41 Final Wintertime Activities for Quarantined Kids (Part 3)

I’ve created 101 things to do in quarantine.

Click here for the first 30 (Part 1)

Click here for the second set of 30 – all FREE! (Part 2)

Today I bring you the final 41, for a total of 101 ideas for wintertime and quarantine fun!

1. Build a Marble Maze / Labrynth

• Your kids can use an empty box.
• Glue straws to the bottom to create a maze.

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2. Card Games

Play a card game with your family after dinner.

A lady I enjoy listening to, raised four amazing sons and swears by the power of spending time with your kids around the table – not just eating, but staying to play games. She said the boys didn’t always want to play, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. Playing together opens up conversations you may not normally have. Games make you laugh and connect in a new way.

• Some good options: Go Fish, Memory, Uno
• My kids and I love Skipbo and Rat-a-tat-Cat (Best for ages 7 and up)
• You can learn a NEW card game. My boys and I just started playing “Garbage” – it’s an easy game we learned on Youtube.
• When I was a child, I entertained myself by playing Solitaire. Perhaps your kids can learn this one too!?
• My kids don’t always want to play a card game, but I often ask them to play just ONE game. They forget how fun it is until they start playing.

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3. Try winter gardening

Click here for ideas

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4. Make snow slushees

• If you have milk and sugar, your kids can make their own ice cream!
• Click here for recipe!
• Scoop fresh snow, pour any drink on top to turn it into a SLUSHEE!

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5. Minute to Win it Games

Click here to read the ten fun games to play with your kids!

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6. Create “Ramp Races”

A really fun and simple activity that can act as a physics lesson and opportunity for an experiment. Make a simple ramp using cardboard or a piece of wood, and roll different objects down: measure how far they go, how fast they roll, or hold races between different kinds of balls to see which wins!

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7. Go Fishing With Magnets

• Create “fishing poles” using pencils, string, and magnets.
• Place a variety of items in a bin–some magnetic, some otherwise–and let them go to town exploring the concept of magnetism! 

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8. Draw self portraits

• Have your kids look in the mirror and do a self portrait!
• Be sure to have them write their name and age. It will be fun to look back on this when they are older.
• You could have them repeat this every year around their birthday to see how their drawings improve! 

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9.  Make a Flip Book Animation

Kids can learn how to make a flipbook animation in less than 5 minutes. All you need is a pen and a stack of paper, or even better, a sticky note pad. This video is a great and very quick tutorial

Here is one of my son’s first flip book, using index cards:

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10. Create paper airplanes

Click here for ideas

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11. Sledding

If you have snow like we do, this is fun for all ages!

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12. Skiing

Skiing requires gloves, you can wear a mask, it’s outdoors and fairly easy to stay ‘socially distant.’ Many ski resorts have special rates and lessons for beginners.

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13. Play with shaving cream

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14. Have a make your own pizza and family movie night

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Click here for some of our family favorites

Click here for a simple 3 ingredient pizza recipe!

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15. Take a winter walk

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16. Play Bingo! or Zingo!

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17. Make one of a kind ornaments

Click here to read how!

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18. Make a comic strip

Read the Sunday comics to your kids, then make your own!

Click here for this printable comic strip outline.

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19. Stop Motion

• Download a stop-motion app for your kids and let them make stop motion videos

Here’s a video my 10 year old made:

https://youtu.be/PwXNusWmltk

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20. Learn and/or Practice an instrument

• Piano, keyboard, xylophone, harmonica, recorder or drums…make it a family band.
• Look on Youtube for free lessons.

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21. Pour Paint

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22. Rock Art

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23. Play with marshmallows and toothpicks

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24. Make Special Snacks

• Take a cupcake holder and put a different snack in each section
• Make Circus Sundaes – Ice Cream, Animal Crackers, Syrup, Whip Cream and a Cherry On Top!

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25. Blow Art

• Pour droplets of paint on paper
• Allow kids to “blow” air through the straw to make a cool pattern

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26. Play Follow The Leader

• Have each child take a turn being the leader
• Walk all around your house
• Do jumps, turns, stop to hug dad, etc.

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27. Mess Free Coloring

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28. Playfoam Game

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29. Go Retro with Lite-Brite

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30. Become an author

• My fourth grade teacher once gave us the title “The Entire City Lends a Hand” and had the class each write their own story.  Read a rendition of that here.
• Give your kids a title/prompt and let them write! 
• Title ideas: 
  • If I were President…
  • Undersea Adventure… 
  • You Won’t Believe what Happened! 

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31. Got Toilet Paper?

• Tape them up to create a “marble maze”
• Click here for more ideas

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32. Have your children create a scavenger hunt for each other!

• Give them a treat to hide for their sibling
• Have them create clues to search the house and find it!

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33. Memorize a verse together

• I find SO much comfort in knowing Scripture by heart and being able to quote it when I’m feeling fear.
• Learn a verse together with your kids.
• Click here for 12 great verses.

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34. Draw it

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35. Butcher Paper Family Table

• Roll a large sheet of paper across the dining room table or counter top or coffee table.
• Set markers in a jar on top of the table.
• Draw Christmas scenes, hand prints, rainbows, etc.

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37. Fashion Plates or Action Plates

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38. Make salt dough ornaments

My sister made these with her girls (ages 5 and 8). They turned out so cute. I am going to make some with my boys.

Click here for step-by-step instructions.

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39. Get a job or Help a Neighbor

Both working and serving can boost your mood!

If you have kids who are 8 and older, they can earn money or serve their neighbors by shoveling, cleaning up leaves, or helping any other outdoor task.

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40. Find a place to explore!

Though there are some places that are closed for Covid, you can still find a new place to explore with your kids!

You can look at the website “Only in your State.”

If you are in Tulsa, Oklahoma, check out The Gathering Place or RedBud Nature Preserve.

If you live in Colorado Springs, CO – click here for ten great places to hike with kids.

If you are in Minnesota, click here to discover the Arboretum, the Eloise Bird Sanctuary, and more!

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41. If all else fails…let them be bored! 

Being bored is a natural part of life as a kid. Try not to offer an immediate solution to their boredom and see what they come up with! It’s often in times of boredom that children show their greatest creativity!

Click here to read 20 gifts that Minnesota gave the world. I’m guessing most inventions were made during the long, dark winters in Minnesota.

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Thanks for reading!

If you missed part 1 of this series, click here!

Click here for 30 FREE wintertime activities for kids!

Click here for 55 more ideas for quarantine fun!

Here’s a video I created to show you some great gift ideas for kids: