Snow Day Boredom Busters
It’s wise to have a bunch of indoor activities ready for kids when an arctic blast keeps you and your energizer bunnies housebound.
Paint the Windows
Window painting will allow your child to create a beautiful picture on your windowpanes! Don’t worry, though — the paint is easily removed. Homespunthreads.com shows you how to make the paint.
Construct an Indoor Obstacle Course
Your child doesn’t need to go outside to burn off excess energy. If you’re snowbound, you can create an indoor obstacle course that will keep your child entertained for hours!
Make Ice Balloons
During winter fill balloons with water and add food coloring, once frozen cut the balloons off & they look like giant marbles or Christmas decorations.
Fondue
Dig out the fondue pot and all share in putting together a fondue. It’s always fun to spear some tasty goodies into the fondue pot while sitting in front of a crackling fire.
Make Silly Putty
This childhood favorite is a cinch to make, and it will provide hours of entertainment for your little one. Best of all, it won’t make a mess! Wikihow gives you the recipe.
Sock Toss
Play ball toss games with soft items like rolled up socks. The younger the children the larger the container they are tossing into should be. For very young kids, use a laundry basket. For older kids, use something smaller like a box, basket or large plastic mixing bowl.
Marshmallow Tinkertoys
A bag of marshmallows and some thin pretzel sticks are all you need to build the perfect puffy pal, a 3-D house, or tepee. Your child simply skewers the marshmallows with the sticks to create his own masterpiece. Add to the fun by placing toy pigs or other animals in the house and challenging your child to be the big bad wolf and blow it down.
Go on a treasure hunt
Think of some unusual spots around your house, or plant some treasures in rooms and on shelves (in an age-appropriate location, of course). Then make a list of objects, and have your child go on a treasure hunt. If they can’t yet read, draw a sketch of the hidden item.
Sugar-Cookie Pizzas
Even the most domestically challenged chef can pull off this sweet and simple project. Slice several thick cookies from a roll of refrigerated sugar-cookie dough. Gently flatten them a bit on a cookie sheet to widen them, bake, and cool for about 10 minutes. Next, you can decorate their pies with strawberry jam or red icing for sauce, shredded coconut for cheese, and red M&M’s for pepperoni.
Family-Photo Bingo
Improve your child’s memory and help him learn who’s who in your family tree with this photo game. Take nine family photos and arrange them into rows of three, then give your child nine playing cards or checkers pieces to serve as bingo chips. When someone calls out “Daddy” or “Grandma,” your toddler covers the photo with the card. Whoever gets three in a row wins.
Mini Car Wash
Gather up your child’s fleet of cars, trucks, and spaceships for a detailing job that’ll put your local garage to shame. Load them all into the tub and give them a cleaning with plant sprayers and empty squeeze bottles.
Grandparent Greetings
Haul out the craft supplies and set up a home Hallmark business. First your toddler creates the card with stickers, glitter, cut-out magazine photos, or whatever else he likes. Then you ask him what he wants to say to the recipient, and you write it inside.Let your child stamp the envelope and slide it into a nearby mailbox.
Create Your Family Tree
Making a family tree is a great way to spend quality time with your kids, and the result will be enjoyed by everyone who comes to your house!
Special Meal
Go through the pantry and fridge to see what kind of yummy, creative meal you can all come up with. Everyone should have a hand in the preparation and cleanup, as well as the eating.
Picnic Lunch
Pretend it’s summer and have a picnic lunch on a blanket in the middle of the living room. Bring out all the stuffed animals for a touch of the outdoors.
Build A Fort
There are always enough blankets around to build an awesome fort. Naturally, the soldiers inside will need yummy supplies from the kitchen to help them survive the cold winter.
Snowflakes
No two snowflakes are alike. Bring out the white copy paper and a few scissors and have a blast creating your own snowstorm indoors. Hang them around the house for a winter wonderland both inside and out.
