I personally love winter, I know not everyone does, but I enjoy the snow. I don’t enjoy being bored though, and I know when my kids were younger keeping them engaged during the winter months was a challenge. Even if you enjoy outdoor winter activities, you can only spend so much time outside during the winter.
So, what do you and your kids do when you’ve spent as much time as you can outside during the winter and you don’t want them glued to their electronics?
Here are some ideas:
Indoor Treasure Hunt:
Make a treasure map with clues that will lead your kids to a treasure. They will have a blast. As the kids go through the steps they’ll have fun and use their imagination. And, this is fun to do during the summer months too!
Arts and Crafts:
Yet another way to encourage imagination and creativity. Set up a craft station in your home. Add paper, markers, crayons, paints, scissors and glue and let them go wild. Encourage them to create whatever they want, but if they need inspiration pick out pictures of animals and have them recreate them. Paint them, color them or maybe even make a 3D model of them.
And hey, there’s no reason you can’t join them!
Cooking and Baking:
Whip up some delicious cookies, muffins, or hot cocoa together. Kids love measuring ingredients, mixing, and decorating. It’s not only fun but you can do it together, and it’s teaching them important skills they’ll need later in life!
Story Time:
Find a cozy spot, grab some pillows and blankets and share stories. You can read them a book, or create your own stories. Go from one person to the next and each person adds a sentence to the story. A fun way to use your, and their, imagination it also is a good memory game. It can be a blast to see what everyone comes up with to add to the story!
Make a Fort and Camp “Out”:
When I was young, like most kids, I loved making forts. I made them indoors and out of pretty much anything I could find. Grab blankets, a carboard box, pillows or whatever else you can find and help them create a cozy fort. Once the fort is built, you can use this as your story time base camp!
Board Games:
Whether it’s a game of fish or Uno or maybe some Twister, there are tons of options of fun games for kids of all ages. Depending on the game, you can spend hours playing. And, depending on which game, you can even add a little physical movement to their day!
Science:
There are a lot of simple science experiments you can do at home with your kids. Again, this fun activity will keep your kids entertained, build memories and also teach them something. Here is a website I found that lists 70 simple to do at home experiments, click here.
Puzzles:
Working together on a puzzle is another option to keep kids from bouncing off the wall with boredom, AND create lifelong memories. It also teaches patience which is an important skill for kids to learn.
Dance Party:
Pick some great music and let go. Dancing is fun and good exercise. Amp it up by teaching your kids, or they can teach you, dances. Find some older dances, like folk dances, and teach you kids something old!
Day Trips:
And even if the weather outside is frightful, there are plenty of fun indoor activities you can do outside of your home. Museums, indoor aquariums, etc. will give you family a fun getaway and keep everyone entertained.
Don’t Dread Winter
Hey, winter can be a pain. But if you can keep busy doing fun activities with the kids and family, it will be over before you know it and you might just end up having some fun!