Activities to do with Kids in the Winter

Well, we’re closing in on 100 inches of snow for the season. Over forty inches of that fell just in the month of February. Mix in a little freezing rain, days of temperatures in the twenties and teens and wind chills below zero, and you’ve got the perfect conditions for catching cabin fever. It’s March 2nd now. It’s in the forties and all that snow is finally melting. But the end of winter isn’t in sight yet. They’re calling for more cold and snow in just a few days.

So what do you do with an energetic three-year-old when you can’t go outside for more than 20 minutes because the wind will freeze your nose off ? If you don’t keep his hands busy and his mind occupied he’ll climb the walls, literally. I saw him try. He’ll also use your couch for a trampoline, scatter all your pots, pans and kitchen utensils from one end of the house to the other, scribble on your fridge with crayons (saves you the trouble of having to hang the art up with magnets) and grind red play dough in to your carpet.

Here’s a few photos of what we did this winter while we were trapped inside for days and loosing our minds.

Our little fishing hole in the middle of the living room. We made fish out of construction paper and glued on magnets. The fishing pole is fashioned from string and the handle of my Swiffer Sweeper that I don’t use, because Swiffer can’t handle the mess on my kitchen floor. (Notice the Legos that are scattered about. Bored with making things out of them after a long winter, now he just likes to dump them out of the box all over the floor. I think he does it because he knows it drives me nuts.)

Reeling in the Big One. It’s at least a 1 ouncer!

Frying the catch of the day over a camp fire.

Come and get it!

We made crowns from construction paper and glued on some shiny things I bought in the craft section at Walmart. A Superman cape completes the royal outfit. I’m not sure what he’s doing. Showing off his kingly strength with push-ups or something, I guess.