Many of you are working from home and, with the kids about to enter winter break, sometimes it can be a little difficult to come up with activities to do with them. Especially considering the fact that we spent a lot of time with them throughout the pandemic and used up almost every last idea we could come up with.
While you may not be able to take them white water rafting or plan another really exciting adventure, there are some fun activities we’ve found that are perfect for the winter months. Whether they’re in kindergarten or hitting those (not so fun) preteen years, one or two of these might be just what you’re looking for.
1. One You Enjoyed as a Kid
Building a fort is something they’ve probably done on their own a time or ten, but chances are they’ll absolutely love for you to join them in building a fort in the living room. Grab some sheets and blankets, pull out the laptop, and watch some movies of their choice while hunkered down in your joint creation.
2. A Tea Party
With a boba tea kit, you can forget about pretending to drink from an empty cup. Have him or her dress up and put on something nice yourself, then make some delicious cookies so you can pretend that you’re having noon tea in London or a classy place downtown.
3. Storytime
Take turns reading a book together, have a reading marathon, write stories together, or just tell them a story while sitting around the fireplace.
4. Make a Restaurant
Taking them food tripping in New York might not be an option, but you can sort of create the experience at home. Purchase an international cuisine gift box or pick out a couple of new recipes from around the world to make and try together.
5. Game-a-thon
Board games are a great way to spend time together and you can make it even more fun by having a tournament. Pick out 4 or 5 games, grab a pen and paper, and give 10 points to the winner of each round.
At the end of the marathon, the one with the most points wins a special treat. Just be sure that you’re not the winner of every game if you want them to really enjoy this activity.
6. Visit an Aquarium
A trip to the Galapagos might not be in the cards, but if you have an aquarium within driving distance it can be a great way to spend an afternoon. If that isn’t an option, simply going to local pet stores and checking out all of the different fish and other pets can be a great alternative.
Here are some other great activities you can try.
- Have a pillow fight
- Play hide-and-seek
- Have a scavenger hunt
- Bake cookies together
- Start an indoor herb garden that they tend to
- Make homemade popsicles with Kool Aid or fruit juice
- Make Play-Doh or slime from scratch
- Help them paint or decorate their room
- Do a science experiment together
- Write letters to family and send them via snail mail
- Teach them to play chess
- Have a dance party
- Take an unforgettable road trip
- Wait until nighttime and tell ghost stories in the fort
- Play their favorite video game with them
- Play dress up
- Have a thumb war
- Make paper airplanes and have a distance contest
- Play Nerf basketball or have a Nerf gun war
As you can see, there are a lot of fun, affordable indoor activities that you can do with the kids no matter what time of year it is. Make a list of 5 or 10 of the above and let them pick, or just surprise them with something new and exciting. Who knows, you may have as much fun as they do.
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