We live in Iowa. This means 3 things: corn, nice people, and harsh winters. I've always dreaded winter's arrival, but I dread it even more now that I have kids. We spend more time than we'd like indoors, but I'm always have ideas for those days or weekends we get snowed in or it's too cold to go anywhere. Here's our 100 favorite indoor activities that we reserve for winter time:
2.) Color forms
3.) Cardboard blocks
4.) Cardboard playhouse (or make your own with large boxes)
5.) Obstacle course. Use pillows, Lego's, whatever to make a course
7.) Boxes. Stop by your local grocery store if you're in need of boxes (usually the larger the box the better according to kids)
8.) Movie theater in the living room
9.) Tea party
10.) Hot chocolate bar
11.) Soup day. Spend a day making and trying all kinds of soup. Let kids help pick out recipes and make them
12.) Kids yoga (or any other exercise "class"). Check out Youtube for the how to's
13.) Game day. Play board games all day. Some of our favorite: Don't Spill the Beans, Uno, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Connect 4, Don't Break The Ice, and Disney Hedbanz
14.) Over the door basketball hoop game.
15.) Indoor baseball. This is not for those with glass houses
16.) Bowling
17.) Bag toss
18.) Balloon/beach ball volleyball (see an example here)
19.) Playing with ice (see how we did that here)
20.) Baking soda and vinegar. Makes for some really fun and cool experiments
21.) Make your own Play Doh
22.) Stickers
23.) Puff Paints. Grab bags from Dollar Tree or cheap tees to use
24.) Sensory bins
25.) Tents. We've been known to set up our camping tent in the middle of the living room on long gloomy days
26.) Make a fort
27.) Dance party
28.) Hot Wheel races
29.) Dirty cars (Chocolate pudding and any little cars)
30.) Crayola tub paints
31.) Window markers
32.) Insta snow or Baking soda snow (find an example here)
33.) Balloons
34.) Potions Party
35.) Slime
36.) Play with shaving cream
37.) Goop
38.) "Find the...." game. Have one child hide a toy (of any size, of their choosing) and the other kids find it
39.) Make your own decorations (examples here)
40.) Gym day with mattresses. Lay mattress on the floor (we've been known to move our's to the living room) and let the kids jump around
41.) Books Day
42.) Kinectic Sand
43.) Create your own treasure hunt
44.) Hide n' seek
45.) Indoor ball pit (you can buy one or make your own with a kiddie pool and plastic balls)
46.) Cooking. Bake up your favorite goodies or try a new recipe for a meal
47.) Dress up
48.) Play restaurant
49.) Bake and decorate cookies
50.) "Lazer" Maze (get ideas here)
51.) Paint your own canvas
52.) Make noodle necklaces
53.) Lava lamp experiment
54.) Puppet theater (you can easily make your own with a cardboard box)
55.) Chalk drawings (use sidewalk chalk or classroom chalk and draw on construction paper)
56.) A slide inside (a Little Tikes slide works great)
57.) Water table/bin
58.) Bouncy ball paintings
59.) Make your own bouncy balls
60.) Make masks out of paper plates
61.) Lego's
62.) Hot potato
63.) Simon Says
64.) Cookie cutters. Paint with them, play with play dough, make cookies. So many options
65.) Puzzles
66.) Flour "sand"
67.) Muffin Party
68.) Pizza Party
69.) Pet Rescue Center
70.) Make your own games
71.) Chocolate sensory play
72.) Grow capsules
73.) Water beads
74.) Shaving cream paint
75.) Salt dough ornaments/3D figures
76.) Hatching eggs
77.) Painting bird house(s). Nothing like working on a spring project in the middle of winter
78.) Face painting
79.) Pudding painting
80.) Pillow fight
81.) Trampoline
82.) Magnets
83.) Photo booth
84.) Car wash
85.) Make your own wooden blocks
86.) Water bottle shakers
87.) Play grocery store
88.) Kool Aid snow painting
89.) Play dinosaurs (examples here)
90.) Bop Balloons. Dollar Tree has three packs
91.) Paper airplanes. Make them and have races
92.) Magnets
93.) Make your own music video/video/play/etc
94.) Make cardboard swords
95.) Play pirates with cardboard swords
96.) Make your own puppets. Use brown paper bags and decorate
97.) Crossword puzzles/word find/checkers (great games for older kids)
98.) Make your own crayons. Use up those half broken crayons, an ice cube tray, and the microwave
99.) Build things with mini marshmallows and toothpicks
100.) Fun with flashlights. Take advantage of the sun setting early (incredibly early) and save some electricity. Use flashlights to make shadow puppets (followed by a game of "can you tell what I'm making?") or play hide n' seek in the dark or my kids favorite (which always ends in someone getting hurt) is tag in the dark.
