15 ACTIVITIES for WINTER DAYS *

Jan 18, 2015 | Funtime

Here’s a list of 15 things all of us grandparents and grandchildren can do on a winter’s day without leaving the driveway:

Bake or cook. Bathing suit season isn’t for a few months, so your New Year’s resolutions can wait as you indulge in sweet treats or comfort foods that warm up the house (and your belly).
Get an early start on upcoming birthday or holiday cards. Christmas has already passed, but you can make notes and cards for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Grandma’s & Grandpa’s birthdays, teacher days, Administrative Professionals’ Day, and so on…
Fashion shoot. Play dress up with old Halloween costumes, take photos, crank up the dance music and have fun on the hallway runway.
Arts and crafts. Besides cards, you could make a birdfeeder (add peanut butter and seeds to any pine cone), paint a masterpiece, make your own Play-Dough or try other crafty ideas.
Clean the house. Putting away all those empty boxes, unplayed-with-toys, and dirty laundry will invigorate you and (if you’re lucky) exhaust the little ones to go down for naptime.
Play in the snow. You don’t have to stay inside just because the roads are bad. Get creative in the yard like “Calvin & Hobbes” with your snowman art or go sledding — but dress warmly and make sure s’mores and hot chocolate are ready to go after! Also, older kids looking to make a little extra money, can shovel the sidewalk at your or your neighbors’ house.
Make snow ice cream. Put 4 cups of clean snow (or shaved ice) in a blender adding 1/2 cup of half & half or whole milk, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Blend the milk, sugar and vanilla together until the sugar dissolves, then mix it all together until it looks like ice cream. Add chocolate syrup, whipped cream and leftover holiday candy as toppings.
Going to pieces? Put them together. Make wall art by using puzzle glue and hang the finished work!
Board games. Bored? Games like Monopoly, Life, Risk, Uno, and chess can help with that.
Build a fort. Whether you want to build a fortress for an epic pillow fight or have tea inside a princess castle made out of blankets, a fort will keep the kids occupied and make you want to play along.
Computer games. Discovery Kids has lots of fun ones, including one where you can build a virtual roller coaster, PBS Kids lets younger ones play with Curious George and Daniel Tiger, and Nick Games has everything from Spongebob and the Power Rangers to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Visit: https://www.grandparentslink.com/road-tested-apps-grandchildren-ages-2-17/ for a list of age-appropriate games.

Video games. Between the Wii, Playstation Move and interactive games like Rock Band there’s plenty of arcade options at home to keep kids moving.
Smartphone and tablet games. Check iTunes for free apps for your iPhone or iPad, or try Google Play for fun stuff to play on your Android mobile devices.
Make your own game. Get creative online at AddictingGames.com, where you can build a robot, mix beats like a DJ or race cars.
Story time. Get cozy on the couch, by the fireplace if you’ve got one, and read to your kids.

*Article reprinted (and edited) from: www.syracuse.com

8 Ideas for Winter Fun Perhaps snow and cold are in your wheelhouse!

Feb 9, 2023 | Funtime

That being said, we all know how it feels when those brutally cold winter days creep up on us and we feel STUCK. We might even be out of ideas of how to keep the grandkids, and family entertained (or even to get them to come over- ha!). Don’t fret.. we’ve put together a list of some fun family friendly activities that will cure those winter blues. Oh, and don’t forget to bundle up! Whatever you do – have fun.