5 Winter Activities for Kids

PenguinsWhen the first winter snow appears, it’s magical; by the eighth heavy snowfall of the season, you and your kids may start wishing for spring. Holiday fun can alleviate some of the boredom, but what happens after the tree’s taken down and the gifts are unwrapped? These fun indoor and outdoor winter activities are a great solution for the post-holiday blues.

1. Build a Snow Village

One of the simplest winter activities is still one of the best. Non-toxic, easy to mold and abundant, snow makes a wonderful building material for kids. Instead of sticking to snowmen that are fun to make but don’t do much once they’re complete, encourage kids to create their own snow villages. Let them use their imaginations to create fantasy snow castles, bustling snow spaceports, superhero hide-outs or anything else they can dream of making.

2. Bake Cookies Together

There’s no better time for baking than on chilly winter evenings, and kids love to help. Older children can do most of the assembling themselves with a little assistance from you. For younger kids, you’re the chief baker, and they’re your helpers who crack the eggs and level off the flour. Baking is only part of the fun; decorating the cookies you bake together is even more exciting. If you aren’t experienced in the kitchen, invest in a cookbook or a cookie kit.

3. Read a Good Book or Two

Winter weather can be unpredictable, and when the kids are stuck inside on a gloomy day, having an extensive library can be a life-saver. Young children often like to hear a familiar story told and re-told, but for older kids, new books hold more appeal. Keep a few books tucked in your closet for rainy days and pull them out when your kids complain about having nothing to do. For kids who get fidgety when they have nothing to do with their hands, look for activity books that include a model to assemble or an archaeological artifact to unearth.

4. Redecorate and Rearrange

Children love to have a space to call their own, and letting them participate in a room re-do can make a winter weekend fly. Going to the hardware store to pick out paint for walls and trim is an adventure in itself, and once the painting begins, the transformation becomes even more exciting. If you’ve recently painted and aren’t ready for a full room makeover, try rearranging the furniture, shelves and art. You can give a room a new look and more functionality without adding a thing to the space.

5. Get Crafty

Crafts are a wonderful way of keeping little hands and minds busy. Indoor crafts with winter themes such as cut-paper snowflakes or cotton-ball snowmen are perennial favorites, but take advantage of clear winter days with some outdoor craft projects. Kids can make beautiful ice candles with little more than cracked ice, an old milk container and melted wax. Working on bird feeders and birdseed sculptures teaches children how to care for nature while keeping them engaged in something fun.

Before you know it, the kids will be back in school and barreling toward summer, so make the most of winter while it’s here!

Image Credit: fun.familyeducation.com

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