“I’m bored!” How many times do you hear that when your children are stuck at home? Don’t fret. Here are 7 things for kids to do on snow days that will keep them happy, entertained, and using their minds until school starts again.
- Donations. Have your kids take a look at their old toys and have them make three piles: one to donate, one to keep, and one to throw away. If necessary, remind them that they need to give up old toys or toys they grew out of to make room for brand-new ones from Christmas. Be sure to keep your donation receipts in a safe place, so they can become a tax write-off.
- Scavenger hunt. Get your kids outside for a while with a scavenger hunt. This is a cheap activity that uses a pen and a piece of paper. That’s it. Write down a bunch of items that a child can find outside, then send the kids out to find them as fast as possible. Let the winner get a prize if you want it competitive or just get out there with your kids to share the moment together. You can use random objects or create a theme like plants, rocks, or colors.
- Make a mural. This activity can last a long time depending on how complicated you want to get. You will need a large piece of paper, then have your kids create a mural based on a specific theme. The easiest mural you can make without a lot of clean-up is by crayon, but using paint is fine, too, if you don’t mind the mess. You can also cut out images from the newspaper or magazines and glue them down. The idea is to create a large image that fills their time.
- Alphabet hunt. Search your house for objects that begin with each letter of the alphabet. You can make this event more fun by having your child take a picture or draw the object when you find it. Staple all the pictures together to create your own ABC book.
- Have a book festival. Grab a stack of books and take turns reading each page. Instead of a bedtime ritual, use this book time as a snuggle-and-read time. These usually last 2 to 3 hours and you could possibly read up to 20 books. Think of it as a Netflix binge, but with books and not a TV. Read a series or introduce your child to a chapter book.
- Get outside! Go for a hike, play hide and seek, or play football. Get the family involved and unplug for a little while. You will feel better with your kids playing video games after they have exerted a ton of energy and you may even work off a few calories.
- Have a photo safari. Walk around your house or neighborhood and take pictures of what you see. Make sure you go places you haven’t been before and get creative with the camera angles. Later, create a story with the images using the places, people, and activities you took pictures of.
Do you have any ideas for winter activities for kids? Leave a post or tell us your story.
