Best Indoor Family Activities for Winter

When it’s too cold or wet to go out, it can be a challenge to find activities to keep the kids active and happy. Ahead are some suggestions for the best indoor family activities for winter.

Make Play Dough or Slime

Kids can get hours of fun out of homemade playdough or slime. Recipes abound all over the internet. All you’ll need are some basic household supplies like salt, flour, water, and cream of tartar (this might not be in your pantry, but you can buy it online or at your local grocery). Slime also requires non-toxic kid’s glue, baking soda, and contact lens solution. Smock up and get your hands gooey!

Build a Cardboard Castle

If you received a big box from a recent delivery, turn it into a playhouse, castle, or spaceship before you recycle it. Parents can cut out doors, windows, or even a drawbridge. Kids can finish up by decorating. They can glue toilet paper roll turrets, draw on curtains or shutters, or add flags and banners made from scarves.

If you don’t have a big cardboard box handy, kids love the classic pillow fort. Use couch cushions for walls and drape a blanket over it all. It’s a clubhouse and a retreat for reading or playing games. Never leave kids unsupervised with a pillow fort. The play could devolve into a pillow fight (complete with broken lamps), and pillows and couch cushions are a suffocation hazard for kids with limited mobility.

If you’re a camping family, set up a tent in the living room and break out the sleeping bags. The kids may not want to take the tent down for weeks.

Host an Indoor Scavenger Hunt

Stash clues around the house for the kids to follow from place to place, picking up hidden toys or treats. Make sure you have prizes available for the winner and all the runners-up. Cookies work well. A treasure chest of stickers, crayons, or finger puppets will extend the fun.

Supplement the Basement With a Converted Game Table

If you’re running out of construction paper, crayons, or ideas, it might be time to beef up the basement and turn it into a rec room. Choose a table tennis table topper that converts an old kitchen table into a game. If your family is ready for a bigger investment in home recreation, select a multi-purpose table that switches from billiard to air hockey or table tennis.

Winter indoors with kids can be a challenge, but with a little creativity, you can get through it without going crazy and end up with happy kids when the spring comes.

Sincerely,