50 Things To Do With Your Kids When It’s -50C

Post written by Sherri

snow covered cars

Is it cold enough for ya? Well winter is in full swing here on the Canadian prairies and the hot topic of conversation in this neck of the woods is all about the weather. With temperatures as low as –37.4C (-50C with the wind) you’re lucky if your car will even start!

Needless to say we haven’t been venturing too far from home these past few weeks except when absolutely necessary. It’s not just that I don’t want to expose the kids to these ridiculously low temps but I don’t want to be out in them either! So, although we all love winter, when it’s this cold and you’re cooped up for so long the kids get bored and cabin fever quickly sets in.

To help alleviate some of the boredom while trapped inside here is a list of 50 things you can do with the kids when it’s just a little too miserable to venture outside. I’d love to hear your tips and suggestions on what to do with the kids when going outside to play isn’t really an option.

Have a dance party. Put on some good dance music and have a dance party. This gets you up and moving and laughter and smiles will certainly follow! Have fun, be silly and dance like nobody’s watching!
Camping. If your family enjoys camping in the summer why not take out the tent and set it up in the living room complete with sleeping bags and all? Have a pretend campfire and make s’mores in the oven…yum! Have nap time in the tent or even spend the whole night camped out on the living room floor?
Read books. A great way to bond with your kids. Sitting in a big comfy chair or lying on the floor reading stimulates the mind in more ways than t.v. Choose to read for fun or find a book on a topic that interests you and learn something new.
Bake a yummy recipe. Include your kids when baking a special treat. If they are too young to be around the stove or oven let them pour ingredients and stir.
Color. Dig out an old coloring book and color in a picture. When the kids are all finished stick it up on the fridge or put it in a picture frame and hang it on a wall in their bedroom.
Play games. I spy, scrabble, tic-tac-toe, snakes and ladders, go fish, snap, war whatever you and your little ones find entertaining. You can take this as an opportunity to really talk with your kids, reconnect.
Arts and Crafts. Make a caterpillar from an egg carton and pipe cleaners or a mask from a paper plate and string or macaroni necklaces. There are numerous resources on the web with a ton of great arts and crafts ideas for kids of all ages.
Scavenger hunts. Hide items such as tins of food, tube of toothpaste, toys, shoes etc. around your house and let your kids find them.
Dress up. Time to pull some clothes out of the closet and don some jewels.
Build a fort. Using chairs, tables, blankets and pillows the only limit to how wonderful and elaborate your fort will be is your own imagination.
Watch a movie. Make some popcorn, turn out the lights and go to the movies.
Indoor Olympics. Put together some simple sporting events and create team uniforms to really get in the spirit of the games. Have gymnastics (balance beam and tumbling), potato sack races (using pillow cases) use your imagination, let the kids come up with some sports.
Make hand puppets. Using old socks or paper bags make puppets by gluing or taping on googly eyes, yarn for hair, ribbon for ties, construction paper for tongues etc. Make a stage out of a cardboard box and have a puppet show.
Finger painting. Take the traditional approach with finger paints on paper or you could use things like instant pudding or shaving cream on counter tops or tables it wipes up easy!
Blow bubbles. Whether you have a bottle left over from the summer or you make your own from dishwashing liquid bubbles are fun for kids of all ages.
Hide and go seek. (An all time favorite).
Fishing. Tie magnets to a string, cut fish shapes out of construction paper and attach a paper clip to the fish’s mouth and voila.
Obstacle course. Create an obstacle course using cardboard boxes, couch cushions, pillows, blankets, chairs etc. Think under, over, around and through perhaps even time each other as you go along.
Grocery Store. Set out some non-perishable food items from your pantry on tables and counters and using a basket as a shopping cart let your little ones go shopping. At the end have a check out and put the items into bags. Great fun!
Have a tea party. Like high tea at a tea house you can go all out with this one. Make finger sandwiches, dainties (cookies or squares will do) and have “tea” at the table. Using good dishes (if appropriate) can add to the uniqueness of this one.
