When was the last time you and you children did some indoor activities for kids together? And enjoyed it? If the idea is one that has you reaching for the iPad to pass on to them, Suzanne here may just change your mind.
“If you look for indoor activities for kids online, you will come up with page after page of crafts, projects, and activities. There is no shortage of choice of crafts and pursuits you can treat your kids to on rainy or snowy days. To do these activities, ideally you should save up craft project materials, print out printable activities, give over your living room to tent building, and keep a refrigerator box in your garage to create a whimsical play house.
All these are really good, kid-centric ideas, and they are lots of fun for kids, but when the weather gives you the gift of a day to spend with your kids, perhaps there are other indoor activities for kids that will add depth to your relationship and build memories for you to share as the years pass. What’s better on a rainy or snowy day than a cup of hot chocolate and a good book? Have your kids help you make a comforting snack and snuggle up under a blanket in front of the fire or by the window where you can watch the weather. Have a few tried and true childhood favorites on hand to read aloud and talk about.
If you are not a reader, share a favorite, classic movie. While many experts decry television and movies as being a waste of time, this is not necessarily so. What is a waste of time is setting your child down in front of the television and walking away. Keep a selection of your own favorite movies from childhood set aside for times when you have the gift of being able to spend time with your child. Watch together and talk about the movie and how and why you loved it as a child. This will help your child learn how to express his or her own beliefs and desires, and it will bring you closer together.
Cooking is one of the great indoor activities for kids. If you love to bake cookies or make cakes or bread from scratch, identify a few simple recipes your child can help with and spend some quality time together in the kitchen when the weather won’t let you go outside. If you are not a cook, keep a few boxes of good cookie, cake and muffin mixes in your cupboard (or even in a plastic bag or tub your freezer if you will very seldom use them). You and your child can have a baking adventure together that may turn out disastrously, but it will be your disaster and surely a story worth sharing for years to come!
The point is, indoor activities for kids don’t have to be focused on keeping kids entertained and out of your hair. They don’t have to be wild and crazy or divergent from your everyday life. It’s fun to do a craft project or activity from time to time, but remember that your children do these things at school quite regularly. Sharing your attention and your time with your child is a valuable gift that only you can give. It will stand in memory for a lifetime for both you and your child.”