Parenting is hard enough, but then comes Old Man Winter. Cold temperatures, illness, and the holidays followed by the boredom of January and February can test the sanity of any mother. There are ways, though, that can make winter much more tolerable, even fun, for parents and children alike.
There are the usual winter activities such as sledding, snowball fights, building snow forts, skiing and ice skating. However, for those who would prefer to remain warm and cozy indoors, these ideas may be more appealing.
My children love to make forts, and it doesn’t take much effort. Take some kitchen chairs or use the couch and coffee table-just be imaginative. Throw blankets over the chairs and you have a basic fort. Let your children help build the fort, and offer ideas on how to embellish it. There are even more possibilities if your children have bunk beds.
Crafts are a fun way to pass the time. Purchase a good craft book or go online and find ideas that would be easy for the age of your child. Work together and spend time talking with your children about their friends, what life was like when you were a child-really anything. You are not only teaching creativity and coordination through the crafts, but also building relationships.
Board games may seem either mundane or obvious, but they really can be a lot of fun and a great teaching tool. My husband tries to avoid them, saying, “That is why they are called ‘Bored’ games,” but I enjoy playing Candy Land with my sons, Cole and Riley. Cole is four, so he knows how to play. He is learning to follow rules, play fairly, and how to win or lose graciously. Riley is 22 months, so he sits with us, and when we draw a card, I show it to him and ask him to say the color, drawing him into the play and also teaching him as well.
My boys love to bake with me. Cold winter days and long evenings offer the perfect chance to work together in the kitchen. The mess is usually bigger, and it takes awhile to get the cookies, brownies, cake or bread ready for the oven, but the memories make the extra effort worthwhile. I am also able to teach Cole about measuring and following recipes. Riley just likes to dump ingredients from the cups into the bowl. We sometimes make cookies together, and then take them to our neighbors-another way to teach our children about kindness.
My children are rarely ill, even in the winter. Honestly, I do not take specific precautions, nor am I a germaphobe. I have two boys-that should say it all right there. I have never kept them from getting dirty, and the occasional leftover piece of food has made it’s way to a little mouth before I could get to it first. I make sure the boys are clean before mealtime, get baths, take their vitamins and eat healthy. It always has seemed to me that those parents who are overly cautious about dirt and germs end up spending more time in the doctor’s office. If your child is normally healthy, it doesn’t hurt to let them get dirty once in a while. I understand that some kids have health issues, so do what is best for your child to avoid wintertime illnesses.
All it takes is a little imagination and some quality time with your kids to keep all of you from suffering the wintertime blues, turning cabin fever into a happy home.