Quarantines and distance learning have become the new normal during this stressful year. Kids have spent most of their time in their homes vs in a classroom. With winter break now upon us, it can be even more difficult to fill your kids extra free time.
This has been a pretty difficult year for everyone, but kids have been the most impacted. With distance learning, they have been isolated from the open world. To bring back the happiness and joy to their faces, we’ve gathered up a few activities that you can do with your kids in order to make their winter break more enjoyable:
Winter Fun
One of the best moments of winter is to go outside and let your kids play in the snow (that is, if you live somewhere with snow as an option). Besides the restrictions due to COVID-19, you can still enjoy the snow in your yard or go to a local park.
Bundle the kids up, pack up your Beachmate with snacks and drinks and get outside!
A family walk or hike is always fun. And if you’re lucky enough to get snow, building snow forts, igloos, having snowball fights, sledding or build a snowman. Beachmate buckets and shovels are perfect for all of these activities, and if your kids are anything like mine, they get left outside for days – the bright colors make for easy spotting J The possibilities are endless, all you need is your imagination and the intention to have loads of fun!
If you live somewhere without snow, you can still enjoy the great outdoors, and find games like corn hole (we sell an awesome portable set!), frisbee or any other sport. You can also pack up the Beachmate for a family picnics, read, or even watch movies outside on a projector or Ipad. There is nothing like fresh air and childhood exploration!
Board Games
If indoors is more your speed, there is nothing like board games to bring you all together. We love Memory, Candy land, Battleship and Monopoly to cover the classics. If you want to get more interactive there’s Twister, Charades and Freeze Dance that never go out of style. Or another longtime classic, Scrabble. This will help your kids be engaged but also have fun. These all improve your child’s memory, solving skills, concentration and focus.
Our other family favorite is Puzzles – there is always one in the works at our house!
Gardening
Gardening can help your kids learn more specifically where the food comes from and how it grows. You can do this in your yard or inside the home. A great way to begin growing plants is by re-growing vegetables such as avocados, peppers, onions, etc. If you don't quite know how gardening works, then go ahead and visit YouTube there are tons of videos explaining how it works.
Gardening has been proven to have therapeutic benefits and there is nothing like the satisfaction of eating veggies you grew yourself! Aside from veggies, you can grow flowers, herbs, cactus and whatever else you want! Getting the kids involved in the process will create lasting memories for years to come.
Let them cook with you
One of our favorite things to do is cook with the whole family! Nothing is better than bringing us altogether to create some delicious recipes for a yummy meal any time of the day. Don't worry too much about complex instructions, you can handle that part, the kids are just happy to help in any way they can. It’s fun to teach them about the different ingredients and how they work together when cooking. Don’t’ be afraid to Try something new and pick a recipe that gives everyone a role, just like a profession kitchen.
If this is new to your family, we’d recommend you start with baking – the sweet treats are usually more enticing to the kiddos!
Other Indoor Activities
If your kids need more interactive stuff to entertain them and get the silly’s out, try these:
The Floor Is Lava
This is a game that you can play with your kids. The basic rules are the participants aren't supposed to touch the floor, as it is LAVA! One member runs for them and if you get caught or touch the floor, you are out.
Musical chairs
Another classic game from our childhoods - Participants walk around the chairs (set out one less chair than people playing) while music is playing, once the music stops, they have to sit down in an open chair. There won't be a seat for one member, so that person gets eliminated. This continues until there are 2 members and 1 seat. The last person in a seat is crowned the winner! Prizes could be, they get to pick what is for dinner, or what movie to watch that night.
Hide & Seek
Easy to do anywhere.
Fort Building
Best with couch cushions, chairs and empty cardboard boxes.
Obstacle Course
Use random items from the house or the yard to create the ultimate obstacle course.
Read a book together
Whether your kids are pretty advanced readers, or they are younger and are just starting to read, you can make it a family event by creating a story time with them and reading a book together.
If your kids are a bit too old for story time, encourage a reading hour where the entire family reads a book of their choice quietly together.
Reading is so beneficial to the mind.
Paint or draw together
Creativity is something that should be regularly encouraged. It’s ok if they don't quite know how to draw, but if they are willing to learn, then show them a few tips. Youtube has a variety of how to draw videos, so even the worst artist can easily improve their skills. At the end of the day, art is about expression, and allowing yourself and your family to have an outlet for that expression is highly beneficial to ease boredom and expand their mind. Feed their imagination and show them that paintbrush, pen, markers, whatever can create magical wonders on paper.