Bring the outdoors inside.
- Camp out in the living room where it’s warm and toasty. Add a picnic to really set the mood.
- Make an indoor sandbox. Instead of sand, use dried beans, rice, packing peanuts, corstarch or dried macaroni and let the kids play in it. You can use a shallow bin to make a sandbox that keeps the potential mess contained.
- Bring the balls inside. Play hot potato or take turns rolling it on the floor to each other. Don’t let the scooter out there either — bring it in and let the kids zoom across the house.
- Even bring in the bouncy balls. It will keep the kids entertained and use up a ton of energy. Blow bubbles together and chase and try to catch them. It reinforces motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
Create Your Own Zoo.
- Use stuffed or plastic animals and cardboard boxes to help your child create a zoo, farm or wildlife reserve — dramatic play builds vocabulary, social skills and creative thinking.
- Make easy winter-themed treats, like s’mores and hot chocolate.
- See how creative you can get with limited ingredients, like the competition shows on TV.
- Decorate sugar cookies and cupcakes with a winter theme.
- Put together a creative arts and crafts kit. Get a good-sized plastic storage box and fill it with some or all of the following items: crayons, construction paper, washable markers, felt and fabric remnants, pencils and pens, ribbon, scissors, yarn or string, a hole puncher, beads and buttons, glue, pipe cleaners, tape, plastic drinking straws, glitter, lunch bags, tempera paints, wiggle eyes, paint brushes and popsicle sticks.
- Once you’ve got one together, make your own snowflakes by cutting them out of paper or try making a snowman out of cotton balls and paper plates.
Unleash your inner composer.
- Make your own instruments out of things lying around the house. Use pots and pans for drums, plastic cubs, thimbles, washboards, rubber bands, whistles, eggbeaters, graters, forks and mugs are just some items with symphonic potential.
Make your Valentines.
- Valentine’s Day is coming up. Instead of buying the store-bought kind, make homemade ones for family and friends. They will appreciate the gesture and your valentines will be unique.
- Start your spring cleaning now. Take the time to go through drawers and closets and get rid of things you don’t need.
- Put the bags of items in the car so you don’t forget to take them somewhere like Goodwill.
- Wash down the walls, vacuum, flip your mattress and wash and rehang your curtains.
- Clean out the cabinet of old videos. If the kids want to keep them, watch them. Otherwise, donate them to the library.