The wintery weather is here, and with colder mornings and evenings no doubt your little munchkins are spending more time inside. Have no fear, though! There are plenty of winter-friendly activities that can be done around the home and in the community without the risk of developing a dreaded running nose (not guaranteed though!).
Inside activities:
While it's raining or miserable weather outside, you might think staying in is the best option. Fear not, there are plenty of activities to keep you and the kiddies busy! The activities below don't require any obscure resources, rather things you most likely have lying around the house!
- - Cubby houses: get those old sheets out of the cupboard, pull the dining chairs out, and get creative! Maybe even create a safe space for you to snuggle up and read books (or play on devices - always acceptable after some team work!)
- - Snowy iSpy jar: iSpy games are great for visual perceptual figure ground skills, and it's always so much better when it matches the seasons! In a jar put in white confetti, white rice, or bean bag balls as the main "ingredient" and then place 4-6 small objects inside that can move around when the lid is on the jar and it is shaken.
- - Making Jelly: adult supervision recommended for the hot water, but get kids to set up the moulds and do the stirring, then sit and wait for it to set. Teaching patience and delayed gratification has many benefits!
- - Shaving foam hide and seek: create a snowy setting and hide toy animals, cars or figurines amongst the snow. Bonus points to use diggers etc. to get them out!
Outdoor activities:
There are so many benefits to getting out in nature when its cold, as long as you're rugged up!
- - Walks & Hiking: check out some of the local walking trails and see what you can discover along the way! Why not create a scavenger list before you leave and see how many things you find and can tick off (think: leaf sizes (bonus points for measuring!), rocks, bugs, wildlife, play equipment, counting objects)
- - Puddle jumping: get those gumboots on and get splashing! See what you can find in the puddles, or if you can create puddles in the garden yourself!
Community activities:
If you're in need of getting out of the house on the weekend, you can do plenty of indoor activities in the community:
- - Libraries: these delightfully quiet spaces have so many fun activities for kids of all ages. There's books to escape in, DVDs or magazines to explore and borrow, new games to play with, and even planned activities. Check out your local library for any activities or groups they run!
Waverley Library - https://www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/library
Surry Hills Library - https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/libraries/surry-hills-library
Green Square Library - https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/libraries/green-square-library
Double Bay Library - https://www.woollahra.nsw.gov.au/library/visit_us/double_bay
- - Supermarket: why not get the kids to write out a short shopping list (that doesn't have anything too expensive!) and get them to find the items themselves. A bit like a scavenger hunt, but with some yummy treats at the end!