In the dead of winter, parents of young children need creative ideas to get through these short, cold and rainy or snowy days besides just looking forward to spring. You do not have to stay confined to your house every day, and even when the weather absolutely prevents you from stepping outdoors, you and your child can enjoy fun activities at home.

So turn off that television and battle those winter blahs with a few fun and creative ideas.

Enjoy Those Rainy Day Activities
Get out those old magazines of children’s crafts that you have been saving, or get on the Internet and try out some of the ideas at FamilyFun.com, ParentSoup.com and TheIdeaBox.com. Most of the activities and crafts call for materials you will already have in your home, and the directions are simple to follow. These activities are not only fun, they are also a great way to teach your youngsters some of the skills they will need in school, such as following directions and using scissors.

Try baking occasionally. You do not have to have a daughter to enjoy baking with your child. Both girls and boys enjoy measuring, mixing ingredients, watching their creations rise in the oven, and then eating the results! You can follow an old family recipe to bake muffins or brownies from scratch, or just buy a mix from the grocery store. Children enjoy the process as much as they enjoy the product, and they do not care if it is from scratch or from a mix.

Read books and tell stories. Set aside a certain time every day to read stories to your children. Along with their favorites, include a few they have not heard in a while. For a fun change, get them to tell you the story from the pictures. In addition, tell them stories from your childhood or stories you remember from your parents and grandparents. You could even make up stories using your children as the heroes and heroines. Depending on your children’s ages, play a storytelling game where each person adds a new part to the story.

Play board games. Young children can learn and enjoy playing Hi-Ho Cherrio, Chutes and Ladders, Memory, Mouse Trap, Trouble, Old Maid, and Uno. Older children will enjoy Checkers, Life, Scrabble and Monopoly. Not only will you and your children have fun, but they will also learn important skills such as counting, taking turns, strategizing and displaying good sportsmanship.

Remember all those times you bought your child a gift, and she played with the box just as much as she played with the toy? Give your child a large box from a moving company or an empty box that used to hold a television or computer. Using crayons or markers, your child will decorate the box and use her imagination for hours!

Sometimes your child will be too stir crazy to do anything constructive. To get all that energy out safely, assemble an indoor obstacle course, where you and she will climb over sofas, squeeze through chairs, crawl under tables, and roll over pillows. This could be designed as a “Follow the Leader” game, as a race, or just for fun.

Go On Indoor Field Trips
Field trip destinations are not limited to outdoor locations, and indoor field trips provide a great escape from the house. Most areas offer a variety of places to go besides the zoo. You can arrange tours of local businesses and area attractions that your children are interested in at any time with just a phone call or two. In addition to the fire station and police station, try a local bakery, bookstore, pet store, newspaper, florist, TV and radio stations, and community artists such as painters, photographers and potters.

Many local libraries and bookstores feature story times and crafts for children a few times a week. Planetariums, art and history museums are also fascinating to children. Many metropolitan areas boast children’s museums with fun, hands-on learning activities for children – and adults! – of all ages.

Check schedules for children’s movies at the area theatres. Before taking your child to a movie, however, find out from a friend who has seen it first whether it will be appropriate for your child’s age.

Although the weather may prevent you from going to the park, you and your child may enjoy walking around one of the malls. Babies enjoy “people-watching” as much as adults do. For your older children, try bowling or roller-skating.

Join or Start a Playgroup
For free or low-cost entertainment on a regular basis, try a playgroup. All moms need a break now and then, but many do not have the extra money to spend on a Moms Day Out program or on going out. Playgroups offer an opportunity for at-home parents to get that weekly break from home, and yet spend time with their children at the same time.

Weekly playgroups provide an enjoyable diversion where the children play with friends while their parents talk or where all the members enjoy a structured parent-child activity. Besides, unlike a preschool or moms’ day out program, parents stay with their children at playgroup, alleviating the problem of separation anxiety.

Search for a playgroup in your area by contacting area churches, libraries, YMCAs, and community centers because that is where the majority of playgroups meet, if not in homes. Sometimes playgroups will advertise with area pediatricians and the community calendar of the local newspaper. Search the Internet as well. Web sites such as OnlinePlaygroup.com and ClubsForMoms.Homestead.com offer playgroup directories as well as information on starting a playgroup.

Now that you are armed for battle with a few ideas, turn off that television and make some plans to pass the time these next several weeks. Before you know it, spring will be here, and you and your child will be able to look back at a fun-filled winter.

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