In Minnesota, we are no strangers to dangerously cold temperatures that keep us trapped inside for a couple days. As the temperature drops and outdoor play becomes limited, finding creative and engaging indoor activities for kids can make everyone feel a little better. Here’s a list of 20 activities that cover movement, sensory exploration, art, and cognitive development:
1. Indoor Obstacle Course:
Transform your living room into an obstacle course using cushions, chairs, and other household items. Use your imagination as you transverse across lava fields, crawl through caves, and balance across tape tree logs. It’s a great way to promote movement, planning, and coordination.
2. Simon Says using Animal Walks:
Simon Says with a movement twist! Crawl like a crab, walk like a bear, hop like a frog, slither like a snake, and run like a cheetah when Simon Says. This activity works on strength, coordination, motor planning, as well as cognitive skills like impulse control and auditory processing.
3. Sensory Bins:
Create sensory bins with items like rice, beans, snow, or sand. Let kids explore different textures and engage their senses.
4. Indoor Bowling:
Set up a simple bowling alley using plastic bottles as pins and a soft ball as the bowling ball.
5. Balloon Volleyball:
Blow up balloons and enjoy an indoor game of volleyball, promoting hand-eye coordination.
6. Puzzle Time:
Work on puzzles together to enhance cognitive skills and problem-solving abilities. You can make your own out of cutting cereal boxes or by coloring a piece of construction paper and cutting it into shapes.
7. DIY Playdough:
Whip up some homemade playdough for a sensory and creative experience. Hide beads or buttons in the playdough, or use tools like utensils and cookie cutters to improve fine motor skills.
8. Art Station:
Create an art station with paper, markers, crayons, and other art supplies for creative expression.
9. Storytime:
Read books together to encourage language development and spark imagination.
10. Yoga for Kids:
Follow kid-friendly yoga videos or create simple yoga poses to promote flexibility, regulation, and relaxation.
11. Board Games:
Enjoy age-appropriate board games that enhance cognitive and social skills. Some of my favorites for littles are CandyLand, Connect 4, Twister, and Sneaky Snacky Squirrel.
12. Cooking Together:
Involve kids in simple cooking activities to work on fine motor skills and foster independence. Not much tastes better than fresh baked goods on a blustery day.
13. Building Blocks:
Construct imaginative structures with building blocks, encouraging spatial awareness and motor skills.
14. Scavenger Hunt:
Create an indoor scavenger hunt with clues for an exciting adventure.
15. Indoor Camping:
Set up an indoor camping experience with a blanket fort and storytelling.
16. DIY Sensory Bottles:
Craft sensory bottles filled with colorful liquids and objects for visual stimulation. You can use liquids like baby oil, water, clear glue to create a sensory bottle. I enjoy filling it with glitter, pom poms, beads, or any other small objects.
17. Dance Party:
Turn up the music and have a lively dance party to get those little bodies moving and encourage coordination.
18. DIY Puppet Show:
Make puppets from socks or paper bags and put on a delightful puppet show. Or you could use a flashlight to create shadow puppets on the wall for imaginative play.
19. Hallway Laser Maze:
Tape ribbons or yarn across the hallway to make a course to nagivate through. Try not to touch the “lasers” as you duck, crawl, and jump through the hallway.
20. Science Experiments:
Conduct simple and safe science experiments using household items.
Let us know which activities you try! And remember while the days are cold in January, they are at least getting longer and spring is only a couple months away. Take advantage of opportunities for rest, organization, and bonding with family.