It may be cold outside, but their are still many activities to partake in with the kids. Kids have an endless amount of energy, don’t they? Time spent outside during the winter is important. Bundle the big kids up in hats, scarves and mittens and put the little one in a stroller. Getting outside for just a little while is so good for all of us— it helps our immune system and gets our blood flowing. But when the winter temperatures get too cold, we need activities to do inside as well. I have put together a list of indoor and outdoor activities for the winter.
Snowman pancakes
Snowman pancakes
To start off and fuel your day, we love making snowman pancakes. We have a griddle and use it all the time for breakfast.
Make three different shaped circles for your snowman. Use items you have around the house for a hat, scarf and buttons. I didn’t have chocolate chips for the snowman’s eyes, but you can use them. I had a candy cane for his scarf, frosting for the hat and confectionery sugar to sprinkle over the entire pancake for snow. I also added mini marshmallows at the bottom.
Snowman pizza
We love pizza kits. We buy them locally in Wallingford at Napoli Pizza all the time. We cut the dough into thirds and then formed three different shaped circles for his body. We asked for pepperoni on the side for his buttons. mozzarella cheese for his entire body because he is white and you could always ask for olives for the eyes.
We always roll out and shape our dough first and put it in the oven at 350 degrees. Once it is crispy, we remove it from the oven and then put on our ingredients. We put the crust back into the oven just until the cheese has melted.
Snowman craft
Depending on your child’s age, they may still be into a craft. I still love partaking in them. If they don’t, a board game is another great option.
For this activity, we used white, blue, black and orange construction paper. The kids traced different size circles on white paper and then cut them out and glued them to the blue paper. For the snowman’s accessories, use what you have around the house. Something as simple as markers would be great to complete the activity. I had a pipe cleaner for a scarf and glitter.
Enjoy the outdoors
It’s time to bundle up with your winter coats and hats and head outside.
Build a snowman. Gather old hats and gloves to make the perfect snowman.
Make ice bubbles. Blowing a bubble and watching it turn to ice is so fascinating for the kids.
Frozen suncatchers
Collect leaves, sticks, berries or pine cones— anything in nature that you can find and can fit in your mold. You can use cupcake tins or pie plates. After you have collected all your winter items, place then in the mold with water and let them freeze outside over night. In the morning pop them out and enjoy their beauty.
Indoor or Outdoor Ice Skating
We love going ice skating outdoors. We actually invested in our own skates last year and they have already come in use many times. If your child is a beginner, many facilities offer lessons.
Hot cocoa
My kids favorite part is coming inside to warm up. We love setting up a hot cocoa bar. I use milk in our hot cocoa and warm it up on the stove. The stores and some local shops have hot cocoa bombs that are filled with cocoa and marshmallows. You could also use cocoa powder, whipped cream, marshmallows and sprinkles— their only a kid once, right?
Camp out with a movie (in the living room)
We have indoor sleeping bags and movie trays for the kids. You can also take sheets, blankets and pillows and put them on the floor. Pop some popcorn and camp out to watch a movie.
If you have a fireplace, a fire would be a perfect added touch.
My hope is that these ideas make the winter months a little better for you all. This season can be a beautiful time.
