24 Winter Indoor Activities to Keep You From Going Crazy

My sister, bless her heart, lives in Michigan.

I live in Texas.

One of our favorite conversations is about the weather. It’s January and she has seen a negative fifteen and had warnings that tell them not to go outside more than ten minutes if they have any skin exposed; whereas I am able to enjoy the mid-50s most of the time.

So, this article is for her. With three little ones under the age of six, having a game plan for indoor kids activities is always a good idea. To supply her with even more ideas, I drew up this list of winter indoor activities that will keep the family entertained.

Winter Indoor Activities for Kids

1. Homemade Handprint Twister

I love that this game is a two-in-one deal. For the first part of it, your kid gets to make their twister game, for the second part, they get to play their created game.

Part of the reason the author over at Pint Sized Treasures created this game was so their children could work on learning their colors as well. Love it!

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2. Candy Cane Goo

Sadly, this doesn’t have candy canes in it, but the good news is that it does have stuff you already have around the house.

What’s really cool is that the blogger over at Science Sparks made it educational as well. For the little ones, it is a sensory item. For the older kids, it is still fun to play with and they gave the science details to go along with. Very neat!

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3. Sumo Boys

Why are some of the most fun things sometimes totally slip our minds as adults? In this idea, Allison at All for the Boys comes up with a game of sumo wrestling simply by using pillows and the boys’ father’s T-shirts!

Now that I think about it, this one might not be first on my mind because it gets a bit noisy… but look at what fun they are having. It might be worth it!

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4. Snow Ice Cream

If you have never had snow ice cream, I recommend you find somewhere with a decent amount of snow and make some.

My mother and I made some when I was little and I loved it. Back when my girls were younger and we lived in Delaware we had a major snowstorm that shut us down for days and I did the same for them, falling in love with snow ice cream all over again (and learned what whipping cream was all at the same time… it was magical!).

This recipe comes from Ali over at Gimme Some Oven.

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5. Indoor Camping

Charlene over at My Frugal Adventures goes into details about how they made summer fun inside during the winter.

I get this because I, personally, am not a fan of winter after a while. As an adult, I typically deal with the winter blues at around mid-February. Even in Texas!

As a child, though, on days when we had snow days at school, I would set up our living room (the one with the big window) with a tent and our bathroom would be the beach- complete with a pool and a tanning area.

I did this while my mother was at work, think of what we can do as parents to participate in this fun activity that helps us all to remember that winter is only temporary!

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6. Use Your Resources

So many people think that television for kids is bad. I am not about to suggest putting your kid in front of a movie screen and walking away for eight hours a day but sometimes using the internet can be your resource.

When my oldest was little, I would allow her an hour a day. Sesame Street was her favorite. During that time I got a lot done.

In Tiffany over at Spark & Pook’s post, she tells you of some YouTube videos that not only get your kids’ attention, but it gets them up and moving as well. That works to the parents’ advantage!

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7. String Obstacle Course

I did this with my girls a few years back and they loved it. Mine was done in a hallway and it was much higher up. The string was taped to the wall.

Jamie over at Hands On As We Grow did hers a little bit differently. For one, she used chairs and did it lower down. Also, she helped her children learn their number bonds as well. Don’t know what number bonds are? Head over to the blog and find out!

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8. Laundry Basket Skee Ball

I’m excited about this one.

Anytime we go to the arcade, this is the game I go to first. How fun it is to be able to re-create it at home! Thank you to Sara over at Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls.

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9. Bozo’s Grand Prize Game

If you want to do something similar, but don’t have the stuff to make skee ball, opt for Bozo the Clown’s Grand Prize Game. I was young when that show was on (not in school yet) but I loved to watch those kids get up there and try.

You don’t have to use a ping-pong ball or the buckets – be creative. Also, I hope you have as much fun as those kids who were on the game show!

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10. Indoor Snow Games

What a fun idea: to make fake snow and have fun with it almost the same way you would if you were outside. No cold, no melting, just fun.

Jillian over at Confidence Meets Parenting even gives you ideas for how to make the snowballs.

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11. Paper Bag Snowman Puppet

How cute are these snowmen? Using tape as a scarf, googly eyes, and buttons. The best part is if you are reading this because you are already stuck inside and you don’t have these things on hand- just relax, and use markers!

Don’t have white paper bags? Make gingerbread men puppets. Get creative- bring the kids in from the beginning, you never know what they might come up with.

But to see exactly what Rachel did to make these, head over to her blog at I Heart Crafty Things.

