Don’t let the cold outside keep you and your family from having fun this winter. Here are 10 activities to keep everyone entertained and busy while being stuck indoors. Let the games begin!
- Fingerprint art
This is one of our favourite activities that is bound to keep kids of all ages (including mom and dad) occupied for hours. All you need is some finger paint in various colours (or ink stamps in various colours), black fine liner pen and paper.
Using only the tips of the fingers, create fingerprint impression on the paper – think about what animal you can turn this print into (a frog, chicken, dog etc.); allow the paint or ink to dry and then draw any detail that will make the animal pop out. Let your imaginations run wild to create a whole farm!
- Paper-bag plays
This activity can be lots of fun, particularly in larger groups (perfect for play dates) and if there are a few outgoing extroverts in the mix.
Divide the group into smaller teams of three or four people. Create a box or bag for each group containing a few props such as a wooden spoon, a beanie, a ball, socks, a tie and so on – the props don’t have to be the same for each group. Give each group 10 to 15 minutes to come up with a little skit around the props. Then, let each group perform their skit while the other teams watch.
We guarantee lots of laughs!
- Name, Place, Animal and Thing
This game has entertained families for generations, so why not introduce it to your kids? We particularly love it, as it requires nothing more than a few pieces of paper and some general knowledge.
- On one piece of paper, write all 26 letters of the alphabet and circle each letter.
- Give a piece of paper for each player. At the top of every paper, create a top line and column for each subject: name, animal, place and thing (any object). You can add other items to the list such as cars and flowers. The last column should be labelled “points” to keep count of your score.
- Players take turns to randomly pick an alphabet letter from the alphabet sheet – this is best done with when the person who has to choose a letter close their eyes and, while someone else turn the piece of paper, pick a number by pointing to the piece of paper with their pen.
- Once a letter has been picked, each player needs to fill in a name, an animal, a place and a thing starting with the selected letter. Whoever finishes first will then count to 10. Once this time is up, the round is finished.
- For every correct answer, a player is rewarded 10 points; however, if any two players have the same answer, they only get 5 points. Where there is no entry, a player gets 0 points.
- Once you’ve worked your way through all 26 letters, add up the totals to find out who the winner is. Make sure there is a delicious treat or prize for the winner and runner up.
- Family-photo bingo
This is a great game to help your children, especially toddlers, learn more about their family. For each child participating, give them nine family photos (make sure you include one for mommy, daddy, grandparents on each side, great grandparents that might still be alive and any aunts or uncles) and arrange them, randomly, into rows of three. Also hand each child nine checkers pieces, playing cards or cardboard squares and ask them to hold onto these.
Next, randomly call out the names of the family members and allow your child to find the right picture and cover it with piece paper/checkers piece. Whoever gets three in a row, wins.
- Make believe picnic
If you can’t go outside for a picnic, then bring the picnic indoors! Get a few easy to snack on foods such as sandwiches, juice boxes, dried fruit, biltong and rice crackers. Add these to a picnic basket or re-usable material shopping bag (get the kids involved and let them pack it); don’t forget to add paper plates and napkins. Move the furniture out of the way in your lounge and lay a huge picnic blanket and some cushions on the floor. And, then, let the picnic begin!
- Decorate a cupcake
Let’s face it, every now and then, we all deserve a sweet treat. But instead of going through the effort of baking an entire cake and then decorating it, buy a few unfrosted sweet muffins (chocolate muffins are a winner!). Then, mix your own icing (for the adventurous among us, you can make a different coloured icing) and set up a few stations containing decorations such as nuts, sprinkles, smarties and so on. Next, let your kids have all the sweet fun in the world as they decorate their own one cupcake. This activity is perfect for indoor play dates.
- Create your own Grand Prix track
Most kids love playing with cars – especially if there’s an interesting racetrack involved. Pick up some masking tape from your local DIY store and let your children “draw” (by using the tape) a track around the lounge or, even better, throughout the house for their cars to drive on – the more elaborate the track, the longer the kids will play.
- Paint your own t-shirts
So, while it might not be T-shirt weather, it doesn’t mean you can’t dream of the warmer days to come. Grab a few inexpensive white shirts from a discount store or use one from the cupboard that might have a stain on it, and pick up some fabric paint to decorate their own T-shirt.
Before you let the kids go wild, make sure that you’ve placed a piece of cardboard in the middle the shirt, to avoid any transferring of the paint from the front of the shirt to the back of the shirt.
Once the paint has dried for 24-hours, then iron over it on a cool setting: place a paper towel in the middle of the shirt (again, to avoid transferring paint from the front of the shirt to the back) as well as over the painting to protect your iron. This will set the painting and allow it to last through washing.
- Movie marathon
Winter was made for movie watching! Together, as a family, make a list of all the films you want to watch – even if it’s that one that the family has seen a thousand times. Then, set a day, get some treats, bring the blankets and pillows from your bedroom (why make a bed in front of the TV) and let the marathon begin.
- Make and then build your own puzzle
While building puzzles can train mental agility, making your own puzzle is also a great way to exercise creative ability. Simply let your kids draw a picture on a white piece of paper – encourage them to let their imaginations run wild. Then, glue it to a sturdy piece of cardboard (Bristol board works well); allow it to dry overnight – if you want to save time, let your children draw directly onto the board. Next, on the back of the board, outline the shape of puzzle pieces. Cut the pieces out with a good pair of scissors, mix them up and let the puzzle building begin!
