Are you experiencing Cabin Fever yet? Are your kids driving you crazy while being all cooped up in the house due to frigid temperatures with nothing to do? Is anyone else anticipating the days when you can send your kids outside for a dose of fresh air? Winter has its beauty and benefits, but it is also a struggle to find activities for your family to do together indoors. Check out these 10 Family Activities to Curb Cabin Fever:

1.    Plan a Movie Night

Pick out a family-friendly movie to watch together. Invite your kids to vote on what special snacks they want. Pop some popcorn. Make some comfy seats in the living room with pillows and grab the cuddly blankets. This is great for kids that are home-bodies. And, if you’re the family that likes to watch the trailers, have your kids act out their own “trailers”. This gives your kids a chance to be goofy and creative.

2.    Fort Night

No…I don’t mean play Fortnite with your kids. I mean dedicate a night to make forts together. You could make it a competition (boys vs. girls, sibling vs. sibling) or make a massive fort all together. Plan out how you want to build it before constructing or just wing it and be creative. Once you make your fort, plan to do something fun with it (sleep in it that night, watch a movie, play a game, etc.) This is great for the kids that are planners or spontaneous.

3.    Indoor Scavenger Hunt

Plan a treasure hunt/scavenger hunt for a Saturday morning or after school. You can come up with your own clues that lead to an ultimate “treasure” of sorts (favorite toy, sweet treat, etc.). Kids will love thinking about the clues and figuring out where the next one is. The problem-solver kids will eat this one up! Check out this website for some pre-made clues:
https://www.thespruce.com/indoor-treasure-hunt-for-children-1695332

4.    Camp-In

Does your family camp in the summer time? Why not do it in the Winter as well? If your tent is small enough to fit in your living room, put it up! If not, at least bring out the sleeping bags and flashlights/lanterns. Gather up S’mores supplies to make in the microwave or stove. Shut off the lights in the living room and use your lanterns/flashlights to hang out and play board games. What a fun memory this can make for your kids. Maybe this will curb your adventurous kiddos until summer hits.

5.    Game Night

Bring out your family’s favorite board games. Make special finger foods to enjoy throughout the evening. Make up characters/nicknames for each person in your family. Have a blast competing against one another.  Here are a few games I’ve noticed kids love to play: Guess Who, Monopoly, Sorry, Candy Land, Uno, and Twister.

6.    Serving Saturday

Find something that your family can do TOGETHER to serve others. Here are some options: get-well cards, visiting the elderly, making meal/cookies for widows, shoveling snow, help at a food pantry, church events, and lots more! If you can’t think of something, call the church office! Don’t forget to take time to talk as a family about the importance of using our gifts and time to serve.

7.    Cocoa and Chronicles

Heat up some hot cocoa and share the chronicles of your childhood with your children. Talk to them about how you grew up, your favorite memories, what school was like, embarrassing and funny stories, and more. Kids will love hearing what life was like when you were a kid. You could even pull out old photos!

8.    Make a Meal: Kids Edition

Let your kids plan out dinner one evening. Let them choose what to eat and then let them help make it (Sounds stressful, I know…but just go for it)! From start to finish! Give them opportunities to learn and explore. Obviously, make sure to supervise!

9.    Dance/Lip Sync Party

Turn up some music that you just can’t resist dancing to! Pull up a YouTube video and learn some choreography together. Dancing not your thing? Pick songs that the kids and adults in your family know and karaoke it out! Let go and laugh together!

10.  Tea Party or Nerf Gun Battle

Depending on what your family would enjoy more, choose one and go all out.
Tea Party: let your girls dress up all fancy, pick up some tea, sugar cubes, and little sandwiches. You could even look up some tea etiquette to teach your kids
Nerf Gun Battle: gather all the nerf guns you can manage. Decide on rules, put war paint on, and battle it out.

Kayla Webb & Anna Rinde
Children’s Director & Children’s Ministry Intern