Here in Maryland, there are some mornings where we wake up and it’s 11 degrees outside. Just thinking about it gives me chills! There’s no way I will take the kids out in that cold. What’s a Mom to do on days like that? Tons!

Don’t use the cold an excuse to hibernate in front of the TV! Here are five fun indoor activities to do with your family on cold winter days.

Crafts: Next time you are at your local craft store check out the dollar bins. They have wonderful little activities that are easy to keep on hand and use on a cold or rainy day. My 6 year old loves putting together the small wooden models of boats and airplanes. We have small paint- by-number kits and even Fun Fusion. Didn’t stock up? Pull out the construction paper, glue and scissors. There is a ton of stuff you can make!

Cook/Bake Together: You knew I had to put this there, right? I don’t think enough people cook at home anymore and even more of them don’t cook with their kids! You don’t have to make a gourmet meal or the perfect cookies. Pull out a fun cook book, look online, and let the kids pick something! Even snacks can be turned into fun activities. Check out these fun ideas using a Mini Babybel or The Laughing Cow Wedges: The Very Hungry Caterpillar after-school snack and cheese mice. How much fun are those?

Puzzles and Board Games: Another classic, but sometimes I think we forget how much fun a family board game can be. Some of our family favorites include: Blokus, Guess Who (the Scooby-Doo version), Memory, Battleship, and Candyland. Depending on the age of your kids you can play different and more in depth games.

Active Reading: I read a lot to my son and now he’s old enough to read to me (blows my mind!), but I somehow conditioned us to only read at night. We’ve made it a bedtime tradition which is great, but you can also read together on a Saturday afternoon or a Sunday morning. Have your kids pick out a few books and read them together or even act them out. Ask questions about the story and the characters. Make it more interactive and turn reading time into playtime.

Clean: I know, I know doesn’t sounds so fun does it? But it CAN be. Make it fun. Turn it into a game, have timed challenges, rearrange a room, and reminisce with old photos as you clean out a closet. Anything can be made fun if you just put a little spin on it!

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