No matter how much you love being outside there does come a time during the winter months when you have to admit defeat. There’s only so much drying of wet and muddy waterproofs you can do each day before you start to look for more indoor activities. I love to light the fire and hunker down, it’s such a privilege to be warm and safe when the weather is awful outside.
My children definitely have times when they will be happy to play alone, Lego being one of the best activities for them to be creative without my input. We also love games like hide and seek and of course reading can be fantastic if your child is enjoying a particular book.
I also encourage the kids to come up with their own ideas too as I want them to be able to hone their problem solving skills when it comes to being bored. This can contribute towards a healthy way of thinking. But that said, it is also sometimes useful and fair to come up with some ideas for them to choose from. If you’re looking for inspiration too, here are our top five free indoor activities to do at home with your child.
1. Baking
This can be as simple as making some cookies or a cake. Children love to get involved in the kitchen. This is a great way to introduce them to weighing ingredients and building strength in their hands while mixing. Simple recipes with a handful of ingredients are best. It also helps to encourage your kids to try new foods. One of my children is a bit of a fussy eater and when we bake together, he almost seems to forget about this!
2. Play online
You might enjoy playing a game online such as hidden object games or connect 3 games. Children particularly enjoy playing these with their grown-ups. The hidden object game is great fun and suitable for a broad range of ages, which is really handy if you have kids with bigger age gaps. Always ensure you know exactly what your child is playing online. It can be a really nice experience playing together and definitely helps to build a bond.
3. Make soup
Another simple kitchen-based activity is making soup. Teaching knife skills safely is a good life skill to develop. Soup requires plenty of chopping, if your child is really young make the vegetables into long slices that they can chop them into cubes. It may be worth purchasing a child’s safety knife. My daughter used one while she was in nursery school, and we subsequently bought one for home.
4. Puzzle solving
Puzzles might not be particularly exciting, but it is satisfying for a child to be able to find and piece together parts of it. I find it can be quite a mindful activity to do with a child. It really requires us, as the adult, to slow right down. A puzzle can’t be hurried. Think about investing in a puzzle board so that you can keep it on the go without having to clear it away if it takes a few days to complete.
5. Nature wands
The next time you are out walking with your child keep your eyes open for sticks about a foot long to turn into wands when you’re back home. My children love to wind embroidery thread round sticks to create multicoloured or patterned wands. You can combine with interesting leaves or flowers to create a nature wand.
I hope you found this blog post useful? If you have any ideas for activities to do at home too, then please do let me know in the comments below….and most importantly, have fun!
