It’s winter in CT…which inevitably means SNOW DAY! I remember the year I was teaching when we had something like 8 TOTAL school days in January due to snow. Now that January has arrived, you may find that you and your kids will be spending lots of quality time together indoors. If your kids are anything like mine, you’ll have already been outside, taken off your soggy clothes, and had hot chocolate before it’s time for breakfast. Below I’ve included some ideas to help prevent cabin fever from taking over the rest of the day.
Ready, Set, read!
Reading out loud to your children, no matter what the age, can be lots of fun. I remember even my high school students loving to be read to. We always stock up on library books in my house. Find a series you love, and get reading! You can read out loud by yourself, but if your kids read too, take turns reading pages or chapters. It’s a great way to bond together over a story and to work on literary skills at the same time. It’s so much better than watching TV!
Get crafty.
Let the views outside your window inspire you to build a winter wonderland inside. Visit your nearest craft store and stock up on plenty of tissue paper, construction paper, Popsicle sticks, stickers, glitter glue, buttons…whatever you and your kids think looks fun! Make snowflakes by cutting construction paper or gluing together Popsicle sticks. Find small twigs, decorate them with silver glitter, and stick them in molding clay to make miniature ice-kissed trees.
Open your own restaurant.
Let your kids not only get involved in making dinner, but let them use their creativity to set up a restaurant for the night. Plan a kid-friendly dinner (some of our favorites include baked ziti or homemade pizza). Have your kids help make the shopping list, find the ingredients at the grocery store, and create menus (older kids can do this on the computer). Set the table, serve the food, and enjoy your hard work. Don’t forget to include dessert!
Eat somewhere else.
You don’t have to go out for dinner to enjoy a change of pace. Set up an indoor picnic in the family room or have a tea party in your bedroom. It makes it more fun to sit somewhere new. Just make sure everyone helps clean up.
Grow your own butterflies.
Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and Gardens is a great day trip in Deerfield, MA. But if you can’t make the trip, you can still order your own Hatching Kit on their website. These kits come with a variety of caterpillar species that you can keep and watch grow into butterflies before you release them into your yard. Maybe even plant some plants butterflies love on a sunny day to encourage your new friends to stay. Check out this post from our archives.
Keep your boxes.
If you’re an Amazon Prime Mom like me, you get TONS of boxes. Don’t throw them all away! Small boxes can be decorated and turned into jewelry or small toy storage. We’ve turned big boxes into boats, cars, a lemonade stand, even a puppet theater. There’s something irresistibly fun about an empty box!
Workout inside.
Have some workout videos that you use (or don’t use anymore like I do?) I found an old prenatal yoga video, and had my 4 and 2-year-olds do the exercises with me. They had fun, and it was so cute watching them try in earnest to keep up. You can definitely find easier workout and dance videos online that your kids might love to do. It’s a good way to burn off built up energy.
You can check out more snow day ideas here, here, and here.
