A lot of parents dread bad weather as they need to keep their children active and entertained without taking them outside. It is not all about making the time pass but also having fun and bonding as a family. Your children depend on you to teach them skills necessary to become good people and get the best out of life. Here are several ideas on how you can spend time with the family during the winter months, starting this weekend. Use some of that excess energy your little-ones have and trick them into learning.

A game night

A good old game night is a great indoor family activity. There is a variety of games you can play, for all ages and interests. You can include board games, card games, as well as thinking games which require no props, such as „I spy“, „I went to the market“, etc. This will not only make your time go by faster and keep you entertained, but it will also sharpen your mind.


Art projects are great as they can be adjusted to fit people of all ages. Children can take part as early as 10 or 11 months. You can simply draw or paint. You can also have projects to make seasonal decorations and find a purpose to your piece of art. Take your home art studio to every room of your house and find an activity best suited for the area. Baking is a form of art, so you can create an edible play-doh factory in your kitchen.

Make a choreography

Dancing is something every child enjoys. It is only when we grow up that certain people find the activity unenjoyable.  Doing it as a family will be beneficial and relaxing for all of you. You can come up with choreographies for your favorite family sing-along hits.

Write a family journal

Writing a family journal is an ongoing activity which will pretty much be a part of every family time. Find the most suitable notebook and decorate it the way you find it fits best. You can write short notes on how each of the family members spent their day, as well as make a record of everything you did during the time your family spent together. Be sure to always take photos and add some to the journal.

House of cards

Make it your goal to set a family record in building the tallest house of cards. Have a couple of decks ready so as to avoid being limited by the lack of building material. You can split into teams or work on the project together. Each time you break a record, make a note in your family journal. Make sure you take photos.

Domino run

The first time your children see one of these, it will make their minds explode. Again, purchase several sets of dominos of different colors if possible. Select the area you want to do it in. Start with a small run to make sure the children understand the principle and once you have the basics covered, there are no limits to what you can do.

Organize a quiz show

These quizzes are usually very fun, but answering the questions should be left to your kids. They can compete against each other, or as I prefer it, they can compete in a team against you, the parents. I find that the competitiveness can be hard on children, particularly the younger ones.  It works much better if they can see you, the quiz masters, as their competition. Be creative and help them learn by playing. You can even make them out of mathematical logic assignments and give your kids hints to help them find the right answers.

Miniature Golf

As a family DIY project, you can make a miniature golf course out of cardboard. Select your favorite obstacles and narrow them down to those which inspire you the most. Once you are done building it, you can start your golf training. When it comes to sports, golf is one of the best choices for playing indoors, due to its calm nature, and still improve your motor skills. Alternatively, if you want to play the game without having to build a course, you can play it on Nintendo Wii.

Jigsaw puzzle

Solving jigsaw puzzles is fun on its own, however, if you have a goal beyond assembling an image, it is even more fun. Think of a theme for one of the walls in your house, for example, castles in a hallway. Assemble the puzzles with the themed images from various parts of the world, frame them and hang as pictures on your hallway walls.

Everything you do with your children can be seen as educational since they pick up so much along the way. Teach your children valuable skills this winter and have a lot of fun, especially on the weekends. When the snow melts and land dries, you can happily run around your backyard again.

Published by Victoria Lim