Winter is nearly here, and this year many people are staying home for the holidays. It’s a great opportunity to have some family fun, so we’ve collected a list of joyful and enriching activities that you and your kin can enjoy without leaving the neighborhood.
Go floor skating
Want to take the family ice skating but don’t want to leave the house? Make any hard, smooth floor in your house into a skating rink with wax paper skates! Simply clear a space and secure wax paper around your kids’ feet with rubber bands, and soon your little ones will be gliding around the floor. Take a few safety precautions, like marking the rink borders with tape and choosing one direction to skate in, and then set everyone loose to work some energy out.
Start a winter art project
Take inspiration from the season by making some wintry art with your family! Get some scissors and paper to cut out paper snowflakes, or break out the watercolors and find a bare tree to paint. If you want to get more elaborate, you can all work together to build a log cabin out of popsicle sticks, or get sloppy with some papier-mâché to build a snowman. The possibilities are as endless as your creativity!
Read a classic story
Winter is the perfect time to snuggle up with a good story, especially a much-loved classic. This version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is condensed for elementary-level readers, and features illustrations that kids can color in as they go through the pages. Teach your children new vocabulary words and introduce them to well-known literary figures like Ebenezer Scrooge with this time-tested tale.
Play this exciting skiing game
Hit the slopes with this educational skiing game, Ski Racer! Compete against two other skiers and race down a hill by solving problems. Different versions of Ski Racer teach different lessons, like identifying shapes, comparing numbers, and multiplication, so you can tailor your child’s experience to what they’re ready to learn. They’ll need to think quickly to claim the first place spot on the winner’s podium!
Bake some yummy treats
Warm the house by firing up the oven for some family baking! Choose your family’s favorite wintery baked goods and look up recipes for them. Baking already teaches important skills like following instructions and measuring ingredients, but you can also easily turn your baking sesh into a gingerbread math lesson that stimulates all five senses.
Cool down with connect-the-dots
After an exciting day, help your kids calm down with a relaxing winter-themed connect-the-dots sheet. Connect-the-dots puzzles are excellent for helping kids learn hand-eye coordination, concentration, and counting. For a more festive experience, the Education.com Learning Library also has Christmas and Hanukkah puzzles as well.
No matter what kind of winter you’re having, Education.com is here to support you with resources for learning and fun. You can find more winter games, activities, and worksheets here.
