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If your children are anything like mine, in fact, if they are anything like me, they may have a very hard time getting through the long cold months of winter. We live in Michigan, so we usually have cold weather from late November through mid April. Thankfully, most of those months are not so cold that it is dangerous to be outside, but we do have at least a few weeks a year that it is too dangerous for outside play.
Over the ten years we have lived here we have come up with some creative ways to stay active, even when we are stuck inside. Here are some of our go-to activities to beat the winter blues!
Dance Party
Put on some of your favorite tunes and get moving! Our little kids really enjoy this and it gets me into a good mood, too! Studies have shown that dancing can help boost serotonin levels. Dancing helps get your blood flowing and your heart rate up. Who doesn’t love to have fun and burn calories?!?
Trampoline Time
Jumping on a trampoline can help you beat the blues, burn energy and meet sensory needs. I personally feel so much better after a little bit of jumping. You can run, jog, dance, play catch with someone that is nearby… get creative!
Indoor Swing
We are so excited to install this! The DreamGym is something I came across while searching for OT therapy toys I could have right in my own home. The great thing about it is that I can change up the attachments for different activities. I am looking forward to getting this swing for my kids. I am checking with the manufacturer to be sure it will hang from our bar, if not I am going to have to sweet talk the hubby into putting up another swing.
Hide and Seek
Another favorite around here is a good game of Hide and Seek. My kids get really creative in their hiding places, often hiding almost in plain sight! There are always squeals of delight and lots of laughter during a game. Disclaimer- Be careful having them play when you are hiding Christmas gifts! We had a couple of close calls!
Wii Sports
I am not a huge fan of video games, but this one is fun and pretty active. I am glad to see my kids up and about playing together instead of burying their faces in a personal tablet. In fact, there is a game of bowling going on in my living room as I type!
Water Play
A good friend of mine has always advised putting cranky toddlers and preschoolers in the tub with some toys. This is a great fix for a boring, gloomy day. Grab some bathing suits, a couple of toys and a few towels and let a little one or two play for as long as they want, with supervision, of course.
Build a Fort
Tried and true, this solution inspires creativity, team work and imagination. We love to use a bunch of blankets and sheets, clamps, and even some cool pvc poles and connectors that my husband cut especially for fort building. We have had everything from a small fort to a room sized airplane!
Scavenger Hunts
Hide a prize and make up clue cards to hide at different points in your home. The first clue card leads to the next, which leads to the next, etc. You can lead this yourself, or you can have your older children take turns creating and leading themselves!
Winter Camp Fire
Pretend you are trying to survive in the wilderness and build a camp fire outdoors. It is so nice to hang out by the warmth of a fire on a cold winter’s night. Make s’mores or just roast marshmallows. We especially love to have a fire after dark and enjoy the Christmas lights on our swing set as well! This is a really great memory maker!
Sledding
We live on a totally flat piece of land so we spend time in the winter building big and little sledding hills out of the snow we get. We tend to get 100+ inches each winter so we can get some great hills by the end of winter. This burns energy, inspires creativity and helps the kids learn to work together towards a common goal. Once the hills are built, the kids sled for hours, right in our own back yard!
MadLibs
This is definitely not a quiet activity in my house. The giggles are just so contagious! We love filling these out as a family and then crack up as one of the big kids tries to read the story with a straight face. It is the best! (This is also a great learning tool for parts of speech, but don’t tell the kids!)
Museums
Sometimes you just HAVE to get out of the house! We will head to our favorite family friendly, hands-on museum for a day of learning and fun. We actually ask for a membership to one nearby museum so we can go whenever we want. It also has a fantastic reciprocal membership program that we take advantage of as well. We have gone to a zoo and another museum that focuses on aircraft of all sorts completely free with our reciprocal membership. Check with your local museums to see what they offer.
Ice Skating
We have indoor and outdoor options for ice skating where we live. Head to the rink and get moving. It is fun and great exercise too! Have inexperienced skaters? See if they have a-frames they can skate with. I have even seen moms with strollers out on the indoor ice rink! Call first to be sure that is alright with the skating rink before you head over.
Sensory Bins
We have tried a few different sensory bins in my house. Our current favorite is a large bin filled with a mix of popcorn kernels and elbow macaroni. The kids all flock to it as soon as I open it! I added inexpensive measuring cups and funnels to complete the fun. I spread a large sheet out under the container for easier clean up. Keep a vacuum handy, just in case.
Library Activities
We love to hit our local library for story times and special events. All of the programs I have been to have been totally FREE! We have seen everything from playdates for birth to five-year-olds with play-doh, painting, sensory bins, big gross motor activities like balance beams and tunnels and more, to a pizza and video games party for my tween! I know there are tons of excellent choices out there if you have a good library nearby. Pro-tip: See if you can find a WeDo Lego program, they are awesome! My kids were coding and loving it within minutes!
There are so many fun things to do in the winter that will keep you and your kids busy and having fun! What are your favorite winter activities? Tell me in the comments below!
We loved our indoor swing in our old house it’s such a great way to burn energy we actually turned our entire basement into a kids gym with trampolines, ball pits, balance beams, and swings when we had 4 under 4. Were in a new house now but I still love the idea of that gym for active kiddos. I love all these ideas I’m going to have to print out this list.
That sounds like so much fun! Thanks for commenting!
I love these ideas! What a great way to get moving in the winter!