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12. Color a Box

The article written by Kylie over at The How-to Mom talks about different ways to keep toddlers busy and helps them not destroy the house.

When I saw this picture though, I knew I had to bring up the idea of cardboard boxes because guess what? If you give my twelve-year-old some cardboard, she will be busy for hours. Just two months ago she built a house for our Elf on the Shelf, Zoey, to hang out in while she was visiting us.

Cardboard is an important creative tool for children of any young age!

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13. Word Building Charades

This is one of the cutest ones I have seen yet. The author over at Understood has word building charades. It goes like this: You stand tall for big letters, straight for regular letters, and for letters that go below the line, you crouch down.

She gives the example of Bag. Head over to the site to see it for yourself.

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14. Cut Out Snowflakes

We’ve already had snow fights but what about the snowflakes themselves? This craft is from It’s Always Autumn and it has templates and a video tutorial if you or your little one is stuck and don’t know what to do next.

I always enjoyed making snowflakes though I am not as good at it as my older one. She decorates my classroom with them during wintertime!

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15. Bake Some Bread

Baking bread is such a fun process and has sensory aspects to it as well. Getting your kids in the kitchen is fun for both them and you. Set them up on the counter (but stay nearby) and let them help add ingredients, mix, and knead the bread. Even cleaning up is fun for them when they are little!

Even better- baking means warming up your home and giving it a good smell.

The author, Cynthia over at Rolling Prairie Readers, gives suggestions on helping little ones feel like they are giving back to society.

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16. Memory Game

Personally, I love activities that have creative steps before actually getting to play. First, have fun making the actual memory cards as an afternoon craft with your kids. Then, enjoy countless nights of memory game fun that even your tweens will enjoy. 

There are so many benefits to memorization games besides watching your family spend time together. Improved problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and not to mention brain exercise in general. The best part? It’s super easy to clean up afterward.

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17. Garbage Bots

Here’s a cool craft you can do indoors to pass the time that is great for the whole family. Plus, you probably already have all the materials you need right in your house. Unless you’ve taken out the recycling lately.

Get the creative juices flowing and watch your garbage transform into new toys for the kids. Make sure you wash everything really well and to be extra careful with sharp edges on tins.

Things could get messy with all the cutting and pasting but this entertaining indoor activity is worth the extra clean up time.

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18. A Minute to Win It Games

I’m not big on games, especially board games but sometimes a minute to win it games wins out. My favorite one is the one shown above, where you take a straw and blow in it, seeing who gets their ping pong ball over the line faster.

For more ideas, head over to Kid-Friendly Things to Do.

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19. Snow Globe

My oldest, who is 12, loves snow globes. This craft would be right up her alley. She’s an artist through and through.

The best part of this craft is it takes little effort on the adult’s part. Simply let them color their paper snow globe and then add the other ingredients.

The full tutorial can be found over at Fireflies + Mud Pies.

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20. Marble Maze

This is another double layer activity that looks like so much fun. Help them with the first part of coming up with the maze and then let them use the marble to get it in one area and out the proper area.

I like this one because it is good for older kids as well.

For full details, check out Little Bins for Little Hands.

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21. Karaoke

I originally was just going to suggest having a karaoke contest but then came across this little gem over at I Heart Arts n Crafts. For little ones, this would be a lot of fun and make them feel even more glamorous as they sing along to their favorite songs.

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22. Moon Sand

My girls received bags of moon sand a few years ago and had tons of fun with it. Heck, even I got involved, squishing the sand between my fingers. When I learned how easy it was to make though, I just had to recreate it for myself.

It was pretty well true to what we had bought. So fun and yes, you can still see me squishing the sand through my fingers!

The full tutorial can be found over at Lesson Learnt Journal.

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23. Spinning Nerf Target

Here’s a fun one that even adults will want to play. I mean, they already do, don’t they? The only difference is instead of shooting the target with a nerf gun, they shoot with a bullet style gun.

Obviously, the way this is created is a bit different (and much lighter), but the concept is the same.

So, this is a game, created by our friend over at Frugal Fun for Boys, that will grow with them!

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24. Fizzy Drinks

After they’ve had all the fun they can muster, they will probably be ready for a treat. This fizzy lemonade made over at Learn with Play at Home is a fun idea to keep their minds active and quench their thirst all at the same time. Just be sure to follow the recipe!

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Sanity Saving Winter Indoor Activities

I know it won’t be long before we are all aching for the cool, but warmer, days of spring. Until then, I hope these ideas keep you and your little ones active enough to break the winter blues cycle!