The hustle and bustle of the holidays has come to a close. The lights and decorations are all put away and the new toys of Christmas have lost their luster. But it’s only January and there is a lot of winter still ahead – which means a lot of cabin fever.
It can be tempting to simply let your kids waste their days watching movies or playing video games during the winter. But physical and mental exercise during those long gray days doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Here are ten ideas to help you spend some quality time with your kids while improving their health.
Get Outside In The Snow
Even if it’s a little brisk outside, doctors recommend fresh air, sunshine, and exercise. Buddle up and head outside with the kids. Build a snow fort or a snowman, or have a snowball fight if you can try to find a good sledding hill in your area.
Doctors agree that vitamin D is essential to your mental and physical well-being, and many of us struggle with lower levels in the winter months. While it does take some effort – bundle up and get outside to soak up some winter sun.
Create An Indoor Silly Workout Routine
Research has proven consistent movement and exercise boost the body’s immune system. So, if the weather isn’t cooperating for outdoor fun, collaborate with your kids and create a fun and silly workout routine.
Ideas include crab walking, Simon says, musical chairs, or building an obstacle course.
Do A Dance Or Karaoke Party
If you have a gaming system, purchase or borrow a dance game from the library. If you don’t, there are plenty of options available online. You can also go online and find free karaoke or sing-a-long videos.
Have each participant pick out a dance or song for everyone to compete with. Research has shown that dancing is an excellent alternative to traditional exercise and has positive psychological benefits in children.
Make Snow Dough For Sensory Play
Create your own snow dough using two simple ingredients; conditioner and baking soda. Make a few different batches and add some food coloring for added fun.
Therapists love to use playdough and other types of dough to improve kids’ fine motor skills, encourage creativity, and build resilience.
Ballon Volleyball Or Ping Pong
No helium is required; simply inflate a few (or a lot) of balloons and play volleyball or “keep up.” For additional fun create ‘ping pong paddles’ using paper plates and craft sticks.
This activity provides entertainment and exercise and improves gross motor skills. Plus, if you have Bluey fans in your home, they’ll love playing “Keepy Uppy” with the whole family.
Play A Game Of Family Charades
Bring out your inner child by playing a game of charades. Pick up a set that has different age difficulties so everyone can be challenged. Or create your own themed game using favorite movies or family activities.
Playing charades has been shown to improve non-verbal body language and sensory and cognitive skills.
Make A Fort
Building forts has excellent psychological benefits, according to therapists. Fort building helps children develop planning skills, builds resilience, promotes problem-solving, and can build teamwork skills.
There are lots of great fort kits on the market to choose from, but really, you can use anything in your house. Kitchen chairs are often a great height for kids. To add some extra pizzaz, repurpose those Christmas lights by adding them to the inside of the fort.
Indoor Ice Skates
This is one of the easiest activities to do with your kids. Simply place your child’s foot in an empty plastic grocery sack, tie it on, and you are good to go! This activity works best on wood floors and carpets.
Create a rink or course through your house for extra fun and see who is the fastest. Just remove the bags when done and keep them out of reach of very young children.
Color By Number Paintings Or Coloring Sheets
Did you know coloring has mental health benefits? Coloring can decrease stress, increase mindfulness, and help you focus on the present. Coloring also improves fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and attention to detail for children.
Lots of printable free color-by-number sheets are available online. Or if you want to take it to the next level purchase a color-by-number winter scene, when complete use it as decoration.
Do A Large Family Puzzle
Research has shown that, similar to coloring, puzzles can improve mindfulness and reduce stress. They also help increase concentration and short-term memory. When done with family puzzles, they also become a team-building activity and create family connections.
As an added bonus, you can go very simple, to help your children find a love for puzzles and then move onto more complex puzzles in the future, helping them grow their confidence at the same time!
