For many across the U.S., winter weather means snow, ice and whistling wind. As the weather gets colder, it is likely your children will want to stay inside most of the time. When children are stuck indoors, however, cabin fever can set in quickly. To keep your children from being bored or glued to the television on a cold winter's day, consider these five indoor activities you can do as a family.
Bake cookies
Most kids love cookies, especially when they have helped bake them. Including children in this fun activity is easy. Keep your child away from the hot oven by asking him or her to mix the cookie dough together. If there are multiple children lending a helping hand, give each one an ingredient to add. An added benefit is that the hot oven will make the kitchen toasty, creating a great atmosphere for snow day fun.
Play board games
Pull out the family's favorite board games and have a fun family bonding experience. According to Parenting.com, educational board games, such as Uno and Connect Four, are a great way to bring the family together and help children learn regardless of their age. Letting the children pick from a pile of educational games makes it easy to show how fun learning can be.
Finger paint masterpieces
Finger painting is fun for children of all ages. After all, what child doesn't like to get a bit messy? PopSugar suggests adding a few puffy stickers to the child's paper before he or she starts to paint. This helps boost the child's fine-motor skills, especially when the paint has dried and it is time to take the puffy stickers off. Tailor the stickers to reflect the season, too, using snowflakes and snowmen.
Build a fort
Blanket forts give children the opportunity to use their imaginations. Use sheets and pillows to build a castle your child must defend from a dragon or build a spaceship to take to Mars. A fort encourages children to use logic when building, while also allowing them to flex their creative side, making it a great indoor activity for a cold day.
Make your own play dough
Making homemade play dough is surprisingly easy. It requires only a few household ingredients and takes 10 minutes to make. Here's an easy recipe from Living Well Mom to follow:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of flour
- 1 cup of water
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1/3 cup salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Food coloring
Directions:
Combine the flour, cream of tartar and salt into a 2-quart saucepan. Then, add the water and vegetable oil. Place this on your stove and turn your stove's burner on medium/low and stir. Add the food coloring of your choice as soon as the mixture begins to solidify. Keep stirring until the dough starts gathering together around the spoon. Then, set the finished product on waxed paper or a plate to cool. Once it is thoroughly cooled, the dough is ready to play with.
If it is cold outside, don't worry about sending the kids outdoors to play. Instead, keep them entertained with these great indoor activities. Share an experience that is fun and educational with any of these terrific ways to spend a cold day.
This article is presented by INFINITI of South Atlanta in Union City, Georgia.
