in their thoughts and experiences.
  3. Mix Structured and Unstructured Time: Balance planned activities with free play and relaxation.
  4. Follow Their Lead: Let your children sometimes choose the activity, showing them their interests are valued.

The Real Gift: Connection

Remember, the goal isn't to fill every moment with activity, but to create an atmosphere of love, connection and mutual enjoyment. Quality time isn't about perfection – it's about presence.

This holiday break, challenge yourself to be fully engaged. Put away the distractions, open your heart and watch the magic of family connection unfold.

Happy little African American boy in a pumpkin patch in autumn,

Hi, parents, and happy October! I’m so happy to celebrate my favorite season of the year. It's that time of year for fall fun with little ones. Here are some autumn- and Halloween-themed suggestions to keep your little one entertained.

As always, we are keeping these as simple as can be. Let’s get started! 

Squishy Fun

First is an activity that is great for our really tiny humans. If you plan to carve pumpkins, don’t throw away the guts of the pumpkin.

Instead, toss them in a gallon zip lock bag to create a super simple and squishy sensory activity for those 12-24-month-olds.

This way they are still involved in the pumpkin carving, but in a safe way. And this allows us parents to really focus on our own pumpkins, am I right? 

Pumpkin Washing

Another idea for our little littles is a pumpkin washing station. To keep it really simple, go for smaller pumpkins. You’ll need to grab a container, fill it with warm soapy water, and make sure there you’re set up in an area that is protected from the splashing or is OK to get wet.

Our three- and four-year-olds can really get involved in the activity by washing everyone’s pumpkins before the carving begins! 

With larger pumpkins, skip placing them in water. Instead, just give your little one a couple of washcloths and some warm soapy water. This way they can wipe down all the pumpkins, and get them nice and clean for carving. But you don’t have to find a giant tote to fill with water either. 

Sensory Bin

Another easy peasy sensory activity for our littles ones is a fall-themed sensory bin.

You could use multicolored dry pasta, pinecones, smooth acorns, or even some leaves. There is basically no mess when it comes to this activity since everything is pretty large and we parents love to hear that.

Give this one a try and let me know how it goes and how long your kiddo stayed engaged in the activity. 

Hunting for Decorations

This next one, I just did with my kiddo over the past weekend, and we had such a good time. I realized, I didn’t have any Autumn or Halloween decorations for our house! As such a huge fan of this time of year, that did not sit right with me. Lack of storage space keeps me from holding onto a lot of decorations, other than those we have for Christamas. 

So, I asked my kiddo if he wanted to go to the thrift store to pick out some decorations. Surprise, surprise, his response was “NOW?” It just so happened we had a few free hours before I had to go to work. So, I said “Sure!” and we were off. 

We headed over to our local Goodwill. I really tried to let him pick out the things he thought would be cute for our little home. He found some pumpkin string lights (LOVE), tealight candle holders (one black cat, a pumpkin, and a little ghost), a wooden pumpkin door hanger, and the cutest little stuffed pumpkin with a black top hat and black and white striped arms and legs. They are absolutely perfect.

Extra tip: Bring something to donate to the thrift store. Most thrift stores offer a coupon for making a donation. So not only was everything pretty cheap in the first place, we also got 20% off! We spent a total of only $10. And we had a great time doing it. 

But, the fun didn’t stop there. We still get to go home and decorate with our super fun finds. 

There you have it, friends! Easy peasy autumn activities to incorporate when you’ve got the time.

I hope they are just as much fun for you as they were for me. Let me know how it goes!

Sophie Hamel is a freelance writer and works as a crisis responder. Her son is a 3½-year-old preschooler.



Luminous removes the hassle of arranging for tuition vouchers and helps make childcare affordable. Vouchers can help ease your financial stress. Learn more about qualifying for HRA and ACS vouchers at our Bronx and Brooklyn centers. Payment can also be made by SEIU/1199 Child Care, check, credit card, and through the Luminous reimbursement program. Contact Luminous Early Childhood Learning Center at enrollment@luminouschildcare.orgor call us at 929.228.1180.