9.) Tea party
10.) Hot chocolate bar
11.) Soup day. Spend a day making and trying all kinds of soup. Let kids help pick out recipes and make them
12.) Kids yoga (or any other exercise "class"). Check out Youtube for the how to's
13.) Game day. Play board games all day. Some of our favorite: Don't Spill the Beans, Uno, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Connect 4, Don't Break The Ice, and Disney Hedbanz
14.) Over the door basketball hoop game.
15.) Indoor baseball. This is not for those with glass houses
16.) Bowling
17.) Bag toss
18.) Balloon/beach ball volleyball (see an example here)
19.) Playing with ice (see how we did that here)
20.) Baking soda and vinegar. Makes for some really fun and cool experiments
21.) Make your own Play Doh
22.) Stickers
23.) Puff Paints. Grab bags from Dollar Tree or cheap tees to use
24.) Sensory bins
25.) Tents. We've been known to set up our camping tent in the middle of the living room on long gloomy days
26.) Make a fort
27.) Dance party
28.) Hot Wheel races
29.) Dirty cars (Chocolate pudding and any little cars)
30.) Crayola tub paints
31.) Window markers
32.) Insta snow or Baking soda snow (find an example here)
33.) Balloons
34.) Potions Party
35.) Slime
36.) Play with shaving cream
37.) Goop
38.) "Find the...." game. Have one child hide a toy (of any size, of their choosing) and the other kids find it
39.) Make your own decorations (examples here)
40.) Gym day with mattresses. Lay mattress on the floor (we've been known to move our's to the living room) and let the kids jump around
41.) Books Day
42.) Kinectic Sand
43.) Create your own treasure hunt
44.) Hide n' seek
45.) Indoor ball pit (you can buy one or make your own with a kiddie pool and plastic balls)
46.) Cooking. Bake up your favorite goodies or try a new recipe for a meal
47.) Dress up
48.) Play restaurant
49.) Bake and decorate cookies
50.) "Lazer" Maze (get ideas here)
51.) Paint your own canvas
52.) Make noodle necklaces
53.) Lava lamp experiment
54.) Puppet theater (you can easily make your own with a cardboard box)
55.) Chalk drawings (use sidewalk chalk or classroom chalk and draw on construction paper)
56.) A slide inside (a Little Tikes slide works great)
57.) Water table/bin
58.) Bouncy ball paintings
59.) Make your own bouncy balls
60.) Make masks out of paper plates
61.) Lego's
62.) Hot potato
63.) Simon Says
64.) Cookie cutters. Paint with them, play with play dough, make cookies. So many options
65.) Puzzles
66.) Flour "sand"
67.) Muffin Party
68.) Pizza Party
69.) Pet Rescue Center
70.) Make your own games
71.) Chocolate sensory play
72.) Grow capsules
73.) Water beads
74.) Shaving cream paint
75.) Salt dough ornaments/3D figures
76.) Hatching eggs
77.) Painting bird house(s). Nothing like working on a spring project in the middle of winter
78.) Face painting
79.) Pudding painting
80.) Pillow fight
81.) Trampoline
82.) Magnets
83.) Photo booth
84.) Car wash
85.) Make your own wooden blocks
86.) Water bottle shakers
87.) Play grocery store
88.) Kool Aid snow painting
89.) Play dinosaurs (examples here)
90.) Bop Balloons. Dollar Tree has three packs
91.) Paper airplanes. Make them and have races
92.) Magnets
93.) Make your own music video/video/play/etc
94.) Make cardboard swords
95.) Play pirates with cardboard swords
96.) Make your own puppets. Use brown paper bags and decorate
97.) Crossword puzzles/word find/checkers (great games for older kids)
98.) Make your own crayons. Use up those half broken crayons, an ice cube tray, and the microwave
99.) Build things with mini marshmallows and toothpicks
100.) Fun with flashlights. Take advantage of the sun setting early (incredibly early) and save some electricity. Use flashlights to make shadow puppets (followed by a game of "can you tell what I'm making?") or play hide n' seek in the dark or my kids favorite (which always ends in someone getting hurt) is tag in the dark.
Still looking for ideas? Here's how I keep the daycare kids busy throughout the sometimes gloomy days of winter.