I am all about indoor kids activities during the winter. Maybe I spoil them by setting up an activity most days but honestly they will play in it for hours so it is worth it in the end. I always think I missed my calling as a preschool teacher or something cause I just have way too much fun creating activities for the kids. So here are 5 indoor activities that entertain the kids from 1 year all the way up to 6 year olds.
Paper Writing-
This one is EASY EASY EASY, get some butcher paper and spread it out in the hallway or really anywhere with tile or hardwood floors. Then get out alot of markers (I find the more the better to last the kids longer) and let them go to town. Leo and I have been working on writing letters daily so this is a fun way to practice this without it feeling forced.
This one is EASY EASY EASY, get some butcher paper and spread it out in the hallway or really anywhere with tile or hardwood floors. Then get out alot of markers (I find the more the better to last the kids longer) and let them go to town. Leo and I have been working on writing letters daily so this is a fun way to practice this without it feeling forced.
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Solo Cups-
Head to the dollar store or discount store and buy a TON of red solo cups and then let them create. Monroe mostly just liked knocking things down but we played with my niece and nephew who are 6.5 and they had a blast building. They created this big forts and then everyone had fun running through it. Perfect indoor activity without a giant mess. I guess it gets messy when you knock things down but I turned cleaning up into a stacking game and it went fast.
Head to the dollar store or discount store and buy a TON of red solo cups and then let them create. Monroe mostly just liked knocking things down but we played with my niece and nephew who are 6.5 and they had a blast building. They created this big forts and then everyone had fun running through it. Perfect indoor activity without a giant mess. I guess it gets messy when you knock things down but I turned cleaning up into a stacking game and it went fast.
Moon Sand Recipe
8 cups flour
1 cup baby oil
I made 2 batches to fill a big container, I then had Leo add in some toys and some scoops and containers for Monroe. This made a tiny mess with it getting on the floor but honestly it wasn't too bad. I put down a big blanket and let the fun begin. Leo in true Leo form made this a demolition derby track and Monroe mostly just played with the containers. This one was a big hit for both kids and held their entertainment a long time.
8 cups flour
1 cup baby oil
I made 2 batches to fill a big container, I then had Leo add in some toys and some scoops and containers for Monroe. This made a tiny mess with it getting on the floor but honestly it wasn't too bad. I put down a big blanket and let the fun begin. Leo in true Leo form made this a demolition derby track and Monroe mostly just played with the containers. This one was a big hit for both kids and held their entertainment a long time.
Fuzz Balls Into Bottles
This one was just for Monroe, but Leo got in on the action too. This is a great fine motor skill for the little ones. For Leo I added in some tongs and had him grab the fuzz ball with the tongs and put it in a bowl or bottle.
This one was just for Monroe, but Leo got in on the action too. This is a great fine motor skill for the little ones. For Leo I added in some tongs and had him grab the fuzz ball with the tongs and put it in a bowl or bottle.
ABC 123 Shape Game
So I just made this one up. I took 6 or 8 pieces of paper and wrote numbers shapes and letters on them. You can really write whatever. But then I would say crab walk to the 8, slither to the 77, walk to a letter making an animal sound, run to the circle and tell me your favorite jungle animal ETC ETC. I did physical things as well as questions.
I knew the questions would be a little more fun for my niece and nephew who are in kindergarten so I asked questions like tell me your favorite animal that lives in the cold, tell me an animal that lives in the desert, or even questions like would you rather travel in a car or an airplane, what is your favorite fruit (you get the idea). Just asking them questions and getting them moving was super fun. This lasted probably 10-15 minutes before I ran out of things to ask them. I also wrote other letters and number on the backside of the cards so we just flipped them over so we were constantly finding new numbers shapes and letters.
So I just made this one up. I took 6 or 8 pieces of paper and wrote numbers shapes and letters on them. You can really write whatever. But then I would say crab walk to the 8, slither to the 77, walk to a letter making an animal sound, run to the circle and tell me your favorite jungle animal ETC ETC. I did physical things as well as questions.
I knew the questions would be a little more fun for my niece and nephew who are in kindergarten so I asked questions like tell me your favorite animal that lives in the cold, tell me an animal that lives in the desert, or even questions like would you rather travel in a car or an airplane, what is your favorite fruit (you get the idea). Just asking them questions and getting them moving was super fun. This lasted probably 10-15 minutes before I ran out of things to ask them. I also wrote other letters and number on the backside of the cards so we just flipped them over so we were constantly finding new numbers shapes and letters.
This was my favorite photo as I was making them slither like a snake, they loved that one. It was also really fun to learn more about my niece and nephew. The 4 day weekend in the cold really wasn't all that bad as you can see we were busy doing activities.
Mind you I don't set all these up everyday all day. I usually set something up in the morning for them and then in the afternoon or after dinner I make time to sit and really play with them for an hour or more. Sometimes that turns into new activities or games but a lot of the time we are just playing with their toys. Kids LEARN BEST from play so that is what we try and do at our house PLAY PLAY PLAY!
Cheers,
Jess
Mind you I don't set all these up everyday all day. I usually set something up in the morning for them and then in the afternoon or after dinner I make time to sit and really play with them for an hour or more. Sometimes that turns into new activities or games but a lot of the time we are just playing with their toys. Kids LEARN BEST from play so that is what we try and do at our house PLAY PLAY PLAY!
Cheers,
Jess
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