With a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old at home, oftentimes it's all I can do to get through the day alive. No really. Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating, but winter feels like the longest season of my life. We (maybe me more than the kids) miss the pool, the playground, long walks with the stroller and just being able to play outside without putting on 50 layers of clothing.
Staying indoors during the Polar Vortex was SO much fun! (yes, that is sarcasm) After about a day of moping, I decided I would take matters into my own hands and utilize the greatness that is arts & crafts! I didn't even care if there was a huge mess. The silence it buys me is worth the time it takes to clean.
So what activities did we do?
- Finger paints - that ended up all over the table, faces, bodies and chairs.
- Baking - Molly (3) likes to stir the dry ingredients (as they spill over onto the counter) and taste the spillage (brown sugar...mmmm). Burke (1) just eats the finished product.
- Watercolors - this is just a Molly project which usually ends with her "cleaning" up the table with the bowl of water and paper towel I give her.
- Dance party - I turn off the TV and put on some fun music that we dance around to. Bonus - this gets them nice and tired for naps.
- Play-Doh - not for babies, but for 3-year-olds, you could easily buy an hour of time.
- Coloring - always a classic but we're working on it with Burke as he like to eat crayons.
- Baths - no seriously, they love playing in the bath with their toys so it's a fun way to break up the day
- Tepee - Molly has a tepee in her room and it provides endless entertainment crawling in and out of it.
- Movies - you can't survive winter without movies!
- Boxes - empty boxes are pretty much the best entertainment ever. Seriously! Why do we spend money on fancy toys?
Doing activities like these make the day go by so fast and by the time they are ready for bed they totally crash. It's awesome! As much as I miss the warm weather, at least we are surviving the winter without going completely stir crazy.
What are your favorite indoor activities?
