With Christmas less than a week away, kids are going to be starting their winter breaks soon. I know the Harlem School District will begin theirs on Thursday. So to save your sanity, you're gonna need some activities to do to keep them entertained. Tablets and other technology are nice, but they have to have more to do than just staring at a screen.

Sure if it snows, you can always go outside and build a snow fort, have a snowball fight, or even go sledding. But it's not a guarantee that it will even snow while they're off. Here's a list of things to do here in Rockford with your kids this winter break to help beat boredom and keep them from only having mass amounts of screen time.

  • Spend a day at the Burpee Museum: No need to drive to Chicago to spend a day at the museum. Burpee is right here in Rockford and has a ton of interesting stuff for you to see and do. Jane: Diary of a Dinosaur is always a hit, there's nothing else in the world like Jane!
  • Have some video game fun at Nickel World: Perfect for the gamer in your family and it won't put a giant dent in your pocketbook. Plus you can never go wrong with a good pinball machine, skee ball, Donkey Kong, and Pac-Man!
  • Let them run around at Sapora Playworld: Inside the Carlson Ice Arena, it's three levels of inside playground fun for kids ages 5-12. Plus for your little ones 4 and under there's a perfect little spot for them too.
  • Go Ice Skating: Whether you head to Carlson Ice Arena or the Riverview Ice House, everyone is sure to have a blast. Or if you've never ice skated before, it's a new activity for the family to try. Just be sure to check ahead for public skate times.
  • Go Bowling: There are several bowling allies in town. Pick one close to you and go knock down some pins.
  • Spend a day at the Discovery Center: A great place to take the kids and you can pack a lunch to eat while your there. Aside from the normal attractions like the bubble wall and news center, is the current temporary exhibit Comets, Asteroids, and Meteors: Great Balls of Fire.
  • Head to Laser Quest: Great for the older kids to get them out of the house for awhile. But it's also something for you and your grade-schooler to do too!
  • Jump Around at the Gymnastic Academy of Rockford: With a couple different locations for their trampoline parks, pick the one nearest you and let them burn off some of those Christmas cookies they've been eating.
  • Attend a Rockford IceHogs game: There's plenty of games coming up for you and the family to enjoy. See icehogs.com for game dates and times.
  • Go Roller Skating: If the thought of ice skating leaves you shivering, maybe hit up Skate Co. or Skateland instead.
  • Head to the Library: Whether it's the Rockford Public Library or North Suburban, they always have something fun for the kids to do when there's no school.

And if you're still looking for something to do with the kids or even the family, have a movie night. Hope this helps you and your kids fight winter break boredom!

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