Baby, it’s cold outside.
You and your kids will soon be spending lots of time indoors. Need inspiration for winter activities? Here’s 8 awesome activities that’ll keep you and your kids sane during the frigid winter months.
Snowman Ice Melting Activity
Munchkins and Moms
This is a great indoor activity that mimics the classic outdoor tradition of building a snowman. Cover snowman accessories like buttons, foam triangles, and beady eyes, with water in several small, round containers and freeze them. Once they’re frozen, place them in a bin and let your kids “build” a snowman. It’s also a fantastic water play activity, because your kids can pour warm water onto the snowman and watch it melt!
Throw a Hot Chocolate Party
Hot chocolate is one of the best things about winter. Throw a hot chocolate party for your kids and their friends. They’ll have so much fun helping you set up a hot chocolate bar with all kinds of goodies they can drop in their mugs. Set out containers of mini marshmallows, crushed peppermints, candy canes, caramels, or white chocolate chips. The sky’s the limit!
Make a Homemade Snow Globe
What kid doesn’t love to shake up a snow globe? Your children will love it even more if there’s a picture of them on the inside. These personalized, homemade snow globes will bring giggles and glee to your house all winter.
Advent Activity Cards
Count down the days until Christmas with these adorable Advent activity cards. Put them in a jar and each day your kids can pick one out to reveal a daily Advent activity. You could easily adapt these to post-Christmas activities as well.
Coffee Filter Snowflakes
Remember cutting out paper snowflakes in elementary school? My scissors barely made it through all the awkward folds in the paper and my hands hurt in the process. I wish I would have known about the coffee filter method. The paper is much thinner, so it’s easier for kids to cut through, and the filters are round, eliminating the need to cut out a circular shape. Can’t wait to try these myself!
DIY Ornaments
Snap
Looking for little hands to get busy? All you need for this DIY activity is some pre-cut cardboard, scissors, and yarn. Kids can wrap the yarn into different patterns, creating colorful shapes perfect for Christmas tree ornaments or to hang in a window.
Movie Marathon
We watch movies as a family all year long, but one day out of the year–typically on a cold day–we have a movie marathon. We make popcorn and watch 2-3 movies in a row. The kids think we’re the coolest parents of the year (at least for one day).
Get Outside
There’s a Norwegian proverb that says: “There’s no bad weather, just the wrong clothes.” There’s only so much kids can do inside on a long winter’s day. Bundle them up in snowsuits and boots for outdoor play in the snow. Every kid loves to throw snowballs, build snowmen, and make snow angels. You’ll love watching them, too…through the window inside your cozy house next to a warm fire.