Here in Minnesota, by the time February rolls around, we feel that we may never see green grass and warm sunshine again.  The first half of the Winter flies by because of all the hustle, bustle, and excitement of the holidays.  First, Halloween takes up our October planning.  Some times, we are even lucky enough to have great weather on Halloween!   Back in 2008, we had unbelievably warm weather and didn’t even need coats.  But typically, we are freezing and have to wear our Winter coats under (or over) our costumes, hats, gloves, and the whole works.

Then comes Thanksgiving in November and Christmas in December.  Typically, if the snow doesn’t fly by October, we start seeing accumulations by late November at the latest.  Don’t get me wrong.  I do enjoy the snow…..at first. We love taking the kids outside sledding and building snowmen.  We even have a big hill in a town close by that the kids can go sledding down.  But by February, the sub-zero temps, piles and piles of snow, and overall feeling of confinement start to wear on us.  So I wanted to share a list of things that we do to survive the Winter and beat the blues.

1:)  Homemade Play dough is a life saver.  A batch of fresh home made play dough and some kitchen utensils or play dough toys keeps the kids busy for hours.  Add in the bonus of making the play dough together and you have a teaching moment where kids learn about measurements and chemical reactions.

2:)  Paint.  Kids love to paint.  We keep a supply of kids washable paint, finger paint, and water color paints in our craft cupboard at all times.  While painting does take a little more supervision than the play dough, it is another sanity saver.  I have yet to meet a child who doesn’t like to get busy with paint.  (Tip: Tape the corners of the paper onto the table for the younger kids to keep from sliding around.)  Handprint projects are a favorite in our home.

3:)  Play Groups can be great.  Check with your local moms groups, churches, and other community organizations to see if there are any play groups currently running.  If there’s not, then consider starting one yourself or with a friend.  Another mom and I just started one at our local church.  It’s free and open to all moms and kids.  The church even provides a pizza lunch with this outreach ministry.  I do suggest coming up with guidelines to prevent feeling overwhelmed though.  Our play group only meets once a month for 2 hours and is very laid back.  The kids free play in the nursery while the moms chat.

4:)  Have a baking day with the kids.  Well, our kids are ages 20 months through (almost) 9 years old so it’s more like a baking hour but the kids love it.  They all like to help stir, including the youngest.  Cracking eggs is another favorite.  The 3 year old is even getting pretty good at it.  I love having the older two kids read the recipes and help find and measure out the ingredients.  Plus, we all get to eat the results.

5:)  Head to a local venue.  We have a few options near us for children’s entertainment.  There is an Inflatables Bouncing Adventure, Gymnastics Building, and Trampoline Park that all have free time/open play for relatively low prices during the day through the school year.  While we only do this a couple times a Winter, it’s a great break from our daily routine and something that the kids look forward to.

6:)  Boxes can be your best friend!  Seriously.  The kids have spent days creating things with boxes.  When our daughter was younger, we had a big appliance box and she spent a week crawling in, out, and around coloring on it.  All four of our kids enjoy boxes.  All they need is some free time, imagination, and a  box.  I’ve seen the kids create dog houses, farms, rocket ships, houses, and so much more out of boxes.  

7:)  Space Aliens!  Our local Space Aliens has Kids Day every Tuesday.  (While I do think this happens at all locations be sure to call locally to double check before going.)  We always head out for the lunch hour.  I can order off the lunch specials menu and the kids get a pizza for 99 cents each!  Not only that, they also receive $2.50 worth of free tokens each.  We order 2 kids pizzas for the 4 kids to share and still end up taking some home.  Plus, the kids Sundae’s are a very reasonable 99 cents each so we always splurge for dessert for the kids too.  We all get fed and have an hours worth of fun for our family of 6 for under $25.

 8:)  Create a treasure hunt or spy adventure.  I will write up clues and send the kids on a mission.  Half of the fun comes from the prep work.  They get into character by dressing the part and creating accessories such as a telescope out of a cardboard tube.  Our hunts will send the kids throughout the house until they get to the treasure or end.  Sometimes I will have a treat at the end but not always.  The kids don’t seem to mind either way.  The fun is in the experience.

9:)  Pizza Party Movie Picnic.  When we started this trend, we would do this in the evening at bedtime and include a campout in the living room.  Now, we’ve started to do this during the day time for lunch every month or two.  It breaks up the routine of every day life with a little fun.  My husband runs to the gas station for the pizza while the kids and I lay down our “picnic blanket” and set paper plates.  I love the fact that I get a break from cooking and dishes that day and the kids love getting to watch a movie during lunch.

10:)  Head to the local library.  Our library has a small selection of toys and a coloring table available for the kids to use.  Plus, they do free story times and other programs.  I get to settle down on the comfortable couch to read a magazine myself or books to the kids and we all have a great time.  The library is great for a change of scenery.

What do you do to Beat the Winter Blues?  Share your tips below.

Miranda

I’m a city girl turned country by my awesome husband and we have three busy boys and two darling daughters. I love spending time with my family, reading Karen Kingsbury novels, and catching up with friends while our kiddos have play dates. I’m blessed beyond measure and can’t wait to see what God has in store.
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