Indoor Winter Fun with Your Kids

I’m a wannabe California girl. I wish those Beach Boys were singing about me. I (could totally) Get Around in a Little Deuce Coupe and have Fun Fun Fun while Surfin USA and I could do it All Summer Long. Every winter I wonder why we don’t live on the sunny California coast. During the bitter cold months I spray just a touch of sunscreen on myself to get a whiff of summer. It gives me a little of the beach life when I’m looking at five feet of dirty snow.

I never realized how much the weather can dictate my life before I had children. When the weather is warm and sunny we can run outside, collect seashells, playground hop, ride a bike and on and on. When it’s bitter cold, windy, blizzarding – well the options are much more limited. So before I go stir crazy this winter (and, yes, I am grateful for the very mild winter so far but I’m a planner), I brainstormed a list of fun indoor activities to do with kids. They don’t require much preparation, you don’t have to drive anywhere and you will be promoting exercise, teamwork and laughter.

Musical Interpretation Game. I love watching my kids dance. I get such a kick out of it and it’s interesting to see their "moves" (I swear I don’t know how they point and pose like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. Could the disco ball downstairs have anything to do with this?). I rotate the music genres channels (Latin, Classical, Jazz, Dance/Electronica, Reggae and more) on the television. For Cox customers, these channels are in the 900s. I ask the kids to dance to each type of music; it’s a lot of fun to see how their dance moves change with each type of music.

Freeze Dance is also a fun way for the kids (and moms) to get their energy (stress) out. Entertaining for adults, too. Most of the entire back of my house is windows so it’s entertaining for my neighbors as well.

Treasure Hunt. When asked, “Paper or plastic?” at your next grocery checkout, choose paper to transform it into a vintage treasure map. Be creative by drawing your map, crinkle it up and sear the edges with a map to give it that authentic look. The "treasure" can be homemade chocolate chip cookies, coins, gum or other goodies.

The good old cardboard box. My two kids created a fort out of one, kept it in the living room for three months and put up a fuss when I said it finally had to be recycled. The trees will smile when you recycle it, I told them with a smile. That’s a really nice environmentally, politically correct, mommy way to say it’s time to trash it.

Cupcake Decorating Contest. Kids love this and they get to eat their creation as their prize. Go beyond sprinkles by providing gummy worms, smarties, colored sugar, candies, licorice, etc. It’s a great way to use up Halloween candy, if you still have any left over. I never do.

Jell-O worms. For all those little boys out there ... what happens when you put Jell-O in a straw? Jell-O worms! Put them in a bowl of crushed Oreo cookies and you just made Worms In Dirt. Nature never tasted so delicious. Instructions can be found here. 

Oscar Party. February is a big month in my house. First and foremost, it’s Madison’s birthday. Then Valentine’s Day and the Academy Awards. We celebrate all of these. The three girls have an Oscar Party and it’s a chance to get glammed out to the hilt. The glitzier, the better. We hit Forever 21, Dots and Rainbow for our Red Carpet fashion. We roll out a red carpet (a plastic red tablecloth), pose for the paparazzi (my husband), and strut our stuff. High-heeled shoes, big dark sunglasses and my mom’s costume jewelry are a must.

Make your own board game. Think Candy Land style. Some of my board squares would be: Land on This Spot and Eat 10 M&Ms; You Burnt Dinner (Lose a Turn); or You Forgot My Birthday (Go Back to Start).

Relay Races. Siblings can team up as Kids Against Parents or Girls Vs. Boys; however it works best at your house. Try crab walking, kartwheeling, wheelbarrow style, or commando belly crawl as some silly relay legs.