The days are short and the nights are long this time of year! If it isn’t too cold to go outside and play, chances are it’s raining and wet. There are a plethora of ideas of what to do on a great snow day when we can make snow cream or go sledding, but what about on the many days in East Tennessee when we don’t get snow? If you’re not looking to spend money or leave the house, maybe an idea on these lists below will be something to get your family excited about and have fun!
Admittedly, it may be the easiest to motivate little kids or keep them entertained, but many of these ideas can be used at all ages with minor adjustments to accommodate whatever age you’re looking to entertain!
Winter Boredom Busters For Kids, Tweens, And Teens
- Build a snowman indoors with socks, cotton balls, or paper
- Finger-paint a winter scene or animal (imagine getting tweens and teens to do this, too!)
- Make handprint snowflakes using paper and paint
- Create a winter-themed sensory bin (using rice, beans, or fake snow)
- Play hide and seek around the house
- Have a stuffed animal tea party but with hot chocolate
- Make a DIY snow globe with a jar, glitter, and water
- Do a winter-themed puzzle together
- Play with playdough to make winter shapes (like snowflakes or mittens)
- Set up an indoor obstacle course using pillows and chairs
- Try simple science experiments like mixing baking soda and vinegar (volcano fun!)
- Decorate paper snowflakes and hang them up around the house
- Read winter-themed storybooks or watch a short winter movie
- Have a “snowball fight” with crumpled paper balls indoors
- Create a winter-themed matching game with pictures or flashcards; for extended entertainment, draw the cards yourselves
- Bake simple cookies or muffins and let them decorate them
- Do a winter-themed scavenger hunt around the house
- Make a winter collage from old magazines (cut out snow, trees, animals, etc.)
- Research a list of “winter” themed songs and then listen to them and pick a favorite
- Play “Simon Says” with winter-themed actions (like “act like a snowflake!”)
- Photography projects: Pick a subject and send the kids around the house to take pictures and make a collage
- Junk journaling or scrapbooking: Use things only around your house
- Create a spa day: One of my daughter’s favorite things to do is creating a “relaxing bath” with some snacks or decorations around the house or even just setting up her iPad
- Play “Would You Rather” winter edition: My daughter always loves this one too!
- Online courses or tutorials: One of our favorite platforms for this is Outschool — they have classes for everything!
- Baking: Have a family bake-off where everyone makes something different and tries each other’s creations
- Create a Vision Board or Goal List: Draw pictures and put them on the wall, cut things out, dedicate space to really bringing it to life
- Board Games: These will always be on the list, but there are so many options to choose from!
- Try new video games (if you’re not trying to be tech free!)
- Challenge your family to a puzzle or to see how quickly you can complete one!
- Escape room game: There are so many ideas for this online! We created one for my husband’s birthday this past year
- Learn magic tricks or card tricks
- Create a winter playlist, then cook dinner together to it
- Host a virtual movie premiere: Watch a movie and talk about it afterward
- Create a winter-themed comic book or graphic novel
- Organize a family talent show
- Make a paper airplane contest: This one could be so fun even with teenagers if they really wanted to research and engineer a good plane!
- Write a letter to a friend or family member, especially if it’s someone you don’t get to see often
- Make a DIY bird feeder for outdoor birds or try to spot some cardinals that like to come out more in the winter!
- Create a mini movie theater in your living room
- Try a puzzle or challenge your family to one
- Decorate your room with winter-themed decorations
- Put together new outfits from things already in your closet
- Try a DIY winter craft like making pom-poms or paper snowflakes
- Do a scavenger hunt outside around the house
