If you’re like me, you think winter lasts entirely too long. With so many days in a row that are too cold to bundle the kids up and send them outside, it’s essential to have some indoor activities to help get everyone up and moving or get the creative juices flowing. Just because you’re stuck indoors doesn’t mean that you can’t find some fun things to add to your list of winter activities.
When it gets too cold, the kids and I tend to get stir-crazy during winter. There’s only so much to do inside, and we miss the time when we could usually head outside for exercise and fresh air. You may be wondering how to keep your kids busy for hours, but there are things you can plan to help alleviate some of this boredom.
Activities to Move
Dance Party
A good old-fashioned dance party is one of my favorite things to do with my kids to get us all up and moving. There are a few ways to do this, you can simply turn on the radio, either an actual one or Internet radio, or you can play music through YouTube and let them pick songs. We have done plenty of both. We have also danced to Just Dance videos on YouTube to get up, move, and give the kids something to follow. Winter is notorious for making us sit around, so I make sure to get us all (me included) up and moving our bodies. Music is a great way to do it.
YouTube Workouts
To go along with the idea of moving and YouTube, there are plenty of YouTube workout videos to choose from. Whether you go for kid-specific or other types, you can all work out together. Miss Linky, Sweat Kids TV, and Cosmic Kids are some of our favorites. I’ve noticed, too, that if I get up and do these with my kids, they are much more likely to want to do them, and all of us have fun together.
Ice skating
If you’re open to venturing out of the house, you can head to an ice skating rink for fun and exercise. You could also wear socks and pretend to skate around the house. If you would rather stay home, you could also invest in roller skates and speed around the house together if you have some non-carpeted rooms.
Obstacle course or fort
Whether you build an obstacle course or a fort (or have them be the same thing), you can have a lot of fun with this one. My kids are a bit older now, so they can gather their own blankets and build things independently. It gives them a task, and they get some exercise by going through the obstacle course.
Scavenger Hunt
You could even tie this one together with some school. If you have young kids, you could send them on a scavenger hunt to find objects that start with a particular letter to help them practice this.
Snowball Fight with Fake Snow
There are a few different ways to get fake snow, but the least messy way is to invest in some plush snowballs. You can have a snowball fight right there in the house if it is too cold to have one outside.
Plush soccer balls
I got my kids some soft soccer balls to play with that are completely fine to kick around the house without worrying about anything getting broken. We set up a laundry basket, and they practiced kicking the ball into it.
Balloon volleyball
Kids love balloons, and they are also a great way to get moving. You could blow up a few and practice volleying the balloon back and forth. Make a game out of keeping it from hitting the floor.
Activities to be Creative
Cardboard boxes and tubes
Cardboard boxes are great temporary toys. Your kids can make robot suits or decorate them to use as spaceships. Boxes are great for kids to be distracted for a while, designing and then using them for pretend play.
You could also use toilet paper rolls to create. They could use these, along with the box, to create tunnels for their toy cars. Winter is a great time to save packing materials that you can turn into crafts. Save different boxes and tubes to use later on.
Make hot chocolate
You can teach your kids how to make hot cocoa from scratch if your kids are a bit older. Just be sure to remember the whipped cream and add some chocolate chip cookies for a fun treat.
Make a snow globe or paper snowflakes.
There are plenty of places you can find online to teach you how to create your own snow globe, which can be an excellent activity for kids. You can also cut out snowflakes to hang around your home.
Puzzles or board games
Another great way to help break up some of the time is by doing puzzles together or playing board games. These will help teach the kids new skills and encourage them to focus on something different for a while.
Bake or cook something new
Baking and cooking with kids can be messy but also a lot of fun. Have your kids pick a new recipe you’ve never had before and try it.
Make jewelry
There are a bunch of kits out there, but you can also get some string and pony beads. Making jewelry together is great for coordination, and then your kids will have something to wear and show off when it’s done.
Finding indoor winter activities for kids can be challenging, but they can be a lot of fun. The list above isn’t all-inclusive. Be sure to ask your kids about fun activities you can do together. They may have some ideas to expand on the ones above to create something entirely new. It can take some creativity, but you can have fun with your kids even if you’re stuck indoors.
