Who doesn’t love winter break? Time away from school means a chance to sleep in, hangout with friends, and of course, play in the snow.
But what happens when the weather’s too cold, your friends are busy and you’re ready to put down the screen?
Don’t fret - we’ve compiled a list of activities for your family!
Check out these ten simple ideas that beat cabin fever by engaging all the senses as well as young minds and bodies.
Winter Break Coloring Pages and Activities
Download and print these original Know Yourself coloring pages!
Children and adults alike will love to add color and bring our unique coloring pages to life!
** Send us a picture of your best coloring page to social@knowyourself.com for a chance to win an Organaut Mighty!
Who doesn’t love winter break? Time away from school means a chance to sleep in, hangout with friends, and of course, play in the snow.
But what happens when the weather’s too cold, your friends are busy and you’re ready to put down the screen?
Don’t fret - we’ve compiled a list of activities for your family!
Check out these ten simple ideas that beat cabin fever by engaging all the senses as well as young minds and bodies.
1. Churn it up!
Little Bins for Little Hands
Get the kids involved with snack time. Homemade butter is super easy to make and requires nothing more than a jar and some heavy whipping cream.
If you live with a tiny foodie, you can fancy up your butter with herbs, a pinch of salt, or even honey. The churning step is a lot of fun (add a washed marble to the jar to make it churn up a little quicker), and the result is delicious.
Check out the whole process - and the science behind it - at Little Bins for Little Hands.
2. Grow a garden... out of salt.
Photo © Babble Dabble Do
Nothing is more magical than waking up to a shimmering collection of crystals that grew overnight.
Epsom salt crystals mimic frost and can be tinted with watercolor or food coloring. They grow best in the fridge, which makes this a perfect opportunity to discuss how snowflakes form, and why stalactites and stalagmites happen in cool caves.
All eight easy steps are on Babble Dabble Do.
3. Combine sound, color, and chemical reactions.
Photo © Learn ~ Play ~ Imagine
What's better than fizzy colorful art? Fizzy colorful art that sounds like a twanging banjo!
Engage your senses of sight and hearing with this fun (and just a little messy) STEAM project, and learn how baking soda and vinegar react.
Read all about it at Learn ~ Play ~ Imagine
4. Master the fort.
Nothing says indoor fun more than creating a good pillow fort. Learning to build one can be an exercise in engineering, so pull those cushions off the couch and explore design and structural integrity with the whole family. The building process can be just as fun as curling up inside with a good book and some popcorn.
5. Make a STEAM bored jar.
Next time you hear those two dreaded words, tell the kids to do the first activity they take out of the bored jar. This is a great winter break activity for elementary students, high school kids and parents; all ages can enjoy the STEAM bored jar.
One jar holds hours of educational fun and is fully customizable for your family's likes and sensory needs.
Visit Left Brain Craft Brain to start making your jar.
6. Bring a little winter indoors.
Not the cold, melty stuff - we're talking about the fluffy white kind of snow that lasts a lot longer and doesn't leak through your gloves. Mix up a batch of pretend snow and roll some miniature snowmen, make fluffy handprints, or stroll your toys through a winter wonderland.
Get the two-ingredient recipe at Huckleberry Love.
7. Discover electromagnetism.
Sounds intimidating, doesn't it? It turns out building an electromagnetic train is not rocket science, and you only need three items to send one levitating through your living room.
Frugal Fun for Boys has all the directions.
8. Become a paper aviation expert.
Hand-eye coordination, fine and gross muscle skills, and engineering collide - sometimes literally - when you spend an afternoon folding paper airplanes.
Kids Activities Blog puts a twist on a classic with their challenge to design planes that can fly with coins taped inside. See how much cargo you can carry in your favorite folded flyer.
9. Fossilize flora and fauna.
You're one simple salt dough recipe away from a paleontological dig in your own home! Not only can you "fossilize" the kids' favorite toys and dig them out with chisels and brushes, but the impressions left in the dried dough mimic real fossils.
Dig into the details at By Stephanie Lynn.
10. Know yourself.
Take time this winter to get to Know Yourself!
Our very own Adventure Series is stuffed with awesome activities for the whole family, and arrives in your mailbox every month! Say Yes calls it "a great learning activity for the whole family".
You can get started with the first Know Yourself adventure, full of experiments that engage all the senses, right here.
Winter Break Coloring Pages and Activities
Searching for winter break activities for kids? Coloring is a simple way to let the imagination run wild while you’re stuck inside.
Download and print these original Know Yourself coloring pages!
Children and adults alike will love to add color and bring our unique coloring pages to life!
** Send us a picture of your best coloring page to social@knowyourself.com for a chance to win an Organaut Mighty!
Have a favorite indoor family pastime not listed here? Let us know in a comment!
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