Between scraping off your car, navigating icy roads and shoveling your driveway, the snowy season can often seem more like a nuisance than a winter wonderland. While cold weather certainly brings complications, it also provides the perfect backdrop for months of bonding and memory making with your children. In this spirit, we’ve compiled a primer on kid-friendly activities perfect for wintertime. Hopefully, it includes some old favorites from your childhood and introduces a few new ideas you can try out with your little ones. Enjoy!
Freezing temperatures mean that a majority of your downtime is spent inside, but don’t let that put a hamper on your fun. There are plenty of creative ways to captivate your kids and stay entertained on frosty afternoons indoors. Dust off your yummiest sugar cookie recipe and bake some seasonal cutouts: snowflakes, snowmen or holiday shapes are all fair game. After the cookies have cooled, decorate them with all the trimmings. Let your kids dye their own icing using food coloring and white frosting for some added artistic flare. And, of course, don’t forget the sprinkles!
For an imaginative afternoon in the family room, pull out some extra bedding and build the ultimate pillow fort. Old sheets work great for draping and couch cushions are perfect reinforcements. Use one or more kitchen chairs to give the structure some height. Once your fort is complete, bring a flashlight inside for silly ghost stories or cuddle up in your pajamas with hot chocolate and a good book.
When you’ve had enough of the indoors, bundle up and venture outside to explore your wintry surroundings. You don’t have to go far to have fun! Teach your children to make snow angels in your yard or build a funny snowman. Feeling ambitious? Make a whole snow family, complete with children and a snow pet. If the temperature is below 32°F, bring some bubble solution outside for an extra cool science experiment. Have your child blow a bubble, catch it on his or her wand and watch it freeze before your eyes!
If you’re willing to trek a bit further than your front yard, take your kids sledding or ice skating at one of the many locations around Cincinnati. Don’t forget that the Queen City is also situated close by many other metropolises with major kid-friendly attractions. Pick a weekend with good weather and travel to COSI in Columbus, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, or the Louisville Slugger Museum. An interactive, educational day trip is the perfect antidote to the winter doldrums.
Do you and your kids have a favorite wintertime activity? Share it with us in the comment section below!
