After the excitement of the holiday season, winter can seem to drag on (and on and on). School’s out, it’s often too cold to send the kids outside, and by day three of the school break, everyone’s already restless. That’s the scene at my house, and I know it’s repeated in homes everywhere. What we all need are winter activities that don’t require tons of prep but still feel special enough that the kids won’t forget them by February.
That’s what this list is for. We’ve got New Year’s Eve ideas that work whether your kids are 5 or 15, Super Bowl games that’ll keep non-football fans engaged, and cozy indoor activities for when no one wants to be outside. Some of these take five minutes to set up. Others might become new family traditions. Either way, these winter activities give you a plan for when someone inevitably asks, “So… what are we doing today?”
New Year Fun
The end of the year is a great time to look back and reflect on everything that has happened. Your kids will love the idea of making a family time capsule, and we’ve made it easy with this free Time Capsule printable.
Ring in the New Year with the whole family!
- Here are 15 New Year’s Eve Ideas for Families with kids of all ages.
- And here are 5 Ideas for Teens on New Year’s Eve.
- And there’s no better time to help your child set goals than at the start of a new year. Use our Brilliant Goals Chart.
- Capture each family member’s year-end review with this fun printable.
- If you’re married, ring in the new year by asking each other these end-of-year questions about your relationship.
Just for Fun
If you’re picking up some inexpensive decorations for a New Year’s Eve celebration, bundle up the kids, take them with you, and keep them busy for a while with our printable Dollar Store Scavenger Hunt. (Psst. We’ve got 23 scavenger hunt ideas already created for you and ready to use!)
Stay warm with these fun winter activities.
- Learn how to make amazing homemade snowflakes.
- Cuddle up with these 10 Classic Family Movies.
- Stay in for the evening, but have a blast with 20 Ideas for a Family Fun Night.
- Get your kids back in the habit of screen-free fun.
- Grab your camping gear and enjoy the fun indoors with an easy camp-in.
- These 12 indoor activities for kids are some of our favorite ideas for when you’re stuck inside.
- Try these 8 simple explosive experiments with your kids.
- Pick one of these 15 fun STEM activities for kids to turn your home into a learning lab.
