As we head into the holiday season, it’s also the time when the weather gets cold, and child care providers are looking for activities to do with their kids. As the rain and snow fall, its time to find some fun indoor activities. We have gathered just a few ideas for you:
Tissue paper mittens – This is a fun activity that doesn’t take a lot of prep work, but can last for hours. First, draw or paint the outline of a mitten on a blank sheet of paper. Then find several different colors of tissue paper, like the kind used for wrapping presents. If you don’t have tissue paper, it’s usually cheap to buy, or you can use construction paper. Then have kids tear off pieces of the tissue paper and glue then onto the mitten to create designs. Make sure they don’t use too much glue. You can also create a water-glue mixture that will work for this project from 75% water and 25% glue. (https://dayswithgrey.com/easy-winter-art-idea/)
Claw game with stuffed animals – This activity will mostly be for younger kids, but it will entertain them for hours. First, get a large storage bin and fill it with stuffed animals or toys. Then set up another empty basket and a chair a few feet away. The kids sit on the chair, one at a time, and use kitchen tongs to pick up the animals and put them into the empty bin. You can play music or use a timer to see which kid can get the most animals in the basket in a set amount of time. ( https://dayswithgrey.com/hilarious-indoor-game-for-active-preschoolers/)
Playdough snowmen – This will take a little prep, but it’s a fun winter activity that you can do indoors. First, get some white playdough, or make your own playdough, and roll it into three different-sized balls. Kids can build their snowmen using the three playdough balls and add arms using sticks or pipe cleaners. You can also get beads and other decorations for kids to put on their snowmen to make them look different and colorful. If you want to put them on display, you can take a mason jar, put the snowman on the lid of the jar, and close the mason jar over the top so the jar is upside down and the snowman now has a display. ( https://artfulparent.com/playdough-snowmen-in-mason-jar-snow-globes/ )
Crayon resist snowflakes – This is an easy way to create winter pictures with your kids. Get a blank piece of paper and a white crayon. Then have kids draw designs on the paper with the crayon – snowflakes, snowmen, trees, etc. Using blue or purple watercolor paints, paint over the drawings. The wax in the crayons will resist the watercolor and leave white designs on the paper. It’s easy, cheap, and fun. ( https://www.messylittlemonster.com/2019/11/wax-crayon-resist-art.html )