Since the fun and excitement of the holidays are over, it can be rough finding indoor fun on cold days! Sure it’s good to get outside, but sometimes the weather and our schedules just don’t cooperate. Never fear! Here are some great ways to have fun, burn off some energy and stay indoors this winter.

Tape

You read that right. A simple roll of painter’s tape (because it’s easy to remove) can create many different games quickly and easily. Create roads for cars all over the floor. Make letters, numbers and or shapes. Make a game out of finding one of those letters, numbers or shapes; crab walk to the number 8! Hop to the square!

Use tape to create a hop scotch or long jump. Or stretch the tape at different angles down a hallway creating a maze that your kids can climb through, over, and under without knocking down the tape.

Hunting

No, not real hunting! Think of scavenger hunts of all kinds. Create a list of clues leading to a prize. Or hide parts of a puzzle that your kids seek out to then complete the puzzle.

Give your kids a list of the ABC’s and have them hunt around the house for items for each letter. They can gather them all up, or write them out to practice handwriting skills. If your kiddos aren’t ready for the ABC’s yet, try a color hunt instead. Give them cards with colors – even paint samples – to match to things in the house.

Cups and Balls

Red plastic cups are for more than just drinks! Stack them up into pyramids and other formations. See who can make the tallest, widest, most unique structure. When that gets boring, use a ball to knock them down like bowling pins. Or use a broom to hit a small ball into a cup. Toss balls and catch them in cups – either to each other or by themselves.

Move It Move It

Shout out animals and have your kids mimic the animal’s movement. Think about not only four legged animals, but flying, swimming and crawling too. Old stand by’s like Red Light Green Light are always fun – create a different move for each like green light is a skip, yellow light is crab walk and red is jumping in place.

Don’t forget about Simon Says and Hide ‘n Go Seek too.

Obstacle Course

Create an indoor obstacle course by using every day items and toys. Lay out broom sticks to jump over. Pillows to climb over, tables to crawl under and then throw a toy into a basket. There’s no one way to create it, the sillier, the better!