February vacation starts today for us New Englanders! I love living in New England, but I will say that the weather this time of year is pretty terrible making me want to hibernate all week long. However, having children does not always allow peaceful hibernation especially when the weather hinders going outside and playing.
I have been trying to limit the time Hayden spends in front of a screen so I started to think of what activities I could come up with to entertain the tiny humans without going absolutely crazy myself. So here are 12 fun things to do with kids during winter. Even better, these ideas are screen free activities.
Sledding/Tubing
Living in New England means we get lots of snow. Sledding or tubing is always a good time. The worst part though is climbing back up to the top of the hill. That is why I enjoy places that drag you back up to the top. I am sure this is probably at the top of the list when you think about what to do with kids in winter.
Build a Snowman
Again, perk of living in New England. This only works with really fresh snow though. Old, icy snow won’t work as well. Afterwards make hot chocolate.
Bake Something
Head to the store and pick up ingredients to make cupcakes or cookies from scratch and have your children help you make them.
Check out your local library
Many local libraries have activities they put on during school vacation week. Many of these activities are free.
Ice Castles
If you live in an area where they have the ice castles go and check them out. They are so cool and the kids love them! Find out if there is one near you Icecastles.com. We are heading to the one in New Hampshire on Friday and I will be sharing all about our little trip afterwards!
Ice Skating
Ice skating can be so much fun and with rinks popping up all over my little state that also lets you rent skates it is easier then ever to go.
Explore areas that are not frequently explored in the winter
Living in a seasonal state means that many popular areas to go are busy in the summer and fall. We recently took small trips to visit these areas close to us. It was nice to see them when they weren’t packed with tourists and Hayden could explore freely.
Bowling
A pretty inexpensive activity for kids that will keep them busy for several hours.
Trampoline Park
Who doesn’t love a trampoline park?! Perfect way for kids to get some energy out when it is too cold to go outside and play.
Put together a puzzle
If you purchase the right puzzle, this could burn a couple of hours each day while on vacation. My son loves putting puzzles together and especially loves it when I jump in and help him.
Make Ice Cream
Using snow you can actually make ice cream. Check out this recipe HERE. Just make sure you are using clean snow.
Make Slime
All kids love slime even if as parents, we don’t. Here is a recipe for Fluffy slime to make with your kids! Grab some cheap Tupperware containers to store it in when done.
Tell me your favorite activities to do with your kids that don’t involve any screen time. I would love to add more ideas to our winter activity reserve!
Love your tips! I love a big puzzle for keeping busy during cold winter days – maybe paired with some homebaked cookies 😉
These are great ideas! I am not going to lie. I am thankful that all of the cold-weather stuff (like skating and sledding) we can’t really do here in Los Angeles, ha! BECAUSE I HATE THE COLD! 😉
This was such a cute article! I will definitely have to do some of these things with friends!
This is a great list of thing to do with little ones during cold weather. We may have to try a new tradition for cold days. I love the idea of baking a cake and letting the boys decorate it. We usually watch a movie and cuddle on the sofa. We may also have to try a puzzle. Thank you for sharing.
As a kid, I always loved to bake with my mum on a cold winter day. The bonding experience is still something we carried into my adulthood — I love baking with her to this day!
We live in Toronto so I feel your pain! We have been doing a lot of puzzling this winter – (I think we’ve had similar weather!) and I love it because everyone can get involved.
Wow! I love your blog it is so pretty! One of my favorite memories as a child was making snow ice cream. Our local area doesn’t seem to be getting very much snow nowadays which is sad. I really miss doing it!
Winter is always fun! But when you are with your kids?! it just doubles everything.
So cool. We love finding new and exciting things to do when its cooler here.
Those were really fun activities, kids will really enjoy this winter. Thanks for sharing new ideas.
I agree! these are really fun activities and also I think it is great to make memories with such activities with adults too. It could be very romantic also
Great Ideas. I love the go to the library. That was something we did when I was younger and kids today dont seem to appreciate the library anymore.
You’re so thoughtful to reduce Hayden’s screen time. This single act will make him have control of social media and build good human relationships. Can’t wait to your snowman.
Great list of winter activities for kids. My fav. thing to do is build a snowman and head to the library when it’s very cold outside.
So many great things to do during Winter. My kids would absolutely love to do these.
Oh wow, Such a cute adn fun idea. My kids would be happy to do all of these.
Lovely post. I really enjoyed the ideas you shared and, as a mother, is always helpful to stay inspired with new activities. Thank you 🙂
Keeping kids away from screens while trapped indoors becomes a major chore sometimes. This helpful list would come in handy in the cold months.
– Nandita
Your suggestions are really good and it is a really fun part to spend time with kids. And baking cookies or something is such a nice suggestion.
Putting together is something I used to do when I was a kid and I would still like to do that. Amazing activities
Nice post
Sounds like so much fun! My daughter can’t wait to go ice skating!!