Paper Mache. Create forms out of cardboard/paper/ balloons and masking tape. Cover using strips of newspaper dipped in a water, flour and salt mixture. Once it’s dry (about 24 hours later) decorate/paint your creation to put on display. Think aliens, birdfeeders, masks, bowls, butterflies, the possibilities are endless.
Life size cut outs. Using sheets of paper taped together measuring the length of your child have them lay on them and trace the outline of their body. Cut it out and let the kids decorate the figure adding pants, a shirt, hair, eyes etc…with crayons, markers, yarn, glitter, chalk.
Write a play and act it out. Use your imagination and write a play together. Get family members to act out the different roles.
Make a place mat. Using old magazines or family photos cut out pictures and glue them to a piece of construction paper. Write your kids name on it in big, bold, colorful letters and laminate using clear packing tape.
Make a music video. Using a particular song that you all like think about what a music video for it would look like. Plan out the video and then play the song while acting it out. It could be a lot of fun to have someone film it to be able to watch it on the t.v. later.
Play Restaurant. Make lunch time fun by pretending you’re at a fancy restaurant. Make menus with lunch items on it. PBJ, milk, yogurt and cookies. Finish it off with a bill and don’t forget to leave a tip!
Artist. Pretend to be an artist and draw or paint pictures of each other.
Have an indoor picnic. Lay out a blanket in the middle of the living room and pack a basket with lunch.
Take a nap. A great way to recharge after a morning of extreme play.
Plan a vacation. What better way to spend a cold frosty afternoon than planning a summer vacation! Make a list of places you’d like to go and what you will do when you’re there. Getting kids involved in vacation planning can make it a lot more fun for the whole family.
Clean the kids rooms. Ok sounds boring but if you make it fun by putting on some up beat music or singing songs, they’ll never know they’re helping out with the housework.
Make paper airplanes. There are many ways to make a paper airplane, experiment with different types and see which ones work the best and fly the furthest.
Do a puzzle. This can be fun for the whole family and make a snack to munch on while you work.
Make a bird feeder. An old milk jug or carton can make an excellent bird feeder. Cut out holes in the sides to make a place for birds to access the seed and let the little ones decorate it for their new feathered friends.
Build a card house. Have a contest to see who can build the tallest house of cards (you may need a few decks for this one).
Play with blocks or Lego. Make people you know or build familiar places.
Coin toss. Set up a jar and have the kids sit on their knees on the chair and toss coins over the back of the chair trying to get them in the jar.
Pin the tail on the donkey. Popular at kids’ birthday parties pin the tail on the donkey can be more fun if you make the donkey yourself drawing it and cutting it out of construction paper.
Make a marching band. Use pots, pans, cups, and spoons. Put rice in an old toilet paper roll and tape the ends to use as shakers. Make hats and you’re ready for action.
Have a photo shoot. This is ideal if you own a digital camera and can see the photos immediately and perhaps even print out the best ones.
Do a science experiment. Perhaps use paper mache to make a “volcano” and watch it erupt using baking soda and vinegar. Or get a hardboiled egg into a bottle without breaking it using a match. There are tons of fun science ideas to awaken the inner nerds…I know I am one!
Do an exercise video. This one can be fun and it really gets everyone moving.
Charades. Pick a book, person, animal or object and using only actions get the others to guess what you are.
Bowling. Set up plastic cups at the end of a hallway and using a soft ball or rolled up sock try and knock them all over.
Mini golf. Using a putter, hockey stick or plastic bat try knocking a golf ball into a plastic cup taped to the floor.
Make play dough. A simple recipe for home made play dough is: 5 cups of flour, 1/4 Cup of oil, 3 cups of salt, 3 (or more) cups of water and food coloring.
Make home made cards. In the spirit of getting organized why not make some home made cards? Think Valentine’s Day, Easter, Birthdays, Anniversaries.
Make a Zoo. Gather up all the stuffed animals you can and turn a room into a zoo. Finish it off with admission tickets and snacks and you’re set.
Name that tune. Think of a song and hum it the first person who guesses correctly gets to go next.
Sail boats in the bathtub. Fill the tub with water and sail plastic boats or make boats out of paper or milk cartons.