Ahhhhh, February. The shortest month of the year that feels sooooooo long.
Right around this time of year everyone in our house starts to get a little stir crazy.
I went poking around Pinterest to find something to keep a very active little girl occupied. Of course Pinterest is full of ideas, most of them fabulous, but many were a little… over-ambitious. I’m a big fan of the KISS rule (Keep It Simple, Silly), so elaborate crafts and the like are just not going to happen.
Here are a few that I’m keeping under my hat for the next snow day or deep freeze that keeps us in the house.
Life-Sized Board Game from Toddler Approved
Turn your house into a giant board game! This is super simple to do – just print and place the squares – and I think Miss O will love it. To make it a little more active, I’ll probably place the squares farther apart and have her hop to each one. My little girl has lots of energy!
Flashlight Games from Kids Activities Blog
Great ideas for when the power’s out, or you’re just looking for some good old fashioned fun. Who doesn’t remember playing flashlight games as kids? Take it one step further and set up the tent in the living room and have a campout!
Balloon Hockey from Creative Connections for Kids
If you want to make this even simpler (or you’re just lazy like I am) you could also do this with brooms. This is fun for kids – and adults – of all ages! I keep a bag of dollar store balloons in the house at all times. How it never occurred to me to improvise a game of hockey, I don’t know.
Build a Sheet Fort
Old toys become new again when they’re played with in a sheet fort! Hang up some lights and some old sheets and you’ve got the coolest 20 sq ft in your house. And if you’re getting a little nuts from all the family togetherness, throw one of these up in a corner or over some furniture and enjoy a few hours to yourself.
Sticky Spider Web Activity from Hands On As We Grow
Miss O is going to love this one! The only reason it’s not already up is because we don’t have any painter’s tape. Want to make it a little more competitive? Use a few different colors of tape and assign a point value to each. Most points wins a prize!
Vanilla Sugar Cookies with Sprinkles from Julia’s Album
We made these for Christmas this year and they were not only fun to make, they were delicious! They didn’t look nearly as pretty as the picture above, but the girls had a blast, they were easy to make, and really yummy. That’s a winning recipe in my book!
Miss O and her friend rolling the cookie dough into balls, then in the sprinkles.
I’d love to hear what you do to keep the kids from turning into zombies or bouncing off the walls during these long winter months. Share some of your favorite activities in the comments.
