Buzz
Now that the holiday season has passed, but the long, dreary days of winter remain, you might be wondering how to keep your children entertained and active in the coming months. For those living in colder regions, January, February, and even March—often referred to as 'February #2'—can feel endless, with April being an unpredictable month as well.
If you're searching for new indoor activities to help your kids burn off energy and make the most of their time, you're in the right place. Let’s dive into some creative ideas.
Begin, as I suggest, by focusing on the senses.
Design a sensory exploration box
Young children, especially toddlers and preschoolers, thrive when they can explore and learn through multiple senses. You can create a sensory experience using items you already have at home. Start by selecting a container, such as a plastic tub, a box, or a large bowl. Then, fill it with interesting materials like shredded paper, packing peanuts, dried beans, or pasta (uncooked short noodles or cooked long noodles tossed with olive oil to prevent sticking).
Each material offers a unique sensory experience, engaging their sense of touch, smell, sight, and even sound as they play. You can also incorporate small toys to encourage imaginative play.
Up next: A sensory activity that you will love too.
Craft with air-dry clay
During our “Happier Week” last summer, Mytour’s managing editor Joel Cunningham discovered a simple yet fulfilling activity to enjoy with his kids—something they all loved, rather than repeating the same exhausting routines. He purchased a $15 pack of this material and gathered the entire family to create the assortment of figures shown above.
Now, let’s move on to something more active.
Set up a bubble wrap hopscotch game indoors
While outdoor hopscotch is a timeless favorite, I’d argue that indoor bubble wrap hopscotch takes the fun to a whole new level. It’s simple to set up, and you likely have all the supplies from your recent holiday shopping. The kids will adore it, and you won’t be able to resist joining in for a few rounds.
If this activity was a success, you’ll definitely want to try oversized inflatable dice next.
Toss some giant dice
The rules are straightforward: Grab a set of two of these large dice. Use one for numbers and the other for writing their favorite exercises—like frog jumps, bunny hops, high knees, butt-kickers, and mountain-climbers—on each side using a Sharpie. They roll the dice and perform the specified number of the chosen exercise.
It’s entertaining, keeps them active, and helps burn off their excess energy in short, energetic bursts.
Once they’re worn out, they can settle down and focus on creating videos.
Produce stop-motion animation films
The stop-motion animation video above might not win any awards—but it was only the second try by me and my (then) eight-year-old son, and we had an incredible time creating it. It was a true family collaboration: my son crafted the story, I handled the camera, and my husband figured out how to make the helicopter appear to “fly” away.
You can (and should) spend countless hours immersed in this activity.
When you find yourself in the midst of the day’s darker moments...
Organize glow-in-the-dark games
I initially recommended these glow game ideas for the Winter Solstice, the shortest day (and longest night) of the year. But if things still feel gloomy—and let’s face it, they do—there’s no need to restrict glow games to just one night a year. Glow sticks bring joy every night of the year.
But what’s next for tomorrow?
Create “boredom jars”
If boredom persists—or you expect it to return tomorrow—involve your kids in making “boredom jars.” Collaborate to brainstorm engaging indoor activities for when creativity runs low. Ideas could include writing a comic, baking cookies, or staging a puppet show—the options are limitless. Customize the jars by creating one per child or separating activities into solo and family-friendly categories.
