8 Indoor Winter Activities for Kids to Limit Screen Time
The winter season brings so many fun things to look forward to, like the possibility of snow days, yummy soups, and tasty hot drinks — but also kids who are “so bored.” Once it gets too cold outside to do anything other than walk straight back inside, it becomes hard to keep kids preoccupied while cooped up in the house. And it’s even harder if you don’t want all that time spent on their phone or the Xbox.
To help parents out, we’ve put together a list of specifically indoor and non-screen-related activities for kids to fill the time this winter season. Let’s jump in!
Our Top 8 Indoor Winter Activities for Kids
1. Board games
Board games are a classic when it comes to screen-free indoor family time, and for good reason! There are so many cool and interesting board games nowadays to choose from — gone are the days of just bland checkers and stuffy old Monopoly — and your family likely already has their go-tos. Some of our favorites here at Bark are:
- Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
- Exploding Kittens
- Just One
- Wordle the Party game
- Not Parent Approved game
- Escape the Room: Secret of Dr. Gravely’s Retreat
Also, if your family is really into board games — like really, really into them — we recommend checking out Boardgame Geek, a website that has reviews, lists, photos, and more from both new releases and classics that is sure to inspire your next purchase.
2. Indoor snowball fights
Can’t go outside and play in the snow? Bring the snow inside! Well, not exactly, but you can still have your own snowball fight inside by purchasing fake snow balls from Amazon. It’s made out of safe, soft material making it suitable for all ages. Your kids can go wild chucking snowballs at each other and making igloos out of couch cushions. And afterwards, there’s no stripping off soaking wet jackets and mittens — just scooping the snowballs back into the box.
Pro tip: Don’t want to buy anything? Use rolled up pairs of socks instead!
3. Make homemade Play-Doh
If your kid still has the urge to build something in the snow, instead you can let them build something out of Play-Doh! There are tons of recipes to make these things at home (usually just flour, salt, and water), and that can be part of the fun — to have your kids make it. Then, their imagination can run wild with whatever they want to create with their homemade Play-Doh.
4. Cook or bake something together
The winter season is the perfect time to make sugar cookies, pumpkin bread, or any other kind of tasty seasonal treat. And it’s a great way to teach your kids important skills like problem solving, basic math skills, and need-to-know kitchen skills. So let them pick out a recipe to make together and by the end of it, you can hopefully enjoy the fruits of your labor together!
5. Volunteer somewhere together
Teaching kids to give their time to help others is invaluable, and what better time to do it than around the holidays? You can look up local homeless shelters, animal shelters, or soup kitchens and see which ones are looking for volunteers. Then, sign the whole family up. Alternatively, you can find local coat drives or canned food drives and have your child help you gather supplies and donate to various places around your community.
6. Create a reading goal or challenge
Imagine a big comfy chair, a snuggly blanket, a piping hot mug of hot chocolate, and a really good book. Is there any better way to spend a chilly winter evening than this?
Well, for some kids, the answer is an absolute yes. But perhaps to foster this love for reading in your kids, you propose a reading challenge. This reading challenge will have a set goal of books to read by some predetermined date (for instance, “read 10 books by the end of December”). And then have a reward that they know they’re working towards. Maybe it’s a new bike or a gift card to their favorite clothing store — whatever you know motivates them most.
7. Find free or low cost activities in the area
Not all winter activities for kids have to take place inside the house — you can look up some cheap or even free activities to do around town. We put together a short list of activities to research in your own community to get some ideas flowing:
- Head to the library or book store
- Plan a trip to a museum or art gallery
- Go to a bowling alley — many have days of the week that are discounted
- Adventure out to try ice skating or roller skating — many of these also have discounted days
- Find free events through your local community center or YMCA
8. Put together an at-home workout routine
If you want to keep kids exercising, consider turning your living room into a temporary gym. Think about what types of workouts your kids might enjoy — it could be anything from weight lifting and yoga to dancing and karate. There are tons of ways to get your kids up and moving without having to spend money on a bunch of equipment. And if you’re okay with using some screens, you can look up some workout routines on YouTube for your kids to follow along with. Almost anything you can think of probably exists. Dinosaur yoga? You bet! Tap dancing for kids with no shoes required? Absolutely.
Keeping Kids Safer Online this Winter Season
Even with all these indoor activities, you may still find your kids on their technology more than normal. And that’s okay! Bark wants to help you keep your kids safer and set healthy boundaries while they’re online. With Bark, you can manage screen time, block apps/sites, track location, and monitor texts and apps for concerning content. Learn more about our suite of parental controls to see how Bark can offer an extra layer of digital protection for your home.