We parents don't need a groundhog to tell us there will likely be more
days indoors with the kids until spring breaks through the winter
weather. To keep everyone from going stir-crazy, here is some
entertaining, end-of-the-season fun for the whole family. It all starts
with a box...
Make a Boredom Buster Box
Begin the fun with a Boredom Buster Box! Brainstorm ideas for indoor
fun (continue reading for some helpful ideas), and write them down on
scraps of paper. Fold them up and place them in a box. When the
weather is bad or the kids are bored, have them reach into the box for
a suggestion and carry it out! Better yet: Each day put something in
the box that offers a fun activity, such as a lump of Play-Doh®, a
board game, a snack recipe or a bag of balloons to enjoy.
Build an Indoor Fort
Inside the box...place a sheet. Tell the kids to use the sheet and their
imaginations to create an indoor fort. They can drape the sheet over
furniture, then crawl inside with flashlights and pretend they're in a
mountain cave, a far outpost or a secret room. Offer props to enhance
the play, such as pillows, stuffed animals or little cars.
Grow a Flower Garden
Inside the box...place a packet of seeds. Buy small flowerpots and
some soil, and let the kids plant their own spring flowers. Have them
paint the pot first, fill it with the soil, and insert the seeds according to
the package directions. Have them keep a journal of how often they
water the seeds, when the first buds break through, and how much
the flowers grow each day.
Have a Balloon Blast
Inside the box...place a package of balloons. Let the kids think up ways
to play with them, such as:
- Inflate a balloon, then let it go and watch it fly.
- Inflate a balloon, then stretch the opening flat to make the
balloon squeal as the air seeps out.
- Inflate a balloon, tie a knot, then run it against your clothes
or hair and see how many you can stick to the walls.
- Inflate a balloon, then try to keep it in the air as long as
possible just by batting it.
- Inflate a balloon and bat it back and forth with a partner.
- Inflate a balloon, then draw a funny face on it with permanent
marker, or use colorful stickers to decorate it.
- Inflate a balloon with helium, then tie it to your foot with a
piece of string or ribbon. Have everyone run around and try
to pop other player's balloons, while keeping your own
balloon from being popped.
- Inflate a bunch of balloons with helium, distribute them
around the house, and have the kids race to retrieve as many
as they can.
A Balloon Time Helium Balloon Kit is a useful item to have around the
house to help out with these types of games and activities.
Learn a Secret Code
Inside the box...place paper and pencils. Ask the kids to create coded
messages for each other, then try to decipher them. For example:
- Write the alphabet in a line, then write it backwards
underneath the first line, so that each letter below correlates
with a letter above. Write a message using the bottom line,
and decipher with the top line.
- Write a message using a white crayon on white paper.
Decipher it by rubbing a colored crayon over the message to
reveal the writing.
- Make your own symbols for each letter, write a message, and
have the others decode it using the key.
- Write a message without vowels and let the others decipher
it, such as CN Y DCPHR THS MSSG.
Create a "Green" Town
Inside the box...place an empty orange juice can, a toilet paper roll, a
bottle cap, a band-aid tin, an animal crackers box, a spool and other
recyclables. Have the kids create a super city, a space station, a
country farm or an amusement park using the toss-away materials
and a roll of tape. Add a few small cars, farm animals or tiny people to
complete the fantasy fun. When building the town with your children,
talk about the importance of recycling and the actions your family has
taken to recycle.
Put on a Puppet Show
Inside the box...place hand or finger puppets, or small dolls. Get a big
appliance box, then have the kids cut out an opening for the stage.
Staple on a piece of cloth or towel for the curtain, paint the box to
make it festive, tie on a few helium-filled balloons, and have the kids
present a puppet show from inside the box.
Perform Magic Tricks
Inside the box...place some simple magician's tools, such as a marked
deck of cards, a wand, a cape and a book of tricks. Let the kids
practice a couple of magic tricks, then put on a magic show for each
other.
Bake and Decorate Cookies
Inside the box...put a recipe for your favorite cookies, along with some
of the ingredients. Under your supervision, have the kids make the
cookies, then decorate them with tubes of frosting and candy
sprinkles.
Mix Your Own Baker's Clay
Inside the box...put a plastic bag filled with 4 cups of flour, a bag filled
with 1 cup of salt, a measuring cup, and some food coloring. Have the
kids mix the flour and salt in a large bowl, along with 1 3/4 cups water,
and knead it until smooth. Divide the dough into quarters, add food
coloring to each quarter to make four different colors of dough — red,
blue, yellow and green. Let the kids make whatever they want —
decorative pins, small picture frames, tiny animal figurines — then
bake the dough at 200 degrees for about an hour (until firm).
Penny Warner has more than 25 years of experience as an author
and party planner. She has published more than 50 books, including 16
specific to parties. Additionally, Warner writes a weekly newspaper
column on family life, penned a column for Sesame Street Parents
magazine and has appeared on several regional and national TV morning
programs. Her latest book, HOW TO HOST A KILLER PARTY, debuted in
February 2010 from NAL/Penguin.
Balloon Time is the leading brand of consumer helium balloon kits
in North America. Balloon Time kits feature a helium-filled tank, latex
or foil balloons and ribbon, and are available at national retail
chains, party goods and grocery stores nationwide.