I know weather varies wildly across our audience, but here in Michigan we are enjoying what many of us refer to as “fourth winter”. With snow, ice and virtually everything canceled, we’ve been sticking mostly inside. Here are a few things we’ve done to stay busy and have fun!
Indoor sports. My boys are the very active sort. So staying inside can get a little tricky. We have this basketball hoop that has been getting a lot of use lately. It’s inexpensive and fits great in our unfinished basement. Since my kids tend to get a little too competitive and end up arguing, we’ve decided it’s most fun to see how many cumulative points we can get each time. It’s fun and no one loses (which is a huge bonus!) Even if you don’t have a basketball hoop system, there are lots of ways to play sports inside. We like to play catch with a soft ball and count how many times in a row we can do it without stopping. Or how many times we can hit a balloon without it hitting the ground. Or hallway soccer (though your walls might take a beating with this one).
Games. We have so many favorites around here it’s impossible to choose. A few of the top games for us lately are Apples to Apples, Sequence, Phase 10 and Five Crowns (my youngest loves the junior edition). We also love to play basic card games, especially Golf and Garbage. I love how games can teach basic math skills and teamwork as well as strategy. Such a fun way to teach and learn.
Chores. Hey, if I have a crew of kids at home, they need to pitch in! Some chores that kids can easily help with: making beds, cleaning rooms, vacuuming, mopping/cleaning floors, emptying the dishwasher, cleaning bathrooms, cleaning baseboards, wiping down cabinets and wiping down the table. All of my kids ranging from 5-12 help with all of these chores, though my 5-year-old gets a little grace–for the bathrooms he sticks to the tub and floor and if he uses the vacuum I can expect I may need to redo some areas.
Is there anything you love to do when you’re stuck inside?