The winter holidays might be over, but winter is sticking around for a while longer. Just because your kids might be back at school at this point, doesn’t mean that you won’t hear them telling you how bored they are every afternoon or drizzly weekend.
The good news is that having fun as a family doesn’t have to mean going outside into the freezing cold temperatures or spending the money you’ve been trying so hard to save. Here are some fun and creative things you can do with the kids during the winter months, without spending a penny.
Create a Cardboard Town
With a little luck, you’ll still have some cardboard left over from Christmas. If so, then you have everything you need for a full day of fun with your youngsters. Ideally, the box should be big enough for at least one of your kids to stand in. Once you’ve chosen your box, create a little town inside of it, with drawings, cut-out figures in cardboard, and even building blocks for skyscrapers. It’s a great way to let your kids’ imaginations run wild, and you don’t have to pay for any extra craft supplies.
Build a Fort
When it’s cold outside, all you want to do is snuggle up with blankets and pillows. Unfortunately, if your kids are feeling restless then an afternoon watching movies under a blanket is unlikely to sound like fun to them – unless of course, you suggest building a fort. Build your kids a den out of blankets and pillows, and grab some snacks if you have them, then snuggle down for the afternoon you always wanted. Your kids will love building something, while you’ll be able to enjoy the comfort of sitting down for a few hours.
Make Music Together
Make sure you don’t have any signs of a migraine coming on before you try this idea. Get all of your instruments, pots, pans, and anything else you can think of that makes noise together and give your kids the mission of making the best new song. You can even make it a full weekend affair by helping your child to come up with lyrics for their tune, and also letting them dress up for a performance one evening for you and your partner.
Bake Something Delicious
Most kids love an opportunity to bake, as it’s a chance for them to show off their creative side, then enjoy a sweet treat for all of their hard work. There are plenty of amazing recipes available online that were designed specifically for parents and their kids to bake together, so create a list of the ideas that you like the most. You might even be able to find a few recipes that require ingredients you already have in the house – which means you save more cash!
Create a Family Newsletter
You’ve probably seen “family newsletters” on television and in movies before, so why not try making one of your own. Assign your kids to figure out which stories should go into the newsletter, then ask them to write them up. If you don’t trust them to use a laptop just yet, you can always ask them to write on paper; then you can scan the stories into your computer and share them with your family over email. You can also have a day where you pick photos for the newsletter, choose fonts, and pick other graphics that you want to use to make it all stand out!
Try a Tiny Treasure Hunt
Everyone loves a treasure hunt, but you don’t want your kids ripping your house apart looking for the items on your list. With that in mind, why not create a tiny hunt instead? Ask your kids to look for miniature items like paper clips, a single pea, or a button, and ask them to fill a matchbox with the items that they find. The first one to come back to you with a completed matchbox wins. Even better, if your kids don’t find all the items, you don’t have to worry about a messy house.
Dance the Night Away
Finally, if you’ve got a streaming service like Spotify, or plenty of tunes on your computer, then ask your kids to pick their favorites and have yourselves a dance party! You can even invite some of your child’s friends over for a miniature disco in your home, complete with prizes for the best dancer. If you have any spare paper, let your kids make decorations with pens and crayons for the big event.
