Surviving Winter: 25 Fun + Easy Indoor Activities for Kids

Planning activities for kids can be exhausting, but especially so during the cold winter months when stroller walks, parks, and splash pads aren’t an option. You can only sing so many songs and play with the same old toys, and not to mention, your kid is already wayyyy past his “screen time” limit. #isitspringyet? It’s easy to get a little cabin fever this time of year; moms and kids everywhere are itching to get outside and breathe some fresh air. But what do we until then??

I put together a list for you (and me) of activities for kids when you’re stuck inside. If you’re not a fancy-schmancy-everything-I-do-looks-like-it-came-from-Pinterest kinda mom, have no fear! I’m not either! This list is made up of things that are actually fun, require little effort, and almost all of them you can do with the things you have in your own home.

25 Fun Indoor Activities for Kids

1. Build a couch fort– add sheets, blankets and tons of pillows
2. Bake something and let the kids help measure, mix, and pour!
3. Make your own musical instruments with paper towel and toilet paper tubes– fill them with dried noodles or beads and then cover the ends. Don’t forget to decorate them and then make sure the band puts on a show!
4. Play with legos and see who can build the tallest tower
5. Bath time with extra bubbles and bath toys (this is our fav bath toy)
6. Cut out paper snowflakes– great scissor skills practice!
7. Build an obstacle course with pillows, chairs, and whatever else you can find
8. Play hide and seek
9. Bust out the Play-Doh and see what your little one creates! This is our favorite set!
10. Play with Post It notes– you can have your child stick them on the walls or play a game where they have to find all the Post Its that you’ve placed around the house (this is also good for counting if you number them)
11. Have a dance party– let your child choose some of the songs on the playlist and show off your best moves!
12. Nesting bowls, measuring spoons, and tupperware… let your kid have access to the non-breakable things in your kitchen to play with
13. Have a book reading marathon!
14. Make necklaces out of popcorn or dried pasta
15. Some good ol’ fashioned coloring!
16. Bowling down the hallway– set up some plastic cups and use a rubber ball to roll down the hallway and knock the “pins” down
17. Do some puzzles with your little one. HERE and HERE some of Olivia’s favorite puzzles.
18. Make a couple sensory bins for your child to explore (use things like kinetic sand, shaving cream, pasta, beans)
19. Play dress up and have a photo shoot
20. Play Simon Says and see if you can say “Simon says pick up your toys!” 😉
21. Make some puppets with some socks or brown paper bags and have a puppet show
22. Finger painting (this one is for the brave mamas)
23. Stickers– buy a bunch of stickers from the dollar store and let them make sticker art on a big piece of paper or a cardboard box
24. Play a board game! We love Hi Ho Cherry-O, CandyLand, Chutes and Ladders, and Memory
25. Play “snowball” bozo buckets– line up some cups on the floor and use cotton balls or balled up socks to toss in the cups

I know that sometimes entertaining children can be utterly draining, tiring, and even a bit boring, but hopefully this list is enough to see you through until warmer weather arrives. What activities for kids do you have up your sleeve?

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XO,

L