Unless you’re a true winter lover, then it can seem like the longest of all the seasons – this can be especially true if you’re a parent to young children.
As we know, children of a certain age group do need a lot of attention and entertaining, but as December rolls around you start to feel like you’re running out of ideas to keep them busy because there simply aren’t as many things going on outside that can they can do to use up energy – at least that’s how it can feel.
The good news is, though, there’s actually a lot you can do with them over the winter, and you don’t even need to be locked up inside the house all the time and feeling like you’re going crazy whilst praying for an early spring to show up.
Below we’ve listed a variety of family-friendly activities you can all enjoy this winter, most of which are free, or at least very low cost.
Of course, many of these will depend on the age and interest level of your child, but for the most part you’ll find that they can typically be adapted to all age groups and that younger children are especially more likely to engage in activities that their parents and siblings are also participating in along with them.
Create Your Own Board Games:
Why not take arts and crafts to a whole new level by hand creating some of your children’s favourite board games?
Board games are already an ideal activity that the whole family can enjoy together when the weather isn’t at its best, but it will be even more fun when you actually spend time making your own games together – and it will be something that your children will remember when they grow up instead of simply buying another board game that ends up gathering dust in a corner somewhere.
Depending on the age of your children, you can create games like Memory, Scrabble, and even Monopoly if you want to spend some extra time on it.
Make Seasonal Treats:
Every season comes complete with its own list of delicious treats, and winter is no different. It’s the perfect time to take to the kitchen as a family and get creative. From warming pumpkin soup, homemade hot chocolate, and cakes and cookies that are made using fresh and in season fruits, herbs and spices, cooking seasonal treats with the kids is a great way to keep them busy and allow them to unleash some creativity and do something that they can actually learn from instead of just sitting in front of a screen.
Create A Treasure Hunt:
You may think a treasure hunt can only be done in summer, but this is something you can do whenever you want. If you don’t mind get a little wet and messy, then you could have a treasure hunt in your garden or a local park with the kids, but equally you can keep the fun inside the house and make it as big or small as you like. This will definitely be a great way to keep your children occupied and entertained for a good few hours, plus it gives you the opportunity to get creative as you come up with the trails and items of treasure for the hunt.
Go On Nature Walks:
It’s not all cold and grey during winter – the air is beautifully fresh, and if the sun comes out, then a walk on a snowy winter day can actually be quite a beautiful sight. Whether it’s simply jumping in puddles, picking leaves from the forest to make pictures with, or building snowmen, going on nature walks and getting the kids outside is a great way to keep them entertained whilst ensuring they get fresh air and exercise which is important at any time of year.
Cook In The Garden:
Of course the winter is hardly the time for a picnic in the garden. However, if you happen to have an outdoor grill, you can make a compromise by having your favorite barbeque foods for a winter’s dinner and still having that amazing taste by cooking them outside – not only is this a fun way to have dinner during the winter, but it also means you’ll have less washing up to take care of since you’ll mainly be using your outdoor grill.
If it’s raining or particularly cold outside, then this is where things like Patio roofs will come in useful.
Create A Winter Diary:
Although this can work with younger children and you can just build a diary that’s more age appropriate, it’s a wonderful way for older children to stay entertained and get creative during the winter. They can collect things to put in their diary, such as leaves, or even just draw the things they’ve seen.
Learning to write about the things they’ve done during the winter will improve their writing and concentration skills, but it’s also a great way to build memories that they can look back at in years to come. Another way to go about this and make it a more family focused activity is to create a family diary or even a scrapbook.
Go Camping Indoors:
Who said that camping is purely a summer activity? If you have young children, a great way to spend some fun time together as a family whilst capturing their imagination is to camp indoors. If you have a tent, great, but you don’t even need one, you can simply build a makeshift one using some chairs and sheets, or forego the tent completely and just camp out on the floor with plenty of blankets and pillows. You can even include your favorite camping treats such as s’mores and hot chocolate.
As you’ll see from these activities, most can be done completely free, from home, and don’t involve any technology, but most of all, they’ll help you keep your children entertained whilst enabling you to have fun and spend quality time with them.
*This is a collaborative post*
The Coastal Mummy 