Snow Days: 9 Ways To Keep Your Kids Happy Indoors

By Kenda - January, 5th 2015

Keeping kids both active and content can be a major challenge, especially when winter hits and going outside is more trouble than it’s worth. Fortunately, there are a number of fun activities that kids can do indoors on cold, snowy days. The nine ideas that follow are the perfect blend of education, imagination and entertainment.

1. Build An Indoor Camp

Most kids currently own a few pop-up tents that they can set up and take down themselves in just a matter of minutes. Few things are as fun, however, as building your own from scratch. This is an engineering feat that can take hours to master, but once it’s done, your kids won’t want to leave the cozy interior of their makeshift playhouse. Load them up with blankets, sheets and other items that they can tie to bed posts and tuck between the cushions of chairs. You can set up the tent roof to get them started and give them a few guidelines for safety. After they have gotten the tent stable and closed in, help them drag in a few pillows, battery-operated lanterns and books.

2. Create Comic Books

Challenge your kids to make their own comic books. Arm them with paper, rulers, markers, pencils and any other art supplies that they’ll need to bring their ideas to life. If your kids aren’t familiar with comic books, take the time to show them a few online. Once everyone has finished their creative project, let each person present his or her masterpiece. You can even give them all special awards for creativity and skill. Reading comic books together is the perfect time to roll out the hot cocoa.

3. Have A Dance-Off

Not every indoor activity is guaranteed to be performed in hushed voices and with little horsing around. In fact, some of the best indoor activities are very high-energy. Pull back the furniture and get out your best music. You can play Freeze Dance, which requires kids to move at a fast pace while the music is playing. When you turn the music off without warning, however, everyone has to be absolutely still. The first person to wiggle, giggle or keeping on going is out. For smaller children, this is a great way to build better listening skills and faster reaction times.

4. Start A Scrapbook

Snowy days are also the perfect time to start going through old memories. Help you kids create their own scrapbooks and photo albums by piecing together cherished souvenirs, artwork, photos and other items that hold sentimental value. Look around your house for fun additions like glitter, ribbon, lace and stickers.

5. Cook Something Fun

This is one of the best times to start teaching your kids the basic elements of cooking. A cooking project is something that they are guaranteed to remember. You can try a simple recipe like quick bread or cookies or you can really get creative and let them make their own donuts or croissants. Before you let anyone sate their craving for sweets, however, have them help you mix up a nice pot of fresh vegetable soup.

6. Send Your Kids On A Treasure Hunt

Have your little ones scout around the house in search of items that you have cleverly hidden away. You can make each treasure start with a different letter of the alphabet for little ones who are just building their letter recognition and reading skills. The first one to find one of everything on your list of treasures gets a special prize.

7. Make Paper Chains

Paper chains are a great way to reuse old paper that doesn’t need to be shredded. Cut the paper into long strips and then use flour and water to make a simple paste. Use the paste to turn each strip into a loop and then link these loops together to create a massive rope. For smaller children, these activities will help to improve fine motor coordination. You can loop the paper chain around a door or save it to hang around the Christmas tree or mantle.

8. Make Music With Everyday Items

Encourage your kids to look around for things that they can use to make music. Show them how to create their own tambourines and other percussion instruments with recyclable materials and common kitchen tools. Next, have everyone get together and work on harmonizing their sounds. Once you have a nice, coordinated song, record it and let them share it with friends.

9. Make A Movie

You might not want your kids wiling their hours away in front of the television watching movies, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make one. Have everyone work on the script and determine who will be the director. If you made comic books earlier in the day, you can borrow your story line from one of these. After having all the kids run through the script once or twice, use your smartphone, tablet or digital camera to film it. Older children will love polishing the final cut with easy-to-use, video editing software. You and your little ones can pop popcorn and curl up to enjoy this work of art together.