Winter Weekends

Here in Texas we enjoy the good fortune of mild winters that make life easy to accommodate around the weather. We all recount the excitement during the once in a blue moon snow we receive or the ice days that shut down our roadways and schools. One thought that can be lost in the excitement is what to do to keep your family entertained if everyone is stuck indoors! Here are some great ideas, many that use things found around the house, to help keep your kids amused without causing destruction. Sumo Style! Perfect for any age to enjoy this easy to create game which inspires hours of entertainment as long as the pillow holds fluff. All you need is large shirts and pillows to stuff in a sumo belly and the

Do you have a rambunctious little one, a large box, and some spare battery powered lights around? Then get ready for your youngster to show off their imagination! Make a new world, perhaps Santas’ village or a magic time machine, inside the box with lights and colors. It’s entertaining to see the minds of children as they explore and create, even the older kids may want to join in on the fun. Connect multiple boxes together or next to each other with cut out windows to make a city for everyone to take part in creating! It will take time to color it all, filling up the afternoon with creativity and exploration, and giving you time to knock out anything on your list. kids will laugh their way around the house waddling back and forth. Concerned about someone getting too competitive? Youtube has some great videos of Sumo Wrestlers practicing without contact, and bonus: it could help them learn about another culture from around the world!

while staying indoors? Time to bring out the homemade ice skates! Strap some wax paper onto the feet of your athlete with a rubber band or string to secure it and they are ready to glide. This fun indoor activity works on rugs, tile, and hardwood floors. It’s a hilarious take on winter sports, that is the perfect fit for fun and laughter to fill your home on even the coldest of days. Do members of your family prefer more to work with their hands? Winter crafts are a perfect fit! These homemade snowflakes are easy to bring to life with items in the cupboard: all your need is glue, pasta, and a sprinkle of glitter Begin by laying out the design, glue into place each delicate piece, and once it dries, coat with a brush of glue, then make it sparkle! What a fun way to create something together, while letting each member of your family splash on their own style. Another exciting craft perfect for a winter freeze are popsicle stick ice skaters! Using markers, have everyone decorate a popsicle stick person to be ready for a winter ride. Once they are ready for a temperature drop, fill a ramakin with water and cover with foil, puncture the top with the popsicle figure so it stands, and freeze. After the water freezes, gently remove from the molds and place on a metal tray

and let them take off across the ice! Working with your family to have indoor fun can seem stressful, but with some time to prep supplies before hand, it can be an easy unknown to tackle! Let your children in on the process and decide which game will come first. No matter which direction you chose to go the best way to ensure a memory for your family with indoor fun is to let your inner child come out!