Six Ways to Keep the Kids Active Indoors
When nasty weather hits, being indoors for long stretches can make everyone in the house a little stir crazy. To keep the kids — and yourself — sane during rain or cold or whatever else life throws at you, try a few of these indoor activities.
1. Cook Together
Breakfast, lunch or dinner, bring the kids into the kitchen! Cooking is a learning and sensory experience — and it will help you tick off one of your daily to-dos.
Let your littles stir, pour, measure and mix while you supervise and perform the riskier tasks like slicing, dicing and mincing.
Cooking is a great way to spend uninterrupted time with the family and make some awesome memories (and snacks).
2. Play a Game — No Purchase Necessary
Board games are great, but their missing pieces and hefty price tags can be more of a burden than a blast. Instead, try playing games that cost nothing and only require people.
Here’s a list of our favorites:
- Charades
- Mother May I
- Hide and Seek
- Simon Says
- Red Light, Green Light
- Marco Polo
- Telephone
Create some kind of penalty for screen use to ensure everyone is focused and present. Or, find a game like Head’s Up with an app to leverage your phone for family fun.
3. Go on a Scavenger Hunt
This takes planning on your part but will be well worth the time! Lead scavengers around the house and eventually to where “X marks the spot” where the loot can be found.
First, find some candy or knick-knacks to serve as your treasure and hide them where the hunt will end. Then, work backwards to come up with as many clues as you can to different areas around the house. Then give your kids the first clue and let the search begin!
A few examples to spark your imagination:
- “Where do you go when you’re in a hungry mood? I’m the place where you keep the cold food.” Answer: freezer.
- “If it weren’t for me, you’d be quite smelly. Make sure to use soap while washing your belly.” Answer: shower or bathtub.
- “I get rid of grime and dirt, you come to me when you need a clean shirt.” Answer: washing machine.
- “You’re getting close! You’re doing great! I’m where you’ll find a dish or plate.” Answer: cupboard.
- “When it’s been a long day and your feet feel like lead, I’m where you go to rest your head.” Answer: pillow.
4. Get Creative
Let’s take it back to the old school days of coloring here. Break out the miscellaneous markers, colored pencils and crayons to turn your table into an artist’s corner. Lay out paper, scissors (if your kids are old enough) and any other creative items — like glue, glitter, old jewelry, dried pasta, construction paper, etc. — you have lying around the house.
This also serves as the perfect time to make a few gifts. Grandma and Grandpa would love a homemade masterpiece from their favorite little tykes.
5. Build an Obstacle Course
This is not for the faint of heart, but a whole-house obstacle course can be more than a day’s worth of fun and gets everyone active.
Using chairs, pillows, ottomans, coffee tables, blankets and couch cushions, create a course for your kids to climb, jump and race through.
While building your course, keep the age and mobility of your kids in mind to avoid any accidental bonks.
6. Put on a Fashion Show
Didn’t we all dream of wearing our mom’s heels when we were kids? Give your kids a chance to dig through your closet — after you remove anything you can’t risk — and let them try on anything they’d like.
Play a little music, turn the hallway into a runway and watch as everyone puts on a show!
Being stuck inside can be tough. So, to avoid cabin fever, spend quality time with your family trying out a few of these indoor activities.
Stay sane!
