Fun THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride activities

With children being home from school indefinitely, as parents we are all looking for ways to keep our children entertained, educated and happy. But for all the Believers out there – how can we help our children make sure they stay Nice and not Naughty during this time of big changes THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride style?

Christmas in May!

Being at home for an indefinite period sometimes feels like that time between Christmas and New Year, when no-one knows what day it is (although sadly we aren’t full of Christmas cheese!). A surprising amount of you have decided to put your Christmas decorations up. This is a great idea if your children are enchanted by the fairy lights and beautiful tree ornaments, or even the outside lights if you’re feeling adventurous! This is all about turning memories from what can be a scary time to something that reminds us all of the joy of Christmas. Don’t worry about presents – or perhaps wrap up some old and forgotten toys. It’s all about the spirit!

Christmas-themed activity packs

Many schools are providing worksheets and projects for children during this unexpected time off. If your child is a particular THE POLAR EXPRESS™ fan, check out the colouring page downloads we have on offer. You could do a research project on trains, work out how long it would take to get to the North Pole without the Polar Magic, or look into what animals you’d see on the way to the North Pole (the wolf and eagle are both featured in the film!).

Polar Express Santa Cam

It’s never too early to remind your children the Big Man himself is watching. You could craft a Santa Cam – particularly useful if you need your children to stay on track with projects or schoolwork while you work from home. If your children know Santa is watching (and making his list!) they may think twice about causing mayhem whilst you are working. If you’re not familiar with the concept of a santa cam, it’s an ornament with a ‘camera lens’ on the front and a red dot to show recordings. There are lots of tutorials to make these on the internet.

If you’re not feeling up to making one, there are also plenty of stockists on the web. Just search for ‘Santa Cam’ and see what you can find!

Countdown to your THE POLAR EXPRESS™ visit

With tickets now on sale for the THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride at Wensleydale, why not make a visual train-themed countdown to your visit? With social activity at a minimum and many people feeling trapped in the house, the countdown to some Christmas magic can help children who need something to look forward to. You can make your own with some chalk, or get creative and ask the children to draw something which you can then laminate and use whiteboard pens (available from most supermarkets on your essentials trips) to count down. It’s a great way to help smaller children practice number formation too.

Christmas Party Day

With no date in sight currently as to when schools might be going back, some children are feeling sad about potentially missing their end of term party. Why not create your own at home? Work with your children to produce a party playlist, mixing the latest hits with some Christmas tunes (make sure you get ‘Hot Chocolate’, ‘Rockin’ on Top of the World’ and of course ‘Polar Express’ in there to practice your dancing ready for the train ride). Make sure you have their favourite party snacks in (and yours too of course! Someone needs to act as chaperone for this wild home party!), dim the lights and maybe even dig out some fairy lights to festively decorate the room. You can go as big or small as you like – balloons and glow sticks are a staple at some schools’ parties, while others make do with a playlist and little else. Your only limit is your imagination, and you’ll create memories your children won’t forget.