102 Things to do with Kids in the Winter

Yesterday I was writing an email to a friend describing my dear mom letter posts. In the midst of the description I started joking about a hypothetical letter – Dear Mom in the Middle of Winter when the kids are running crazy and everyone is a bit stir crazy and you are all out of coffee and you don’t know what to do. Now, I didn’t write that letter, although I could because I’ve been living in a home where the outside world only had a high of -2 yesterday, but instead I’ve listed 102 activities to do with kids in the winter. Some are obvious, some a bit out there, most are free, but they are all ideas to help these long days pass by.

Enjoy!

1. Remember winter doesn’t last forever.
2. Read, read, read, and read.
3. Paint.
4. Make Egg Yolk Paint and be super cool.
5. Bake cookies.
6. Have your kids help you bake cookies. Or cake. With lots of sprinkles.

7. Read books again.
8. Set up a treasure hunt.
9. Watch two movies – In a row.
10. Sort the toys.
11. Make a fort with blankets.
12. Write stories together.
13. Look through old pictures.
14. Take funny photos.
15. Have a tic tac toe championship.
16. Make sock puppets.
17. Go sledding -or go to the park.
18. Make puppets.
19. Make a puppet stage and a puppet show.
20. Be grateful and write your gratitude list (free printable).

21. Make snow icecream. Just use clean snow.
22. Read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s book “The Long Winter”.
23. Make snow paint.
24. Play Simon Says.
25. Make a movie.
26. Make a family newspaper.
27. Trace everyone’s hands and write the date on paper.
28. Blow bubbles outside – if it gets cold enough – and watch them shatter.
29. Weave construction paper.
30. Write letters to grandparents or friends or missionaries.
31. Do indoor jumping jacks.
32. Color.
33. Tell knock knock jokes.
34. Build a snowman – or look at pictures of snowmen.

35. Have hot cocoa with extra marshmallows.
36. Look at pictures of Hawaii. Or beaches.
37. Play madlibs.
38. Play board games.
39. Dance.
40. Have a tea party.
41. Or dress up like knights.
42. Make playdough.
43. Make silly faces on the computer with the webcam software.
44. Sing. Or maybe not.
45. Call a friend have her bring her kids over and be prepared for noise.
46. Make musical instruments – fill tubes with beans or rice and duct tape ends shut.
47. Use old boxes to build things.
48. Play with legoes.

49. Fold socks.
50. Cut out snowflakes.
51. Rotate toys.
52. Put a puzzle together.
53. Use missing puzzle pieces to decorate the edge of a frame.
54. Go for a nature walk.
55. Look for tracks in the snow.
56. Create tracks in the snow.
57. Make a snow angel.
58. Make maps with brown postal paper.

59. Make a noodle (in our case gluten free) necklace.
60. Cut out hearts for Valentine’s Day.
61. Look through cookbooks.
62. Play Follow the Leader.
63. Write your top ten favorite things about summer.
64. Write your top ten favorite things about winter.
65. Make homemade pizza.
66. Line your chairs in a line so it’s like a train.
67. Laugh. At least try.
68. Teach them to play checkers.
69. Don’t always let them win at checkers.
70. Play slapjack.
71. Or Go Fish.
72. Make your own playing cards.
73. Make a homemade bird feeder. Or put out bird food and simply watch the birds.

74. Clean out the cabinets.
75. Play Jenga.
76. Remember, again, that winter doesn’t last forever.
77. Lead a parade through your home.
78. Rock the baby to sleep and then just sit there.
79. Play the alphabet game.
80. Wash potatoes.
81. Make potato stamps.
82. Finger paint (put an old shower curtain under the table)
83. Break out the glitter.
84. Play with blocks.
85. Make a pretend library.
86. Play Hide and Go Seek.

87. Set up a hopscotch on your floor.
88. Play dress up. Or sort through your clothes.
89. Listen to soundtracks.
90. Make patterns with matchbox cars.
91. Tell each other 5 things you love about them.
92. Make a timeline of fabulous moments in your kids lives.
93. Count to 1000
94. Mix colors.
95. Pull out the markers and stamps and construction paper.
96. Clap and teach different rhythms.
97. Create your own books.
98. Count the days until Spring.
99. Go sledding.
100. Go ice fishing. You’ve got to experience it once.
101. Or play in the snow.

101. And remember, once again, winter doesn’t last forever.

What do you do love to do on those long winter days?

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