Are you ready for some fun and easy indoor winter activities?
With the colder weather and shorter days, the winter blues can be hard to avoid. The lack of sunshine can create a dreary mood for some, causing seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Even though you’re certainly stuck indoors more than usual this time of year, there are a variety of indoor activities you can do to break up the monotony of cold winter days.
Enjoy a day of self-care
Creating a relaxing, at-home spa experience is a great activity you can do either solo or with the family. Gather honey, avocado and various other natural ingredients to make your own face masks. You can also check online for homemade recipes for bath salts and other self-care items. Spend some time creating an at-home spa experience by adding candles, some herbal tea and your favorite music, movie or podcast.
Have a lot of fun with science
Science experiments are a great winter activity for kids because they are both educational and a way to pass the time indoors. Nature lovers, scientists, computer experts and chemists alike will enjoy trying at-home experiments that are entertaining for the whole family.
Research online to find easy-to-do, at-home things, like making a tornado in a bottle, creating an erupting volcano or making invisible ink. Participating in a group activity with your family can lift the spirits and is a great option for snow days.
Explore creative indoor ways to stay active
While streaming a TV show or playing a video game are definitely things your family could enjoy this winter season, it is still important to limit screen time and set up a screen time routine for not only your children but also yourself. Plus, physical activity is known to help improve mental health.
Luckily, there are plenty of ways to stay active inside. For adults, consider finding a new workout or dance class online. Try it out with your spouse or a friend to keep each other accountable. As for the kids, you’ll help them work up a sweat by setting up an indoor obstacle course throughout the house or even starting an indoor snowball fight, complete with fake snow. Whatever fun activities you can come up with to get your blood pumping — do them!
Get competitive with board games
Who doesn’t love a good, old-fashioned game night? Board games are an easy and fun way to introduce some competition and get the whole family involved. You can even add in some treats and maybe even prizes to make it more special.
What are some of your family’s favorite board games? Yahtzee, Monopoly and UNO are all favorites with wide age appeal for families. And very young kids love games like Candyland and Chutes and Ladders. Twister is also a great one that will also help you with your staying active indoors goal.
Set up an indoor scavenger hunt
The winter is a perfect time to set up a great indoor scavenger hunt! It is no doubt a creative way to entertain your little ones.
Think of ways to turn everyday rooms into treasure troves. You can use small toys or make shapes out of colorful construction paper for everyone to find. You can also challenge those thinking caps for older kids by asking questions about where they would find specific household items. Let them take photos around the house to make it more interesting, and be sure to incorporate things that can’t be moved.
Be an artist with easy crafts
You don’t have to be crafty to set up fun, seasonal crafts for kids. Paint toilet paper rolls or paper bags to make snowmen, make snow globes using glitter and water in jars, or build castles and igloos out of cardboard boxes in the living room.
Homemade slime is often a hit with kids. You can mix one-half of a cup of white glue, one-half of a cup of water, one to two tablespoons of saline solution and one-half of a teaspoon of baking soda together to make slime. Add food coloring to your desired shade.
So, on the days you can’t venture outdoors, these indoor winter activities can help make the great indoors a bit more interesting and happier for you and your family.
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