Every winter, all parents have a common dilemma – how do they keep their kids busy and happy while stuck indoors due to the cold weather?
Kids love the outdoors where they can have unlimited space to run around and play. Not being stuck in an enclosed space also allows them to explore more, discover many things and develop various skills. However, during bad weather, no parent would want their kids to hang unprotected outside.
While older kids may have already developed habits and interests that they can simply turn to whenever they’re trapped indoors, such as reading, playing video games and studying, the younger ones often end up doing nothing and getting bored. Parents should, therefore, provide options for their kids in order to chase the boredom away.
Have a Fun Art Class
Art is always fun, especially when kids aren’t just stuck with basic art materials but with a variety of them. Be more innovative and introduce new ways for your kids to create their masterpieces. However, also be careful and keep them away from sharp and dangerous objects such as scissors and staplers.
- Besides the usual paintbrushes, sponges are also ideal for painting and making artworks. You can cut them into various shapes and use as stamps.
- Buy an origami book or look up some ideas online, and provide your kids with some special paper or just plain scratch paper. After, perhaps you can level up the event to a puppet show.
- Have your kids design some manila paper into a custom-made gift wrapper or pieces of cardboard into bookmarks. You may also stick a picture at the center of hard paper and allow them to design the corners to create a unique picture frame.
Rain Time Is Snack Time
Have your kids help in preparing the morning and afternoon snacks.
- You can make pancakes and have them mix the ingredients.
- Have them prepare the fruits drinks by slicing some lemons or oranges for them and allowing them to squeeze out all the juice.
- Prepare sandwich ingredients that they can mix and match together. Have them make some for the whole family.
Learn in an Enjoyable Way
Some kids become bored when they have to study. At an early age, allow them to realize just how fun it is to learn new things.
- Host a mini-party and have them listen, sing-along and dance to their favorite tunes.
- Every kid has an all-time favorite show that he doesn’t mind watching again and again. Play some of his favorite DVDs and have him mouth or say the words verbalized on the show.
- Practice their reading skills by getting them to read some chapters aloud. Find out what sort of stories your kids are into and find new volumes that you know they’ll enjoy.
Look into Their Minds and Go on Adventures
Children become more confident when their parents listen and support their ideas; insecurities often stem from the fear of being mocked for a person’s way of thinking so make sure to always remind them that they are brilliant in their own ways.
- Have them write or tell a fictional story and find out what sort of genre they’re into.
- Play Kokologye, designed to find out emotional and behavioral traits, with your kids.
- Have a made-up conversation with them or play some roles in his favorite shows or story books.
- Build a fort using blankets and pillows.
- Conduct an indoor treasure hunt.
Battle Boredom with Board Games and Puzzles
While board games may sound a little too geeky, developing your kids’ logic skills can definitely aid them in the long run. There are a lot of newly introduced innovative board games and puzzles that are definitely more challenging than the old ones, such as Tessellation and AnagraMania Jr. Of course, there still remain classics that will forever be cherished, such as Scrabble, Sudoku, Monopoly and Chess. Spend some hours in a day playing with them.
Play Video Games in Moderation
While many parents believe that video games can be quite draining for their kids’ heads, a majority of these games actually have a lot of benefits in values and learning. Video games especially made for younger kids tend to be more educational; they help develop a child’s vocabulary and hone his imagination.
Video games are also among the things that allow kids to connect with other children in their age bracket, and this further improves their people skills, allowing them to earn more friends that they can easily relate to. It is advisable however to be mindful about the games that your kids get their hands on.
Have them pick a reasonable schedule for video gaming and hold them responsible to keeping true. Patiently explain to them how spending excessive hours in front of the TV or computer can be harmful to their systems.
Mom for the Day
Let them play Mom for the day and have them help out in the household chores. They can sort the laundry, feather-duster the furniture and appliances, arrange their clothes in the cabinet, or care for and play with the family pet. Exposing them to these chores and helping them realize that they are capable of doing these things can turn them into more responsible kids in the future.
