"Life Saving" Activities for Keeping Children Occupied (Cold Season Edition)

All of us who deal with children on a daily basis know the feeling-you need to get them distracted and fast. Sometimes you need to just get them busy and find a way to escape for a bit! Here are some excellent ideas that will do the trick (especially for indoor activities- due to the cold season).

 

Print out coloring sheets are fantastically easy time consumers. You can simply go online, do a search of any favorite character or show, and print. Give them some coloring supplies and away they go!

Puzzles are excellent tools for focus and goal setting. Puzzles can be therapeutic for adults as well. They are a great way to relax, complete a project, and spend some time focusing on something besides every day stressors. Children love them and they can definitely keep them busy!

Play Doh is a creative tool that allows kids to create anything their little hands can create. Play doh can keep them busy for a very long time and create great entertainment!

Bringing out a new box of toys is a fantastic idea! Children love new toys to explore. Over time they can grow bored of the toys they see everyday. It is good to spice things up every now and again. Switching toys around is a good way to keep play from stagnating.

Alphabet magnets are a fun way to create words, learn new ones (for example from a book), and make fun stories for everyone to see.

Playing dress up is a fun way to play pretend. If you have some old clothes stashed away or some costumes, bring them out and let their imaginations soar!

Legos, building blocks, Zoob, or K’nex are all building toys that enable them to create anything their little hearts desire and can keep them creating for hours!

Dance party time is exciting and lets active kids who enjoy music go crazy! Blast some of their favorite tunes, give them room, and let them dance away!

Writing a story is a great way for children who know how to write to express themselves, illustrate, and share their creations.

Playing mailman is a game I loved when I was a child. Have them create a “mailbox” out of some boxes around the house and decorate them. Then they write letters and “mail” them to each other or members of their family.

Bowling can be a fun game. Some kids enjoy being allowed to destroy something and re-build it. They probably already know the game if they’ve been to a bowling alley so bringing it home can be lots of fun! Just stand up some objects that are not fragile (such as standing up empty toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls) and knock them down with a ball. Stand them up, knock them down, repeat. This can go on for a pretty long time before getting bored.

Blowing bubbles are always a highlight of our childhood. It can be so fun and can last for quite awhile! Many little goals can be created-popping them all before they hit the ground, making the largest one, making the most, etc….

Drawing on a white board is a fantastic way to change up the drawing experience. Tons of ideas can come to mind. Some kids feel like it is like drawing on a blank wall-without getting in trouble!

Drawing using stencils is also a fun twice to drawing. It teaches kids how to draw new shapes and they can become very creative. Stencils are great drawing teachers and time spenders.