Help your children beat cabin fever with these tips
While most children love playing in the snow, when the temperature outside dips too low, snow turns to ice and school gets cancelled (or winter break rolls around), those same children go from excited youngsters, ready to enjoy a day off, to bored, restless and agitated “prisoners” stuck inside for long periods of time. This is commonly referred to as cabin fever. Oftentimes, parents or guardians are left scrambling to find something for the kids to do to fill the time. With that in mind, here are a few pointers for parents when the inevitable snowfall hits and they are left with a house full of stir-crazy kids who are desperate for something to do.
“Read a book. Though most children might not enjoy reading for pleasure on their own, those same children probably enjoy being read to. Grab a blanket, some hot cocoa and a good book and stay warm with your children by reading to them.
“Board games. While older children who are veterans of the snow-day circuit might refer to these as “bored” games, younger children are often not acquainted with board games and might enjoy competing against their siblings and parents. Many board games, too, take a couple of hours to play, making these a fun and time-consuming option for beating cabin fever. Plenty of games exist that can be fun for young children and adults – and look for “junior” versions of your old-time favorites.
“Invite over some friends. If you live in an area that gets particularly cold or is known to have lots of snowfall, this can be a great way to share the responsibility of finding something for your children to do. Allow your children to invite over some friends so they can keep each other busy. See if your child’s friends’ parents wouldn’t mind hosting the kids the next time snow falls and school’s out.
“Dress up. Again, older children might not find this as appealing as younger ones. But if your children are younger, dressing up can be a fun way to pass the time. Let your children make their own outfits and pretend to be whomever they want, be it a super hero, animal, role model, etc.
“Rent a movie without leaving the house. Oh, the beauty of technology. Thanks to recent advancements in technology where cable companies can provide you with a slew of movies at similar and many times better prices than a video store, you can rent a movie through your television set without ever having to dress up the kids and leave the house.
“Make some arts and crafts. Chances are, you have enough things around the house (brown lunch bags, paper plates, construction paper, etc.) that can make for some pretty fun materials when making arts and crafts. This can be a good way to encourage creativity in your children on days where they might otherwise be plopped down in front of the television set for hours on end. This will also keep their minds sharp for the inevitable return to school.
“Make your home into an arena of sorts. Though you are supposedly famous for saying, “Don’t play ball in the house,” some creative maneuvering can make for a fun and safe way to play games indoors.
If you have an especially large basement and not too much furniture down there, consider letting the kids play a game like Broomball, where they use a soft ball and a couple of brooms and pretend to play hockey. Most adults and children will have fun playing this, and it’s a good way to sneak in some safe physical activity during the long winter months.