If you’ve never been stuck inside with kids during a winter snow storm, then count your lucky stars. When the weatherman predicts you’ll be snowed in and cabin fever strikes, it’s best to have indoor winter family activities on hand to keep you (and them) from going crazy.
The challenge is finding activities that won’t result in absolutely destroying the house especially if you have high energy kids. We’ve rounded up 8 boredom busters that include burning energy, imaginative play, baking, quiet play, and more.
1. Blanket Fort
Every child remembers building a cozy sanctuary like a classic blanket fort growing up. Gather all the blankets and pillows you can carry and drag them to your room of choice to get building! One of the simplest (and possibly laziest) ways to create the ultimate fort is to drape a large sheet over the kitchen or dining room table.
If you want to get creative, you may need a few more supplies including string, tape, clothespins or other types of fasteners, and lights. Having the right kind of support is key to building a stable fort. This may mean tying or attaching blankets to door frames, etc. Don’t forget to cushion the button of the fort with a fluffy comforter!
2. Indoor Camping
A living room camp out is a great bonding, stress-free activity you can do with your favorite little campers. Setting up an indoor camp site can be as simple as making space for a kids’ tent in the living room. It may be an inconvenience but it’s guaranteed to provide fun and entertainment for several days. Plus, playing with old toys inside an indoor tent is 10x more exciting.
This leads us to…
3. Movie Marathon
After you have your blanket fort or campsite set up, it’s prime movie marathon time. Limiting screen time can be difficult but if you keep them busy setting up a fort or campsite for a day, they’ve earned a movie marathon. This is a nice, snuggly end to an icy cold day. (Not to mention, it’s your daily dose of peace and quiet.) Your kids won’t curl up next to you for a movie for long so hold on to these moments while you can.
4. Snow Ice Cream
Why not try your hand at a batch of snow ice cream? All you need are four simple ingredients and some sprinkles if you have them on hand. This recipe takes all but five minutes to make but is a load of fun for littles to help with!
First, gather sugar, milk, salt and vanilla extract. Whisk the ingredients together and put the bowl in the freezer. Of course you can’t make snow ice cream without some fresh, clean snow – about 8 cups to be exact. Immediately stir the snow into the milk mixture. Continue to add more snow until the ice-cream consistency is achieved. Be warned it does melt fast so serve as soon as possible! This will likely become a favorite among your list of winter family activities.
5. Bake Bread
Baking bread has many sensory aspects that’s perfect for toddlers. Allow them to help add ingredients as well as mix and knead the bread, even if it gets a little messy. Baking bread is something your children can learn to do all on their own someday and it’s a great skill to have.
Turn this enjoyable activity together into an act of giving back. Children love seeing others smile, and what better way to accomplish smiles than to bake bread and give a loaf to neighbors. This also teaches them to give back.
6. Obstacle Course
Looking to burn some energy in the hopes that the kids crash for an afternoon nap or even at bedtime with little to no resistance? A great way to allow kids to get the wiggles out is through setting up an indoor obstacle course that involves jumping, spinning, rolling, and using any kind of muscle work.
A few activities you can include are crab walking, wheelbarrow races, sack races using pillow cases, spinning in an office chair, creating a tunnel of cushions to crawl through, playing over-under with a ball, etc. You get the idea and your kids may enjoy helping brainstorm different ideas for stations. Kids go nuts for a little friendly competition.
7. Hallway Laser Maze
A homemade laser maze is the ultimate stem challenge that requires planning, problem solving and designing as part of the process. Have your kids pretend to be spies, creeping through the lasers without touching any of them. Set up the maze using thick masking tape so you don’t damage your walls or streamers. Zig zag the pattern back and forth, high and low, moving down your hallway to create a “maze” that’ll keep your kids busy as they jump, crawl, and climb their way back and forth.
Keep the fun going by upping the ante and introducing a ball the kids can toss back and forth without touching the laser. Make sure you stock up on your choice of laser (tape or streamers) so they can recreate the maze as many times as they like.
8. Keep It Up
Balls are a novelty when brought indoors, so they easily engage kids. For this game, we recommend something soft and lightweight like a beach ball. If you’re not ready for that, a balloon works just as good.
Hand out a balloon and challenge your kids to hit it back and forth before it hits the ground. If your kids are a bit older, give them multiple balloons or make a rule where they can only use one hand. It’s an absurdly simple game that can occupy the kids for hours and even burn energy.
Try any of these 8 ideas for when your kids are stuck inside all day!
