With the festive parts of winter securely behind us, but a whole lot of non-festive winter still ahead, you may be wondering how the hell you’re going to pass the days with your kids over the coming months. For those of us in cold areas, we’ve still got the rest of January, all of February, followed by February #2 (I’ve also heard this referred to as “March”), as well as whatever April—a noted wild card—brings us.
You may find yourself in need of fresh ideas for what you can do indoors to burn off both time and your kid’s energy, and I am here for you.
Start, I decree, with the senses.
Create a sensory bin
Toddlers and preschool-age kids love to learn and explore using multiple senses—and they can do so with stuff you already have around the house. First, find a plastic tub, like the one pictured above—or a box, or a large plastic bowl. Next, add a fun material, such as shredded paper, packing peanuts, dried beans, or pasta (short, dry noodles are good; so are long, cooked noodles mixed with a bit of olive oil to keep them from sticking).
Each material is a totally difference experience in the way it feels, smells, looks, and sounds as they rummage around in it, and you can add in small toys for imaginative play.
Next up: A sensory activity you will enjoy.
Make air-dry clay creations
Lifehacker managing editor Joel Cunningham found joy during our “Happier Week” last summer by spending time with his kids doing something they all enjoyed (rather than whatever tiresome thing the kids wanted to do yet again). He bought a $15 batch of this stuff, and then invited the whole family to make the assorted collection of figures pictured above.
Now then...let’s hop it out.
Create an indoor bubble wrap hopscotch game
Outdoor hopscotch is a childhood classic; however, I would argue that indoor bubble wrap hopscotch is even better. It’s easy to create and you probably already have the materials required from all that holiday shopping you just did. Plus, the kids will love it, and you will be unable to resist taking a few turns of your own.
If that was a hit, now you need oversized inflatable dice.
Roll some big ol’ dice
The game is simple: You get a pack of two of these guys. You use one for the numbers; and then you take a Sharpie to the other one to write their favorite exercises, such as frog jumps, bunny hops, high knees, butt-kickers, and mountain-climbers, on each side. They roll ‘em and they’ve got to do X number of Y exercise.
It’s fun, it’s active, and it releases some of their pent up energy in a burst of physical activity.
Now that they’re tired out, they can sit down and concentrate on video production.
Make stop-motion animation videos
The above stop-motion animation video may not be award-winning—but it was only the second attempt by me and my (then) eight-year-old son, and we had an absolute blast doing it. It was a true group effort, with my son writing the storyline, me manning the camera, and my husband figuring out how to make the helicopter “fly” away.
You can (and should) waste literal hours of your day doing this.
Once you find yourself amid the (many) dark hours of the day...
Set up some glow games
I originally suggested these glow game ideas for the night of the Winter Solstice, which is the shortest day of the year (read: longest night of the year). But if shit still seems pretty dark these days—and you know it does—there is no reason to limit yourself to just one glow game night a year. Glow sticks are fun all nights of the year.
But what about tomorrow?
Make “boredom jars”
If they’re still bored—or you anticipate they will be bored again tomorrow—enlist their help in creating “boredom jars.” Brainstorm some ideas together for fun indoor activities they can do when inspiration isn’t striking. Write a comic book, bake a batch of brownies, put on a puppet show—the possibilities are endless here. Tailor the options to your needs by creating one jar for each child, or one jar for activities the kids can do on their own and one jar for family fun.
