“Moooooooom, I’m boooooooored!”
Bored: A five-letter curse word that no parent likes to hear, ever!
Keeping your kids busy over the winter break can be particularly challenging since “go play outside with the hosepipe” isn’t always an option on cold winter days. That’s why we’ve put together a list of 10 things your kids can do to keep the winter boredom at bay.
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Make a movie
Lights, camera… action! Making a movie can keep the kids entertained for hours. First, they’ll need to come up with a plot and story; then they’ll need to rehearse it, find costumes and props (or make their own), and finally put on the show and film it.
These days, it’s easy to film on a cellphone, then use a video-editing app to string the clips together and make a smooth production.
Once the movie is ready, your kids can set up a screening. Bring on the popcorn!
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Build a fort
It may be too cold to camp outside, but your kids can make a cosy inside camp using blankets, sheets, chairs, couches and cupboards to create an indoor fort. They can bring their toys and even sleep there for the night. Midnight snacks are totally allowed this time, mom!
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Sherlock Holmes sleuthing
Set up a scavenger hunt for your kids and their friends (this can be done individually or in teams). If your kids are old enough, they can set up the treasure hunt or scavenger hunt themselves.
For a scavenger hunt, kids will need to collect items on a list, such as a leaf with five points, an acorn, or a safety pin. The first team or child to find all the items on the list wins a prize.
With a treasure hunt, a series of clues or a map leads children to a prize. The first team or child to gather all the clues and find the treasure wins!
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Crafty corner
Set up a special table or area with your kids’ craft materials as well as other bits and bobs like buttons, fabric scraps, dry pasta, beads etc. Leave it to your kids’ imaginations to come up with some unique creations.
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Bake-off
Getting creative in the kitchen teaches children cooking skills, food science, and an appreciation for how food is prepared. Whipping up a sweet treat is something that the whole family can enjoy. Bake up a batch of biscuits or a cake and let your kids have fun with the decorations; and the eating, of course!
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A soup-erb idea
Another kitchen boredom-buster is to teach your children how to make a warm winter soup, giving them age-appropriate tasks along the way like washing and peeling vegetables and stirring the pot. You can even make some homemade bread to go with it (beer bread is an easy option).
It’s a win-win – dinner done and kids entertained!
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Put pen to paper
Have your kids ever written and addressed a letter by hand? Many children of today haven’t! Imagine granny and grandpa’s surprise if they were to receive a snail mail letter from one of their grandchildren?
Have your children create their own writing paper (using the craft corner), then write a letter and take it to the post office to send with a stamp. They can even write letters to each other or to their friends.
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Get down and dance!
Clear the furniture, because winter holidays are perfect for a dance-off! Get your children to set up a playlist of their favourite songs (apps like Spotify, Apple Music and Google Play Music are ideal), crank it up and let them battle it out on the dancefloor.
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Board (bored?) games
Set up a board game tournament – bring out all the board games and card games and keep a tally of who is winning the ‘tournament’. Each game won means another point to that person. This works best when your kids have a playdate with other friends so that they can play in teams and have more people to compete with. It also means a great variety of games, as everyone brings a game or two with them.
Another idea is to have your kids create their own board games (the craft table can come in handy here) then test them out with their friends.
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Get involved with something good
Teaching your children empathy from a young age stands them in good stead for the future. During the holidays, encourage them to get involved in a cause that they care about. Ideas could include:
- reading to children in hospital
- walking the dogs at an animal shelter
- playing with children at a creche
- taking homemade biscuits to an old age home
- picking up litter
- cleaning out toys and clothes they no longer need to take to a children’s home
How will you be keeping the children entertained these holidays? Comment to tell us your ideas!
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