Trying to keep your kids occupied this Winter?
It's tough sometimes. Endless cold days and not enough ideas. Kids are little balls of energy, and all the backyard games that helped them decompress in the warmer months are off-limits because of cold weather.
Blogger Anna Luther was facing her first winter with staying home with a toddler, and decided to go looking for ways to avoid cabin fever.
Here are a few of her suggestions for wintertime toddler activities.
1. Frozen Bubbles
This activity puts a frozen twist on a beloved summer tradition: blowing soap bubbles.
To get started, you’ll need:
- ½ cup of soap powder
- ½ cup of sugar
- 3 cups of hot water
- A measuring cup
- A bowl
- A spoon or whisk
- A bubble wand
You’ll also need a cold day (below freezing) with no wind. Mix the soap, sugar and water to form the bubble solution.
Then head outdoors with the solution and your wand. Blow a bubble and catch it on the wand. Let it rest in the cold air, and watch it freeze into a crystalline ball.
2. Painting On Ice
Instead of panting on paper, this next entry on our list of wintertime toddler activities lets your kids use ice as their canvas.
You’ll need:
- A bowl of water mixed with half a cup of baking soda
- Small paint containers
- Paint brushes
- Paper towels
Start by freezing the water. With the help of the baking soda, it should form a solid white block. Then, let your kids paint away. If they want to erase what they’ve done and try something else, rinse the ice with cold water. Use the paper towels to wipe down the ice and for cleanup.
3. Fizzing and Melting Candy Canes
Do you have candy canes left over from Christmas? Would you prefer your kids didn’t eat them? Turn them into a science experiment.
To get started, you’ll need:
- Candy canes
- 1 box of baking soda
- 1 bottle of vinegar
- Food coloring
- An eyedropper or spoons
- A tray or baking sheet
Start by putting baking soda on the tray, with the candy canes on top of the baking soda. Pour vinegar into a cup, and add food coloring. (You may want to add some peppermint extract to the vinegar to mask the smell.)
Use the dropper or spoon to add some vinegar to the candy cane/baking soda mixture, and watch what happens. The candy will begin to bubble and fizz and –eventually – dissolve.
With this activity, your kids will get a cool, colorful science lesson, and you’ll have less reason to worry about them getting cavities.
4. Homemade Goo
Here’s another home science project that’s even simpler than the past entry. All you’ll need is water, corn flour, and a large bowl.
Start by filling a cup with 16 ounces of corn flour. Then, slowly pour in the water, mixing slowly until you get a slimy goo.
Now, see how it behaves when you play around with it. You should be able to scoop it up, and roll it into a ball. But when you stop moving your hands together, the mixture will turn back into a liquid. You can add food coloring or even glow-in-the-dark paint to make things more interesting.
5. Snow Ice Cream
After all these wintertime toddler activities, you and your kids may be ready for a snack. Why not some have some ice cream? It doesn’t just have to be a summertime treat. In fact, this dessert will only work in winter.
Start by heading out and gathering eight cups of fresh snow, and putting them in a big bowl. Add a can of sweet condensed milk, and a teaspoon of vanilla, stir, and serve. You can add sprinkles and chocolate or any of the other toppings you’d put on a dish regular of ice cream.
Winter won’t last forever, and when it’s over, Swingset & Toy Warehouse will be ready. Visit us online or at one of our four locations to find an outdoor playset to help your toddlers have fun this spring.
