Winter can be hard on the whole family. Cold temperatures make it challenging to spend time outside, and you may find yourself scrambling for indoor activities that excite your kids and protect your peace of mind.
Although winter activities may take a little more creativity, there’s still plenty of ways to engage your kids this winter. Even more important, you can teach them how to entertain themselves and enjoy each season as they experience it. Here are six ways you can engage with your family this winter.
1. Establish a Routine
Having a daily routine is essential for a healthy, happy home. Schedules give kids a sense of security and belonging. They help structure the day into clear times of rest, play and work. Healthy routines can also strengthen family relationships by establishing clear expectations and building bonding time right into your daily schedule.
Parents can use routines to ensure that their children and their health are getting time and attention. Schedules give direction to each day and reduce the stress of constant decision-making. They can increase efficiency and lead to more rest and playtime during the week. Experiment with your family’s routine to see what works best for you during this season.
2. Get Active
People were made to move, and sitting still for too long can lead to poor attention, hyperactive behavior, and health issues for adults. Get active inside this season to help your kids work out their wiggles and have fun as a family. Here are a few ideas you can try:
- Use pillows and furniture to play “the floor is lava.”
- Build an indoor obstacle course.
- Have a dance party.
- Hold a family Nerf gun war.
- Exercise together.
Staying active this winter will help your family keep warm and content until summer comes back around and the outdoors are accessible again. Be as creative as you can and let your kids help you come up with new ideas for fun indoor activities.
3. Prioritize Rest
It can be really easy to forget how important rest is for mental and physical wellbeing. Winter is the perfect time to slow down your schedule, set early bedtimes, and prioritize rest. Both kids and adults have natural dips in their energy during the day. Take advantage of these natural rhythms and plan naps and quiet times to keep your family happy and healthy during this season.
Rest doesn’t always look like doing nothing. Instead, what is restful is often the opposite of your last activity. For instance, a nap is restful for kids who were just playing outside. However, creating art or running races can be restful for children who’ve been sitting still in school all day. The goal of rest is recovery, and sometimes that looks different from sleep.
4. Declutter Toys
Although many people wait until spring to clean out their homes, winter is actually a great time to start decluttering items. Ask your kids to go through their things and help you clean out the house during the extra hours you spend inside in the winter. Depending on their age, they might need more or less help with this process.
Here are some questions you can equip your kids with to make decluttering a fun and simple process:
- Do I love this? Why?
- Do I use this?
- How many of these do I have?
Owning fewer possessions will make cleaning up faster and easier than ever before. Keeping toys to a minimum will also encourage your kids to use their imaginations and appreciate the items they do have even more.
5. Go Outside
Although winter weather can be harsh, there are usually warmer days sprinkled throughout this season. Take advantage of these higher temperatures to get your kids outside so they can reconnect with nature and soak up the sun. On warm days, your family can go hiking, take a bike trip, do yard work, and even wash the family car together.
Of course, there’s also a lot of fun things for kids to do outside after it snows. Snowy hikes, sledding, building forts, and having snowball fights are just a small sample of what kids can do outside during the winter. Moonlit walks and ice skating are other creative ways to experience the season as a family.
6. Read Together
Winter is the perfect opportunity to visit your local library and expand your children’s horizons with reading. Stories about winter can be especially fun and mirror kids’ experiences during this season. Holiday books, adventure tales, and historical fiction can help your kids pass their time while exercising their minds.
Reading books together is a wonderful way to bond as a family. However, you could also set up family reading times where parents and older kids can read on their own in the same room. Adding a cup of tea or playing soothing music can turn this into a favorite family ritual. More active kids can create craft projects from ideas they find in these stories.
Cozy Up This Winter
Many families experience cabin fever during the winter and spend the season excited for warmer temperatures to return. Make the most of the last few weeks of winter by embracing the season you’re in and finding ways to enjoy it together.
There are so many ways you can engage with your family during the winter. Follow these six tips to get started and build a family culture you love.
