It's Cold Out There!! What Can We Do To Pass The Time?

The snow finally hit us. We had a green Christmas. This time last year we were buried in over 3 feet. My boys don't react well to the colder weather and over the years we have learned a few fun activities we can do, indoors. Not the regular things like painting, crafts, or board games but things we just made up. Whether it's freezing or raining, at least it keeps them busy!

1) Eye Spy: We don't do the original boring Eye Spy game. We make it physical by giving clues of things all over the house. "Eye Spy with my little eye, something that is white, rectangular, and downstairs." They either sit and think about what it could be or get up and go look!

2) The Mountain: When the boys were longer, we played a game of 'Mountain'. All cushions, pillows, quilts, in the entire house were brought into a central location to be piled as high as possible. They had a blast climbing through them, over them, around them, for hours. Great therapy. Sometimes at bedtime I would take ours (as in Hubby and I) stuff out of the pile and let them sleep in the mountain.

3) Hide'n'Go Dark Seek: This game is a huge hit, even now that they are older. We shut off every light in the house, including computer monitors and night lights. Each person takes a flashlight and we play hide and seek, in the dark! It's a great sensory experience. When my one son was scared of the dark, we partnered up and I honestly think this game got him over that fear.

4) Backwards Day: We would start our daily routine, backwards. Supper was eaten for breakfast and breakfast for supper. All the learning was done in backwards order. We even walked backwards and wore our clothes backwards (great incentive for the child with sensory issues with clothes in the house).

5) Summer in January: You have heard of Christmas in July of course. This is the opposite. We walked around in shorts, wore shades, swam in the bathtub with goggles on, drank lemonade, and enjoyed ice cream cones. We created suns to hang from the ceiling too!

6) Picture Quest: This is sort of like the Eye Spy game, but with a camera. Take pictures of things close up and then have the children try and guess what the picture belongs too. For example: The material on the couch close up and they have to figure out that it's the couch. It can be quite intricate and difficult with some thought!

7) What's That Smell?: Putting different smells in containers that you can't see through, wearing blindfolds, try to identify the smell. Cinnamon is always a favourite! Wet dog hair never went over well.

8) Movie Marathon: Get the popcorn, make the milkshakes, and set yourself up like a cinema. Turn all the chairs like movie seating and enjoy part 1, 2, and 3 of your favourite movie. Finger foods can accompany the movies and it will use up the morning time setting is all up. Then mom can sit and rest (or get paperwork done!) while the children enjoy a movie marathon.

9) Put On A Play: Let the children make YOU a play. Use puppets, stuffed animals, dress-up clothes, paper cut-outs for a shadow play, just about anything their imagination can come up with. You get to sit back and take pictures of them trying to show off something wonderful! I remember these moments of when the boys were younger so fondly.

10) Heck, do nothing! Let's face it, we all need a break once in awhile. Sitting around and letting the imagination flow is sometimes the best option. The "I'm bored" line can sometimes be the most inspiring when they are left to find something for themselves to do. Sometimes in the quiet is when the most inspiring ideas happen! Then again, sometimes it leads to someone flushing non-perishables down the toilet...