Schools Cancelled!! What to do!!

Schools Cancelled!! What to do!!

Robin @ Kids Matter

Ok, so school is out again, and there is a forecast for below freezing temperatures and more snow almost all week.  School is sure to be out again, especially with the one lane, curvy roads that school busses have to travel, here in Kentucky.  So, I know you must be wondering what to do?  If kids get bored, it causes nothing but trouble. By now, you are probably running out of ways, other than TV, video games, and a cellphone to keep your child entertained.  Yes, they can go outside, but only for short periods of time due to the extremely low temperatures.  Below are some ideas that will hopefully help with your entertainment dilemma.

·        Have fun in the kitchen.  Children love to help cook!  You will need to do the cooking or baking part, for safety reasons, but it is great practice and fun for children to help measure and stir ingredients.  It also may have the added benefit of encouraging your picky eaters to eat, since they are more likely to eat what they have helped prepare. 

·        Teach them a craft.  Depending on the age of your child; sewing, crocheting, or cross-stitching may be an option.  There are age appropriate kits that have safety needles, patterns, and instructions that are easy for them to follow.  Younger children can easily make jewelry by stringing bead or cereal on yarn.  If multiple craft items are produced, you and your child could take them to a nursing home to hand out and brighten someone’s day. 

·       Make paper airplanes.  You probably have scrap or recycle paper around the house somewhere.  Use it to make a variety of planes.  There could be contests as to which one flies the farthest, the fastest, or looks the funniest.

·        Write a story.  This is a great way to encourage an active imagination.  Your children could write down their favorite story with any changes they would like to make, or they could write their own original story.  For younger children, they may need to dictate the story to you, if they are not able to write on their own.  But as you write it down, leave plenty of room for them to go back and draw pictures to go with the story.  This will make a great keepsake!

·        Exercise.  Even though you are inside, it doesn’t mean you have to sit down all day.  If you have a room with lots of open space you can use that for an exercise area for anything from exercising along with a video, to doing calisthenics, or making an obstacle course.  Just be sure that the area is safe in case someone gets too excited and falls. (You don’t want any tables with sharp corners, etc. nearby.)

·        Have a scavenger hunt.  You can make up a list of things around the house that the children need to find to win a prize or a special privilege.  The list may be made harder or easier as needed depending on the age of your children.   Some items could be: an envelope from the mail, rock, ball, quarter, dinosaur, book, feather, rubber band, or toothpick.  Adjust the list to what you have on hand, making some items harder to find than others.  This keeps the children interested, while making the game last more than two minutes.