7 Ways to Keep Kids from Boredom This Winter

Are your kids bored and sick of the cold!  I’m excited to have Alyssa Craig on the blog again sharing her article about7 Ways to Keep Kids from Boredom This Winter!  

The wintery weather is upon us and with that comes the onset of cabin fever and those two dreaded words “I’m bored”. Like nails on a chalkboard, that phrase can cause chills on any parent’s spine and if heard enough, lead to plenty of frustration for both parent and child. While there are many activities to be done indoors, the list can quickly be exhausted and you may find your children depending even more on technology to relieve boredom. This winter, try looking to your child’s talents and interests to find new hobbies and entertainment.

Improve Cooking Skills

 Winter is the best time to work on cooking skills since you don’t have to worry about the house getting too warm from using the oven. Extra warmth is welcome! Help your child learn more about cooking by teaching them about healthy foods and then encourage them to search out recipes that incorporate those foods. You can then help them to make those recipes for a family dinner. If your children are a little bit older, you may consider assigning them a day of the week they are in charge of feeding the family. As their skills increase, they may be inspired to branch out and try to create their own culinary masterpiece!

Start a Band

If your child plays a musical instrument or sings, encourage them to form a band with their friends. While this may not always be a parent’s favorite choice for their child’s activity, this can provide hours of entertainment, along with developing valuable life skills such as discipline. In addition to band practice, individual practice of their instrument should also be encouraged.

Starting a band is also a great time to explore new musical talents. If your child is already familiar with an instrument, perhaps they would like to try a new one. Many great musicians can play multiple instruments and have even recorded entire songs all on their own.

Write a Book

For children who are bookworms or enjoy writing, suggest for them to write a book this winter. Help them research the techniques of writing a good book including outlining plots, character development and editing drafts. It may be best to purchase a notebook where your children can write their book and not be distracted by other things available on technology.

This activity can be done by children of all ages, as they can write to their own level of understanding. If your child decides to write a shorter children’s book, encourage them to also produce the illustrations to accompany it.

Sign Up for Swimming Lessons

While swimming is often considered to be a summertime activity, winter is a great time to get a jump start on lessons. There are many benefits to taking swimming lessons during the winter, including adding physical activity to a sometimes less active time of the year and the availability of smaller class sizes. This may be a good option for children who are more self conscious or do not enjoy swimming lessons and would be more comfortable with less people in the class. You may also find private instruction is more readily available, as it is in less demand during the winter months. Just make sure you already have a swimsuit, as these may be harder to find if you live somewhere other than Southern California or Florida.

Build a Fort

One of the most memorable activities of childhood is building forts. Find a place in the house where your children can work on a great fort they can then leave up the remainder of the winter. Help them to acquire pillows, blankets and even decorations to really make it their own. This fort can then become a “no technology nook”, encouraging them to participate in activities such as reading, puzzles, journal writing or drawing. There is nothing like a good fort to help the imagination juices start flowing.

Write and Put on a Play

To those who are familiar with Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park this may sound like a familiar suggestion. For the theatric in the family, suggest they write their own play and then invite their friends to participate in it with them. As plays require writers, actors, set design and costume design, there are so many avenues for creativity and expression. Perhaps your child will decide they want to direct or be in charge of the actors’ makeup rather than perform. However they choose to participate, a play is a great way to pass the time while also developing a myriad of talents. Depending on the number of friends this activity may require, this could also help other parents fend off boredom in their homes as well.

Start a Business

Winter brings with it many demands that the warmer months simply do not require. Because of this, it is a great time for children to start their own little business to meet these needs. Help your child to decide where they are willing to dedicate their time and reasonable prices for them to charge. Business ideas may include:

House Cleaning
Snow Shoveling
Dog Walking
Babysitting

Help your child to produce flyers for them to take around the neighborhood or to post in community centers. They will learn a lot about responsibility as well as help them earn a little extra cash.

Depending on your child’s age, interests and personality, there are a wide variety of activities for them to participate in this winter to keep from being bored. As you help them to develop new hobbies or pursue existing ones, you may even help them to discover what will become a lifelong passion!