10 Best Indoor Activities For Kids During Winters

Winter is the time for hibernation. It’s when the sun goes down and the cold creeps in. But there are ways to keep your kids occupied even if you're stuck inside the home all day long. These fun activities that will get your kids moving and keep them active. This blog explores the many benefits of indoor activities for kids during winter months and provides ideas and suggestions for fun hobbies while staying indoors.

Importance of Indoor Activities for Kids

Indoor activities are crucial for children during winter as they provide a safe and controlled environment for them to play and learn in. These activities help children to develop their cognitive, social, and physical skills while keeping them active and engaged. Indoor activities also allow children to bond with their family and friends and encourage creativity and imagination to foster. Additionally, indoor activities keep children warm and protect them from bad weather too.

How Can Indoor Activities Benefit Children?

Indoor activities can benefit children in several ways:

1. They help children develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and develop overall physical dexterity.
2. Indoor activities can enhance children's creativity, imagination, and problem-solving skills through engaging games, puzzles and art projects.
3. Indoor activities can also improve children's social skills, providing them with opportunities to interact with others, learn to share and develop empathy.
4. Indoor activities can also help increase children's focus and concentration, providing a beneficial break from technology and screens.

Indoor activities offer a wealth of benefits for children and are essential to their physical, mental and social development.

Indoor activities help children in:

Physical development: 

Engaging in indoor activities can promote physical development, through play, exercise, or games that involve movement.

Mental stimulation: 

Indoor activities can provide mental stimulation and challenge, helping to develop cognitive skills and foster creativity.

Emotional well-being: 

Indoor activities can provide a sense of accomplishment, boosting self-esteem and promoting emotional well-being.

Socialising: 

Indoor activities can provide opportunities for children to interact with their peers, build relationships, and develops their social skills.

Safety: 

Certain indoor activities may be safer than outdoor activities, reducing the risk of injury or harm.

Relief from boredom: 

Indoor activities can provide entertainment and alleviate boredom, particularly on rainy or cold days.

Skill building: 

Engaging in indoor activities such as arts, crafts, or educational games can help children develop various skills and knowledge.

Ten Best Indoor Activities For Your Child In The Winter

Winter season can be challenging for kids as they are cooped up inside due to the cold weather. However, with some creativity and planning, indoor activities can provide fun ways for kids to stay active in the winter. Here are ten of our favourites:

1. Arts and crafts

Arts and crafts are a great way to keep kids busy while helping them get creative too. Art is a great way to develop chidrens’ motor skills and help them learn about colours and shapes. When you're doing arts and crafts with your kids, let them explore their creativity by giving them a free hand and letting them create what they wish to. 

Here are some options:

Painting: Encourage kids to express themselves by painting with watercolours, tempera, or acrylic paints. They can also make hand footprints or paint on paper or canvas.

Paper crafts: Origami, paper aeroplanes, paper mache, collages, and paper flowers are just a few examples of paper crafts that kids can make.

Clay modelling: Playdough, air-dry clay, and modelling clay are excellent materials for kids to sculpt and mould.

Sewing and knitting: Teach kids basic stitching, knitting or crocheting skills. They can do simple projects like scarves, bookmarks, or stuffed animals.

These indoor activities will help your child develop imagination, creativity and fine motor skills. They will also allow children to learn new skills while improving their hand-eye coordination. Arts and crafts are an excellent indoor activity and a fun way to teach kids new skills.

2. Sensory activities

Sensory activities are fun and educational indoor games for kids. These activities stimulate the five senses - sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste - and help develop a child's sensory awareness (1). Here are some ideas for sensory activities:

1. Touch: Fill different containers with different textures, such as rice, sand, or spaghetti, and let kids feel and explore them. 
2. Smell: Provide kids with a variety of household items, such as spices, herbs, perfumes, or soaps, to smell and identify.
3. Sound: Give kids a selection of musical instruments or everyday objects, such as pots and pans, to create and explore different sounds.
4. Taste: Let kids taste different foods, such as fruits, vegetables, or spices, and encourage them to describe their taste and texture.
5. Sight: Provide kids with a selection of objects, such as toys, coins, or shells, to feel and identify by touch alone.

These sensory activities provide kids with an opportunity to learn and explore and help develop their memory and cognitive skills. They are an excellent way to keep kids engaged and entertained indoors.

3. Indoor obstacle course

An indoor obstacle course is a fun and active game for kids. Here's how to set it up:

1. Gather materials: You'll need various household items such as boxes, chairs, blankets, pillows to create obstacles.
2. Create the course: Arrange the items in a creative and challenging way to form an obstacle course. Encourage kids to crawl under tables, jump over pillows, and navigate around boxes.
3. Time each other: Have kids race through the course one at a time, trying to beat their own previous time or their friend’s times.
4. Variations: Mix up the game by adding additional challenges, such as crawling through a tunnel made of blankets or jumping on one foot over the obstacles.

This indoor game is a great way to encourage kids to be active and have fun. It helps improve their physical agility, coordination, and balance, and they can quickly adapt to their skill level and age.

4. Dance party

The best part about this activity is that you get to dance with your kids! You can play any music, but if you're going for a full-on dance party, make sure it's something fun. You can even make up some moves or mime along with the songs. The possibilities are endless regarding what kind of music will get everyone moving and grooving together.

If you have enough space in your house (and if your kids are quite young), invite some of their friends over so they can join in on all the fun too! Make sure everyone has something comfortable on their feet so they won't trip over each other while trying new moves together; also, provide snacks/drinks depending on how long this activity lasts.

