Winter is well underway in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and that means we’re in for a few more months of below-zero temperatures, freezing winds, and heavy snowfalls—brrrrrrrr! It’s enough to make anybody want to hole up at home and never leave.
But while the winter season may be rough on adults, it’s even more difficult to experience as a kid. Children are little bustling bundles of energy, and when things get cold, they often lose access to one of their favorite places to burn off some steam: the outdoors.
And although you technically can still bundle up and brave the cold, it’s not always worthwhile to spend the time piling on jackets and sweaters only to be outside for a short stint. That’s why we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite winter indoor activities to wow your little ones and keep them entertained reagless of the weather. The cold season has never been so fun!
Things to Do When It’s Cold
Have an Indoor Picnic
Who doesn’t love a good picnic? Instead of sitting around the dining room table for another standard dinner, grab a blanket, dust off your basket, and enjoy a meal together on the ground! Not only will the experience itself be fun, but the prep can also be an event of its own. Come together as a family to make your meal and get it all packed and ready to go.
Let everyone help craft their own food—we recommend picnic classics like deviled eggs, potato salad, finger sandwiches, and lemonade. Then, choose whatever room in the house you’d like. The stranger the location, the more fun it will be for the kids.
Build an Awesome Fort!
Everyone has fond memories of building forts as a kid, and now, it’s time to pass those building skills onto the next generation. Gather up all the blankets and pillows you can find, as well as brooms, stools, and chairs to be used as supports to set up the base.
After that, let your children’s imagination run wild! Help them (if needed) build pathways to crawl through and cozy hideaways to hang out in. You might be surprised to see all the cool things they come up with. Then, when the fun is done for the day, encourage self-sufficiency by having them tidy up the mess. They’ll probably have just as great a time knocking everything down as they did putting it up!
Create a Scavenger Hunt
While organizing a scavenger hunt will require a little more effort on your part, it can result in hours of uninterrupted fun that exercises your child’s brain and body. First, you need to start with your end goal. Find a spot in the house that your child wouldn’t think to look at and hide a treasure trove of treats, toys, or even small amounts of money.
After that, work backward. Figure out different ways to get creative with clues that lead your child around the house. You can make the steps be something simple as answering a riddle, or require them to solve some sort of puzzle. What’s so great about this activity is that you can make things as easy or as difficult as you want. Each step should lead to the next in the series until they ultimately find the hidden treasure. An afternoon of adventure awaits!
Have a Craft Night
It’s time to break out the safety scissors, grab the glue stick, and sharpen the colored pencils—an evening spent making crafts awaits! Fine-tune your child’s motor skills while allowing them to express themselves creatively with some art projects.
If you’re thinking of doing something a little more messy, remember to lay down some newspaper and change the kids into clothes you don’t care about getting dirty. Your child will be thrilled for the chance to use their hands to make something new. If you’re short on ideas, here are some easy (and affordable) crafts that you can do at home:
- 4-ingredient homemade clay
- DIY flower pens
- 3D printable castle
- Block painting prints
- Watercolor butterflies
Get Cooking
Your children are never too young to start honing their culinary skills, so why not spend some time cozying up in the kitchen and making some tasty cuisine? It’s an easy way to practice math by having them measure out ingredients, and it can also build positive associations with food due to the opportunities cooking creates for them to try new things!
Pick out an easy, kid-friendly recipe, and then set them up with their own prep station that includes things like a cutting board, butter knife, or mixing bowl. Depending on their age and coordination, have them slice up softer ingredients such as fruits or cooked vegetables. Get their little hands busy by showing them how to knead dough or whisk together flour and eggs. Be prepared for some mess—that’s just par for the course when cooking, especially when you’re co-chef is still learning the ropes. The best part is, at the end, you can feast on the dish together! Bon appétit!
Contact Us Today
See! Spending time inside doesn’t have to be so bad! Which one of these ideas are you going to try first? We hope that with these in your pocket, winter will be a little bit easier for everyone. If you’re interested in even more enrichment activities for your child, contact us today to learn more about our daycare services.
