A summarySphere Support’s Christmas HAF (Holiday Activities and Food) program offers a supportive, festive environment for children and young people in Newham who are eligible for free school meals. This holiday program provides enriching activities, nutritious meals, and social opportunities, helping children stay active, engaged, and healthy over the Christmas break. Activities include arts and crafts, sports, group games, and workshops designed to boost creativity, physical health, and well-being. The program also supports families by alleviating food insecurity and creating a safe, welcoming space for children to thrive, ensuring a joyful and meaningful holiday season for participants and their families.
Activities:
• Christmas Craft Workshops – Card making, ornament decoration, and group murals. These provide children with creative outlets, opportunities to take something home, and a festive sense of belonging.
• Drama & Performing Arts – “Sphere’s Got Talent: Festive Edition” to showcase music, dance, and spoken word. This promotes confidence, teamwork, and self-expression.
• STEM Projects – “Festive Science” experiments such as making snow-like crystals, and “Build a Gingerbread House” STEM challenge (engineering + design). This supports problem-solving and links to learning outside school.
• Cultural Storytelling – Inviting local community figures and parents to share festive traditions across different cultures, this encourages inclusivity and cultural awareness.
• Trips/Visits:
o Local Theatre Visit to see a Christmas pantomime (introducing children to live theatre, often inaccessible due to cost).
o Community Ice Rink Trip (where safe ratios can be maintained) to encourage physical activity in a festive, fun way.
Physical Activity
We will ensure children receive a minimum of 1 hour of physical activity daily through both structured and informal play.
Planned Activities:
• Team Sports: Football, basketball, and dodgeball sessions led by trained coaches.
• Dance Workshops: Festive dance routines, hip-hop, and movement games.
• Outdoor Activities: Park trips (weather permitting) including treasure hunts and relay races.
• Inclusive Activities: Adapted PE games and sensory-friendly movement sessions for children with SEND.
This variety ensures that all children, regardless of ability, enjoy being active in a fun, non-competitive way.
Rationale: These activities have been chosen because many children who receive FSM may not have access to extracurricular activities during holidays, leading to social isolation and learning loss. The trips, visits, and interactive workshops provide experiences that enhance learning, well-being, and social connection. They also serve to reduce the holiday gap by offering enjoyable and enriching activities that foster development.
Other Activities: Cinema, Physical activity, cooking, talent shows , Scavenger Hunt, Try a New Baking Recipe, Relaxing Yoga, Obstacle courses, Skipping Hula hoop, Mud painting, Blow bubbles, Conduct water experiments
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Interactive Workshops: Children will participate in hands-on workshops where they prepare healthy snacks and meals, guided by a professional nutritionist.
Family Cooking Sessions: We will invite families to cooking sessions where they can learn together about meal planning, budgeting for healthy meals, and using seasonal ingredients.
Games and Challenges: We will use fun games like "Nutrition Bingo" and "Healthy Food Hunts" to teach children about different food groups, portion sizes, and nutrient-rich foods.
Take-home Resources: Participants will receive recipe cards and booklets with simple, nutritious meal ideas, including tips for affordable shopping and batch cooking, (Take and Make kits) and weekly food bags with varieties of health fresh produce
Our Take & Make program teaches parents healthy meal choices, e.g. Children who eat and enjoy breakfast every day have better memories, more stable moods and energy, and score higher on tests—eating breakfast with quality protein—from enriched cereal, yoghurt, milk, cheese, eggs, meat, or fish. Breakfast need be time-consuming. For example, in our HAF that runs from 9 am -1 pm, we educate parents by telling them we give an apple to go, an egg sandwich or a pot of Greek yoghurt, and wholegrain toast, which parents can all give to be eaten on the way to school.
