Things To Do Indoors When You’d Rather Be Outside
It’s winter, and that means cooler weather and lots of rainy days. Unfortunately, unless you want to bundle up and get your feet wet, it also means lots of time indoors. What is a family to do when the weather outside is too cold, wet, and cloudy to enjoy the outdoors? Here are some top-notch ideas presented by GBRLife.
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Work on learning skills
Schooltime isn't the only time your child should be practicing their STEM skills. The good news is that learning can be fun, especially when the whole family participates. Kids can discover the cloud cycles by creating a cloud in a jar, or dive into geometry by putting together a crystal sun catcher (inexpensive crystals can work for this project). You can also use materials you already have at home to make fun learning projects, such as a hanging balance scale (which requires only cups, string, and a plastic hanger) or a jellybean building (just jellybeans and toothpicks are needed here).
Host a movie marathon
If you have a projector and a white bed sheet, set up a sit-in movie in your open space. You’ll also need a Bluetooth speaker, popcorn, and boxed candy. Decide on a theme, and plop down on your favorite bean bag chair. A few rainy day movies to consider are Lion King, Star Wars, and The Princess Bride. Fall is also prime time for scary movies -- kid-friendly classics include Hocus Pocus and Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Start crafting
There are few things more fun for kids than getting their hands dirty -- and art is a fantastic outlet for this. If you have some down time, head to your local arts and crafts store for supplies. Even if you don't consider yourself to be crafty, there are easy art projects the whole family can do together. By following online tutorials, you can learn how to doodle comic strips, create a paper roll tree, or design a heart mandala. And remember -- art is a form of expression, and it's okay for your kids to be messy here if they so choose!
Cook together.
You can amplify your culinary skills by whipping up some tasty treats with your kids. Cooking and baking are also excellent ways for children to work on their science skills, and for you to refine your own cooking skills. Pick some easy recipes to start, and for harder ones, have your child perform tasks more suited to their age, such as measuring ingredients or stirring the pot.
Go online shopping.
Window shopping online is a great way to pass the time and help you discover new things for your family that you may not have known existed. It’s also an excellent opportunity to look for good deals on things you need, such as school supplies and cookware. If you can’t put the brakes on your spending, look for deal sites (Vipon.com and Snagshout.com are two that come to mind) that can help you keep your Amazon shopping cart cost to a minimum.
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Play video games
Video games are fun, entertaining, and a great way for the whole family to spend time together. Just make sure that your internet can handle multiple devices at once. If you need to upgrade and if it’s available in your area, 5G internet offers super-fast speeds and almost no lag time.
Be cautious, however, not to let your family screen time get in the way of your child's studies! With video games and other online activities, it’s a good idea to set rules about the amount of screen time you allow your child. We’re living in a digital age where so much of our time is spent online already for work and school, so while games are a great outlet for kids (and adults!) to be creative, use their imagination, and just have fun, try to make sure they’re only one part of your indoor-activities equation by mixing them in with hands-on activities.
Add a few other activities into the mix
Another great way to pass the time is to find fun, kid-friendly activities that squeeze in physical activity. Set up a scavenger hunt, work out with an exercise game, or host a dance party to keep the kids entertained and burn some calories and excess energy. Other indoor activities that families can do together include playing board games, building a blanket fort, catching up on your favorite shows, grabbing a coloring book, putting on a talent show, and decluttering the home together (try to make it fun!).
The point here is that there is never a shortage of things to do if you don’t mind getting creative. From playing video games to crafting, the above ideas are all safe fun for families who’d rather be on the run.