5. Play dough time!

Playdough is a fun and educational indoor game for kids. Here's how to play it:

1. Gather materials: You will need play dough (homemade or store-bought) and any small items you have around the house, such as cookie cutters, rolling pins, and plastic utensils.
2. Encourage creativity: Let kids explore the play dough and create whatever they want, such as animals, shapes, or people.
3. Add challenges: Provide kids specific challenges, such as creating a particular shape or object or making a picture with the play dough.
4. Use tools: Encourage kids to use tools they’ve been provided with to shape, roll, and mould the play dough.

This indoor game is a great way to encourage kids to be creative and explore their imagination. It also helps develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Plus, they can enjoy a fun and mess-free activity indoors.

6. Pool noodle challenge

What is a Pool Noodle?

Pool noodles are flexible plastic tubes found at any pool store. They're usually used as floatation devices but also work well for this activity. To play the Pool Noodle Challenge, you need a pool noodle and some creativity. Here's what else you'll need:

1. Pool Noodles: You will need at least one pool noodle, but you may use multiple ones to make it more challenging.
2. Open Space: You will need a large open area, such as a living room, playroom or basement, to set up the obstacle course.
3. Optional: You can add optional items like balls, cones, or other household items to make the course more challenging or exciting.

 How to play?

1. Create an obstacle course using the pool noodle: Have kids weave in and out of the noodle, jump over it, crawl under it, etc.
2. Time each other: Children can race through the course, trying to beat their own or each other's times.
3. Variations: Mix up the game by adding extra challenges like balancing a ball on the noodle, crawling through it like a tunnel, or jumping on one foot.

This game is fun and helps improve kids' coordination, balance, and agility. Plus, it's a great way to encourage friendly competition and physical activity indoors.

Note: Please ensure all children are supervised when playing with sharp objects such as knives/box cutters, especially younger ones who haven't developed motor skills.

7. Building challenge

The Building Challenge is a fun and educational indoor game for kids. Here's how to play:

1. Gather materials: You will need building blocks, such as LEGO, Mega Bloks, or blocks of wood, and any other materials you have available, such as cardboard boxes, paper tubes, or empty containers.
2. Set the challenge: Give kids a specific challenge, such as building the tallest tower, a bridge, or a house. You can also provide a theme, such as a castle or a spaceship.
3. Time limit: Set a time limit for the challenge, such as 15 or 30 minutes, to add an element of excitement and urgency.
4. Compare and admire: When time is up, have kids show and respect each other's creations. Encourage them to talk about what they built, how they made it, and what they learned.

This indoor game is a great way to encourage kids to use their imagination, creativity, and problem-solving skills. It also helps develop their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Building challenges can be adapted to kids of different ages and skill levels, making it an excellent indoor activity for families.

8. Scavenger hunt

Scavenger hunts are a great way to get kids moving and have fun. They can be educational and challenging, depending on how you set up the hunt.

Here's how to set it up:

1. Make a list: Create a list of items for kids to find, such as a red pen, a rubber band, or a picture of a cat. You can also include riddles or puzzles to make it more challenging.
2. Hide the items: Hide the items around the house and make sure they are in plain sight but not too easy to find.
3. Start the hunt: Give kids the list of items they need to find and let them start the scavenger hunt. You can encourage them to work together or compete against each other.
4. Time limit: Set a time limit for the scavenger hunt, such as 15 or 30 minutes, to add an element of excitement and urgency.

This indoor game is a great way to encourage kids to use their observation skills, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. It also helps develop their memory and cognitive skills, and they can quickly adapt to different ages and skill levels. A scavenger hunt is an excellent indoor activity for families and a fun way to spend a rainy or winter day.

9. Board Games/Card Games

Board and card games are great ways of spending time with your family. When you play together, you can make new memories while having fun.

Here are some popular options:

1. Board Games: Monopoly, Scrabble, Snakes and Ladders, Chess, Checkers, Backgammon.
2. Card Games for kids: Uno, Go Fish

These games provide kids with hours of entertainment and help develop critical thinking, strategy, and problem-solving skills. They also encourage kids to learn maths skills and improve their memory. Playing board and card games with family and friends is a great way to bond and have fun indoors.

10. Reading Time

Reading is an essential skill for kids to develop. It can help them learn about the world and is also suitable for their brain development. There are many classical stories for kids available. Reading helps kids learn new words and how to spell them too, which helps them in comprehension and expression.

Here are some interesting ideas:

• Read together with an adult.
• Making a cosy reading corner with pillows, blankets, and books.
• Encourage independent reading time with a designated quiet area.
• Create a reading challenge where kids earn rewards for reaching certain milestones.

FAQs

Q1: How can I keep my child engaged in activities indoors?

Ans: There are many ways to keep your child occupied when no toys or other activities are available. You can try some of the following ideas:

• Provide educational or brain-challenging games, such as Sudoku or crossword puzzles.
• Encourage physical activity, such as indoor exercises or dance parties
• Offer hands-on projects like arts and crafts, cooking, or gardening
• Play games together, such as board games.

Q2: Can a kid be engaged indoors without toys?

Ans: Yes, a child can be engaged indoors without toys by engaging in activities like:

• Reading books or telling stories.
• Playing games like charades, board games, or puzzles
• Doing arts and crafts projects, like drawing or painting
• Cooking or baking
• Exercise or dance
• Engaging in educational activities, like learning a new language or skill.

Conclusion

We hope that this list of indoor activities for kids has given you some ideas on how to keep your kids busy during the winter season. No matter what type of weather you're facing outside, there are always ways to keep them occupied inside.

Also Read

Ways to help kids beat the cold chills