5 Safe Activities for a Cold and Wintry Day
by Whitney
The street outside my son’s school is flooded, splashing water onto the sidewalk. I am glad it’s a school day, but what about those long Sundays at home? Sure we could sit on the couch and watch six movies, getting up only to refill our water bottles, but that would not burn off any energy the kids need to use up, and by evening, they’d surely be bouncing off the walls. Here are five fun things to do inside – not risk-free, to be clear, but perfectly safe.
- A very long bath. Fill the tub in the middle of the day and let them play without the ugly business of washing hair. Wear bathing suits for fun. Experiment with food coloring. Bring plastic kitchen utensils. Make it a party. (Don’t leave little ones unattended.)
- Baking. Involve kids in referring to a list of ingredients, lining them up on the counter, finding the right equipment and following a recipe. Let them know that clean up time is part of the project and will be occurring while the food is in the oven. Just remember to keep kids at least “three feet from the heat” at all times. (Tip from ParentHacks.com: Let messy stirrers get down on their knees and use the open door of the dishwasher as their counter. When they’re done, shut the door and let the flour and sugar go down the drain with the next cycle.)
- Decorating. Focus on the next holiday or family birthday. Make something to hang where they can enjoy it for a week or two. Or a simple sign that says “Zoe’s Room”. Not crafty? Great ideas can be found at MakeandTakes.com.
- Dance Party/Family Band. Gather all the instruments in the house. Arrange colorful towels on the floor so that everyone has their own mini-stage. Turn on the music or make your own. Try “freeze dance” for kids two and up.
- Clean up time. Give the kids the tools that make it fun. Whisk brooms and dustpans, feather dusters, sponges and spray bottles. Keep the harsh chemicals away from them and just let them use water or a mixture of baking soda, vinegar and water. (Tip: If you have a dry cloth duster on a collapsible pole, take one length of pole out so that it becomes a child-sized mop.)
How do you pass the time indoors with your little ones?
These are great ideas! My daughter is a little under 2 so it can be easy to start these kind of activities but in terms of keeping them going for more than 15 minutes, I’m not sure. Sometimes we like to go to indoor play areas nearby to pass the time. We also do the dance parties as listed above
Forts
If you have a couch with cushions that come off let the kids make a fort. They can take their favorite blanket, stuffed animals and books inside and have lots of fun!
You could also use big blankets to make the fort if the cushions are attached to the couch.
New Toys
Use Craigslist, ebay, garage sales,etc. to find toys for great deals. I did this when my 2 year old was into Little People toys. I stocked up in the fall and each month through the winter I would bring out a new set. He was entertained for hours and hours each time a new set came out. I would not have paid full price for these toys but for the deals I got it was worth every cent. These are toys they can play with for the next 5 years.
The information presented is top notch. I’ve been doing some research on the topic and this post answered several questions.
thanks !! very helpful post!