Just because it’s cold outside, doesn’t mean kids aren’t still full of energy. Winter can be an extremely difficult time to find things to do, and the poor weather makes you not even want to leave your house. With the added stress of the pandemic and flu season, people are looking for ways to stay inside now more than ever. Instead of spending your time staring at screens, there are lots of ways you and your family can get creative, learn, and have some fun.
Even though it’s no longer warm out, there are still a lot of ways to keep your family entertained indoors. From arts and crafts to visiting a museum, here are some minimal-effort, indoor activities you can enjoy all winter long.
Cooking and Baking
It is never too early to get your kids in the kitchen, and baking or cooking is a fun activity that is always followed by a yummy reward. First, you and your children will want to decide between cooking and baking. On a cold winter day, yummy soup always hits the spot and most soups are relatively easy to make. If you have more of a sweet tooth, baking always invokes feelings of comfort, and the holidays are a great time to decorate some cookies.
When you have decided what kind of food you want to make, grab some cookbooks and let your kids browse the recipes to find one they want to try. This can also be a great opportunity to get your kids to try something new, so try to encourage recipes for food they’ve never eaten before.
If you have multiple children, and no one in your family is overly competitive, turning the activity into a contest is a great way to add some fun to your time in the kitchen.
Indoor Camping
For whatever reason, there is something exciting and fun about spending the night in a different room of your own house, and indoor camping is perfect for the winter. You can set up a tent in your living room using blankets and your furniture. Get creative with making it cozy; you can use pillows, more blankets, ambient lighting, and whatever else you want.
Once your tent is complete you and your family can settle in with some snacks, a movie, board games, and anything else you enjoy. If you enjoy camping during the summer, try to include some of the same foods and activities you love about it. For example, you can have hotdogs and smores for dinner and tell ghost stories afterward.
Arts and Crafts
Getting creative is a great activity for any season, especially winter. You and your family don’t have to be overly artistic to enjoy some creativity. Depending on the supplies you already have, the possibilities for art activities are endless. You can make holiday ornaments, have everyone paint the same picture and compare, color in a coloring book, and so much more. Arts and crafts can also easily be a competition if you want them to be, and a great activity for the holidays.
Visit your Grandparents
Just as you and your family struggle to stay entertained during the winter, so do your elderly family members. Cold weather is a great time to spend the afternoon at your grandparent’s retirement community, and you can do a lot of the same activities you would do at home. Bring some coloring books or a board game so everyone can participate in the fun.
Visit an Aquarium or Museum
Museums and aquariums are not only entertaining, but they also allow you to sneak some education past your children. Kids enjoy learning when it’s fun, and learning about different fish and sea creatures while getting to watch them swim past your face is way better than reading a book about it. Some museums can be a lot, especially if you have younger children, so try to find one that has lots to look at and doesn’t require too much reading.
Jenn Walker is a freelance writer, blogger, dog-enthusiast, and avid beach goer operating out of Southern New Jersey.
No comments