We’ve all been there as parents during long winter school breaks. The kids are restless, so what do you do? If you’re savvy about such things, you’ll kick cabin fever to the curb with all sorts of cold-weather activities. Don’t just bundle the kids up like Eskimos and send them outdoors. Put on a parka and join in on the fun.
Let it snow
Do you live where it snows? Do your kids live in the desert but wish they knew more about what it’s like to live in an igloo? Make the flaky stuff the feature of an indoor activity, suggests Family Education magazine. Take a magnifying glass outdoors and examine snowflakes one by one. See for yourselves whether they’re really all different. Kids with no access to real snow can fold paper again and again, then cut the corners and snip the sides to create amazing snowflakes when unfolded. Tape the handmade snowflakes to kitchen windows to create the illusion of a winter wonderland outdoors.
When you walk out the door in the morning after a snowfall, look down to find animal tracks. Identify which prints belong to neighborhood dogs and which might have been left behind by a visiting raccoon, opossum, fox or other wild animals.
Haul in around two gallons of freshly fallen, fairly wet snow to make the most amazing ice cream your family ever tasted. Add sugar, vanilla extract and half-n-half and stir, stir, stir. You might want to ask your grandma for the recipe, but most people just eyeball and taste to craft a tasty wintertime treat the whole family can enjoy.
Camping indoors
Little kids can have big fun making indoor tents and fortresses, says Romper magazine. Put away anything that you do not want to be broken, put the dining room chairs in the living room along with an assortment of sheets and blankets, and let the little ones have at it. Allow your kids to invite their neighborhood friends and turn your living room into a campground for the night. Serve oven-made Smores and let the kids stay up as late as they like. Their parents are bound to enjoy a night off, and may even return the favor by hosting the next neighborhood sleepover.
Silver screen activities
In between snowstorms, take the kids to your local library and let them check out a selection of family-friendly movies to take home. Let them invite friends over for popcorn and a movie matinee. If movies don’t provide enough interaction to keep the kids amused, let them download a few art apps on Google Play. Digital art projects are fun for everyone and nobody gets stuck cleaning up spilled paint and other art messes.
The next time it’s too cold to play outside, help your kids avoid cabin fever when you bring out board games, costumes and props, musical instruments and anything else you have on hand to keep them entertained for hours and hours
Freddie Oliver is all for family bonding time, the more the better in his eyes. His articles discuss activities to bring all the family together.
