Hellobee

I adore winter and all of the fun that comes along with it…I love to curl up by the fire, bundle up in my favorite boots and scarves, and drink a ton of hot chocolate. However, now that we have a toddler sometimes I feel a little cooped up when it’s cold outside, and Jackson gets very antsy on those wet and cold days where we are trapped indoors!

Thankfully, there are about a zillion different ways to keep him occupied when we’re stuck inside – here are more than 40 ideas for keeping your little ones happy and busy when it’s too cold to leave the house!

• Make these free sewing cards! Perfect fine motor practice, and they’re adorable!
• Play pom pom hockey…it makes a mess but it sure looks like a ton of fun!
• You could also take those pom-poms and play this game on the stairs!

• Really itching for an outdoor activity? Try fishing inside! Or, you could always go fishing in the bathtub.
• Try out a sensory bin! They’re easy to make and super engaging. You could do a marshmallow bin, an arctic ice bin, or even a Frozen sensory bin!

• Have any giant boxes laying around? Build a gingerbread house!
• Don’t get snow where you live? Have an indoor snowball fight!
• You could also create your own blizzard.

• Turn a cookie sheet into a magnet activity! These are free printables you can use with any magnetic surface. Magnets are always a hit around here, and I love the idea of using them for an actual activity rather than just free play on the fridge.
• You can even build a snowman with newspapers!
• Or, if you’re really itching for some snow fun, you can just make your own.

• Take all of the pillows off the couch and build an obstacle course!
• Make some soap clouds! It’s a science experiment and an art project!
• Play with water beads! I used to use these as a sensory activity in my classroom all the time when I taught elementary school, but I hadn’t thought to try them with Jackson. He would love this activity so much!

• Play Snowman Bowling! I love this idea for Jackson!
• Make a quiet book. This requires a little extra work on your part, but just imagine how long it would keep your toddler busy! This would be fantastic with older toddlers, and would be a great activity for the car too.

• Make a footprint penguin, or a pasta necklace, or some puffy snowflakes.
• Make a paper plate ring toss game.
• Try painting on ice!

• Make a play doh snowman (you could even make some glittery play doh for it!).
• Or, bring some snow inside and paint that!
• Go ice skating indoors. Slippery, but fun (and mess-free)!

• Have any extra cereal boxes lying around? Turn them into a jet pack!
• Have your kid write their name with marshmallows or random art supplies, or even turn their name into a snowman,
• Grab a long roll of paper, trace your kid, and let them go to town! Jackson would adore this activity.

• Or, cover up the floor, grab a canvas and some painters tape, and have a painting party!

• Put together some busy bags for the days where nothing else is working. I like this color matching one, this color wheel one (great fine motor practice!), and this snowball one!
• You can also turn a muffin tin into a sorting activity!
• Here’s a fun “snow” science experiment made with shaving cream!

• Practice matching numbers with this car game – Jack is very into playing with cars right now, so this one is right up his alley!
• Do some cooking together! You could make these banana penguins, these tortilla snowflakes, this snow ice cream, snowman pizza, or some chocolate-dipped clementines!

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How do you like to stay busy when it’s too cold to go outside?