The winter blues are in full effect right now as I write this looking at my pool covered by snow. However, there is beauty to the seasons change for a slower paced day that leads to family bonding and fun! Here are some ways that I entertain my three, rambunctious boys on a cold snowy ten degree day!
Craft/activities (Age range 0-10 years old)
- Things like excavating dinosaurs and building them
- Painting rocks or finger painting
- Using a 3D pen
- Sticker books
- Kinetic sand
- Playdoh
- Counting their piggy banks
- Sinking and floating
- Giving a haircut to a paper (using fine motor skills to practice cutting)
- Matching uppercase letters with lowercase letters.
- Going on a shape hunt (I have big plastic letters that are good to playing with in the sand and make a scavenger hunt around the house with them)
- Sensory bins – cheerios
- Baking – it may not be pretty but it’ll taste good, if you dare to eat what your kids bake!
- Stained glass window painting
- Spiderman wall – put painters tape on the wall and get newspaper balls to throw and see what sticks.
- Orbeez – tiny beads that are great for sensory play
- Shaving cream finger painting – spread shaving cream out on the table and let them create letters and numbers.
Bundling up and getting outside – However cold it may be, get outside for 20 minutes to play and get some energy out.
Games
- Family bingo
- Mancala
- Go Fish
- Old Maid
- Blank Slate
- Clue Jr.
- Uno
- Yahtzee
Give the kids quiet time in their rooms to play on their own.
Make a dinner that is more special and have them help – example homemade pasta.
Have a family movie night after dinner to be the final thing at the end of the day where you can all relax and it’s their only screen time of the day.