Don’t let the cold outside and lockdown restrictions keep you and your family from having fun this winter. Here are some fun activities to keep everyone entertained and busy while being stuck indoors. Let the games begin!
Visit virtual museums
Did you know that you can explore exhibitions online? Google Arts and Culture have partnered with museums and galleries all over the world to bring us digital access to the world’s top exhibits. There are wild and wonderful discoveries to be made and ancient worlds to be explored. This is an activity that is fun for the whole family and won’t cost a cent.
Family cooking
This is an ideal opportunity to encourage family bonding time and get the kids out of their rooms and involved in a fun and engaging way. Start by planning healthy family meals together. Create a menu for the week and get the kids involved from choosing their favourite dishes to writing up shopping lists for it. This will teach them the importance of planning and budgeting. Then when it comes to meal prep and cooking for the younger kids get them involved with safe activities such as washing fruit and vegetables, peeling a boiled egg, dough kneading, garnishing a dish, or topping a pizza. The older kids can get involved with chopping up ingredients, stirring, blending, using kitchen appliances. It doesn’t have to be complicated, just have fun. Cleaning up is also important so be sure to delegate chores equally.
Fingerprint art
This is one of our favourite activities that is bound to keep kids of all ages (including mom and dad) occupied for hours. All you need is some finger paint in various colours (or ink stamps in various colours), black fine liner pen, and paper. Using only the tips of the fingers, create a fingerprint impression on the paper – think about what animal you can turn this print into (a frog, chicken, dog, etc.); allow the paint or ink to dry and then draw any detail that will make the animal pop out. Let your imaginations run wild to create a whole farm!
Paper-bag plays
This activity can be lots of fun, particularly in larger groups (perfect for playdates) and if there are a few outgoing extroverts in the mix. Divide the group into smaller teams of three or four people. Create a box or bag for each group containing a few props such as a wooden spoon, a beanie, a ball, socks, a tie, and so on – the props don’t have to be the same for each group. Give each group 10 to 15 minutes to come up with a little skit around the props. Then, let each group perform their skit while the other teams watch. We guarantee lots of laughs!
Family-photo bingo
This is a great game to help your children, especially toddlers, learn more about their family. For each child participating, give them nine family photos (make sure you include one for mommy, daddy, grandparents on each side, great grandparents that might still be alive and any aunts or uncles) and arrange them, randomly, into rows of three. Also hand each child nine checkers pieces, playing cards or cardboard squares, and ask them to hold onto these.
Next, randomly call out the names of the family members and allow your child to find the right picture and cover it with a piece of paper/checkers piece. Whoever gets three in a row, wins.
Make and then build your own puzzle
While building puzzles can train mental agility, making your own puzzle is also a great way to exercise creative ability. Simply let your kids draw a picture on a white piece of paper – encourage them to let their imaginations run wild. Then, glue it to a sturdy piece of cardboard (Bristol board works well); allow it to dry overnight – if you want to save time, let your children draw directly onto the board. Next, on the back of the board, outline the shape of puzzle pieces. Cut the pieces out with a good pair of scissors, mix them up and let the puzzle building begin!
Movie marathon
Winter was made for movie watching! Together, as a family, make a list of all the films you want to watch – even if it’s that one that the family has seen a thousand times. Then, set a day, get some treats, bring the blankets and pillows from your bedroom (why make a bed in front of the TV), and let the marathon begin.
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