The Best Indoor Activities You Can Do As A Family This Winter
We're all waiting for Jack Frost to bring us a winter wonderland. Yet when you tire of frozen toes and soggy socks, you come back inside.
It doesn't take long for the family to grow stir crazy when trapped in the house. It's up to Mom and Dad to keep everyone entertained. To make your job easier, learn about the best indoor activities you can do as a family this season.
Eat and Play Games
If it's cold outside, you've got all the fixings for a game and pizza night at your fingertips. You don't have to kill your diet with delivery — create a pizza bar and let everyone design their own. Kids can knead the dough and choose their own toppings. Cauliflower dough is a healthy alternative, one that tastes great when loaded with cheese and veggies.
While the pizzas are baking, set up a board game and read through the rules. Keep the TV off and the cell phones away. Your game choice will depend on your children's ages and abilities. For example, preschoolers will love Go Fish, Uno and Pick-Up Sticks. Your teens, on the other hand, will prefer Monopoly, Clue and Risk. Pick out some favorites or try something new.
Visit a Museum
No one wants to stay in the house all the time. However, if it's too cold to play outside, consider a trip to a museum. Check online for admission prices and stay on the lookout for free days. Everyone, regardless of age, will love to explore natural history museums. You can wander through exhibits and take in sights like dinosaur bones and mummies. Another option is an art museum, whether classic or contemporary.
Point out interesting facts at each exhibit to keep the family interested. If possible, look for places that match your kids' interests. You can find a museum on almost any topic, including sports, insects, the human body, Egyptology and much more. An educational afternoon can be a great way to get out of the house and stay entertained.
Check Out An Inflatable Playground
It can be a challenge to find ways to let your kiddos run around to burn off energy in the cold winter months. Often times it takes longer to to bundle them up than they actually tolerate playing in the cold. Enter, inflatable playgrounds! They’ve been popping up around the country and take the popular birthday party bounce house idea and multiply it by making entire indoor playgrounds for a soft, safe, and – most importantly – warm play space for you and your family.
Head to the Gym
Just because you're avoiding the snow doesn't mean you should put down roots in the couch. Stay active during the cold winter months, even if it means springing for a gym membership. Physical activity will help the kids burn off extra energy and offers a variety of benefits, such as improved mental health, school attendance, memory and behavior.
If you don't have a gym near you, you still have plenty of options. Host a dance party in your living room or take up yoga. Put on an exercise video and ask everyone to join. The possibilities are endless.
You won't have to try hard to get the kids involved. If you start moving, you'll be surprised how quickly they join. Bored kids will love counting out push ups and stretching their arms into jumping jacks.
Plan a Movie Night
Once the sun starts to set, encourage your little ones to wind down with a movie night. You don't have to spend an arm and a leg at the theater — especially now that Disney+ is live. All of the classic Mouse House movies are now at your fingertips. You can also find hundreds of hits on Netflix and Hulu. Not one for streaming? Go old school and break out your DVD collection.
Put together some movie night snack baskets with cheap treats. Add popcorn, candy bars, drinks and other goodies. Each kid — and adult — gets their own. If you're in a festive mood, break out the blankets and disassemble the couch. Everyone can watch the movie from the fort on the living room floor.
Play the Mad Scientist
Who doesn't love to create and make? Your kids will love to concoct their own Play-doh. Plus, making the creation is only half the fun! Once done, they can use the dough to make shapes — like a snowman to match the one outside. Not interested in Play-doh? How about something gooey, like slime?
You only need a few household ingredients to make fluffy slime, including white glue, laundry detergent and baking soda. Let your kids pick out food die to make custom colors. If you don't have food dye, you can use acrylic paint. You can also add glitter for some shine.
Stuck Insider This Winter? Use Your Imagination
The winter months offer a lot of fun and games. Once done with your snowball fight or snowmobile race, head inside and warm up. As your fingers thaw, you can plan your next indoor adventure.
Break out some staple pizza ingredients and pop in a film. Plan a trip to a museum and wander through the exhibits. You can also nestle in the blankets and watch a movie. You might be surprised what you come up with when you use your imagination.