By TMoM Team Member Anna Keller
This time of year, with colder temperatures and fewer daylight hours, it can be challenging to help kids burn off energy or stay engaged while having fun. If you’re on the hunt for winter indoor activity ideas, you’re in the right place!
Relaxing Activities
Family Movie Night
Transform your living room into a cozy home theater with comfy blankets, popcorn, and a family-friendly movie. Let the kids take turns picking the film, and add themed activities to make the night extra special. You could draw characters from the movie or host a trivia quiz afterward.
Have an Indoor Picnic
This activity is perfect for cold or rainy days and makes mealtime feel whimsical. Eating together on the living room floor? How neat! Spread out a blanket, lay out your food, and enjoy this unique dining experience.
Creative Activities
Do Arts and Crafts
Arts and crafts are a great way to stimulate creativity. Set up a DIY craft station with supplies like colored paper, glue, markers, and stickers. Crafting keeps little hands busy and is a fun way to teach new skills.
This can be as simple as coloring, which keeps both of my kiddos occupied for a while (and is something they enjoy doing together). Or you can try a more structured project by finding a cute craft idea on Pinterest or Instagram. We’ve also loved Green Kid Crafts subscriptions, which come with themed boxes filled with fun, creative projects my daughter and I LOVE doing together!
Bake Something Yummy Together
Involving kids in the kitchen is a fantastic way to teach them about food and cooking. Try simple baking recipes like cookies, cupcakes, or homemade pizza. You can even make it a family competition where everyone decorates their own treats.
My daughter and I love baking together year-round, but we do it even more in the winter. To make the activity last longer, bake something you can decorate—what kid doesn’t love adding frosting and sprinkles to their creation? (Quick tip: Look for sprinkles made with natural dyes, like vegetable-based colors.) This blog is filled with Kid-Friendly Cookbook Recommendations.
Build a Fort
My kids got Nugget pillows as their big Christmas gift, so the fort-building game is strong in our house these days. Even without something like that, you can help your children collect materials like blankets, sturdy pillows, and chairs to create their own forts.
Legos or Other Building Blocks
You really can’t go wrong with the fun and creativity that building blocks provide for all ages. Even most adults enjoy participating in this classic activity!
Indoor Physical Activities
Burn Off Energy Indoors
Fitness games are perfect for keeping everyone active. Create obstacle courses, have a dance-off, or try indoor exercises like yoga or stretching routines.
Dance Party
We love an impromptu dance party while dinner is cooking, but an open mic night takes things up a notch. Try a portable karaoke machine to make it even more fun. You can also encourage your kids to create tickets for the event and assign songs for everyone to sing. Interactive video games like Just Dance or Ring Fit Adventure are also great options for a fun workout.
Kids’ Charades
Charades is a fun game for the whole family. Tailor the ideas to the age group of your kids. For young children, use simple prompts like animals or cartoon characters. If you need inspiration, check out the fun charade ideas on the Moms & Munchkins website.
Indoor Scavenger Hunt
An indoor scavenger hunt is a great way to get kids moving around the house while searching for hidden treasures. You can create themed hunts using items you already have or make it educational by asking kids to find objects that start with certain letters or match specific colors.
One idea we love is creating a big sheet with all the uppercase letters and hiding Post-it notes with lowercase letters around the house. Kids can match them once they find them.
With these activities, you’ll have plenty of options to keep your kids entertained, active, and creative during the winter months!
