The winter months are here which means us moms have to get a bit more creative when it comes to entertaining the kids. I don’t know about your kids, but mine certainly will not be content with coloring and play dough for the next few months. I also don’t want to fork out tons of money to take them to a different museum each day. As a mom of a 5 and 2 year old I feel I am becoming some sort of an expert on ways to not only keep them entertained but will also get their crazy energy out. Here are some of my favorites and the only cost would be with things you very likely already have in the house!
Bundle them up and get them out! Just because it’s cold doesn’t mean that the outdoors should be off limits. So on those days where the rain and snow isn’t in the air, I bundle up my kids and out we go. If I am extra prepared, I will pack a picnic including hot chocolate in a thermos as a fun and special treat.
Freeze and Go Dance Party: Turn on the music and get all the wiggles out but then once mom or dad stops the music everyone has to freeze! My kids love this one and to be honest, I like showing off my sweet dance moves like the sprinkler without being judged by other adults.
Shape/Number Hopscotch. Cut out shapes and numbers with construction paper and then direct the kids to “jump to yellow star” and so on. It helps the toddlers learn shapes and colors. For the “older” young ones, you can cut out numbers to then give directions like “Jump to Five Plus One” so they would jump to a number six. Learning in, Energy out!
Bubbles and Fun in the Garage. On days where it is raining or snowing, I utilize our garage as a covered area to run around in. If you have a garage, back those cars outs and get out the bubbles, cars or whatever entertainment you have for them!
Snow Shovel Race. Each player gets a bowl, equal number of cotton balls and a spoon. The objective is to get the most number of cotton balls into the bowl. It is harder than it seems! To make it more challenging, blindfold the players or have them hold the bowl on their head while scooping. They will think they are getting a lot when it’s likely none are getting into the bowl. My husband and I even get a kick out of this one.
Indoor Scavenger Hunt. Sometimes I will grab a few things from the dollar store to keep on hand for indoor days. An indoor scavenger hunt is a fun way to keep their minds working and their bodies moving. You can have prizes at each “station” or allow clues to lead them to one prize/piece of candy/ticket for a movie of their choice at a later date etc.
What are some of your favorite ways to keep the kids entertained in the Winter months?
