the frugal millionaire

  • Home
  • About
  • Income
  • My Posts
  • Start a Profitable Blog!
  • Freebies

Free Winter Activities for Kids

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Free winter activities to do with kids! Check out all of my ideas to keep your kids busy this winter so no one (including you!) goes stir crazy.

Cold weather is upon us! Are you looking for some free activities to keep your kids busy during the winter? As a mother of three little girls, if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that bored kids = crazy kids and a frustrated mom! This year, I’m making it a point to keep them busy for the sake of ALL of our sanity!

Free Winter Activities for Kids

Story time at the library

This is a favorite activity of ours! We bundle up, load up in the car and spend a good 1-2 hours at the library chatting with friends, playing, reading, and of course participating in story time.

As a bonus, check out some holiday books and wrap them up for your kids! Each night before bed, they can open one and you’ll read it to them. This is a cute way to bring the magic home for the holidays without having to spend a dime.

Hot chocolate and movie night

I am a huge fan of relaxing indoors on cold evenings with a warm beverage, a fire and a movie. My husband and I have a date night in every Friday night, and in the winter you can bet we are cuddled up under blankets watching a movie. I love to do the same thing with my kids once a week! Let them take turns choosing a movie, pop some popcorn and make hot cocoa, and enjoy the cold winter evening sitting by the fire!

Holiday crafts

All kids love crafting; it’s just how they were built. These Christmas ornament crafts look adorable and are definitely something my girls and I plan on making this year. I also love this paper plate reindeer craft for kids. For both of these projects, you’ll probably have all the necessary items already in your home, so you don’t have to spend any money. Other ideas include having the kids draw a Christmas tree and Santa Claus, making simple snowflakes with just white paper and scissors, or making a “Countdown to Christmas” chain link made from construction paper.

Bake cookies

The girls’ and I are a bit ahead of the game as we’ve already been making lots of yummy treats! Don’t worry, though, we plan on making a lot more over the next few months! We’ve already made White Chocolate Pumpkin Snickerdoodles and Swig Cookies. We will definitely be making Gingerbread houses this year, too! Baking with my girls is one of my most favorite things to do. Every Saturday, we have a tradition of cooking breakfast together. For the past month, it’s been Pumpkin Pancakes as per their request. I just love my girls so much and there is nothing better than spending quality time with them. I’m sure all you mama’s can relate 😉

Drive around and look at lights

As much as I love looking at Halloween and fall decor, nothing beats Christmas decor! We can’t wait for people to start decking their houses with all Christmas paraphernalia so we can drive around and look at all the lights. We did this last year just about every evening throughout the month of December. I would bring treats for the girls in the car or we would stop at Starbucks and grab a hot chocolate. Nothing better!

My Biggest Tip for Surviving Winter with Kids

Plan things to do each day and actually spend time with your kids! You guys, I can’t tell you how much better behaved my girls are when I take the time to teach them something, play with them, interact with them and engage with them. It doesn’t have to be all day, but when your kids are awake, try to make the most of your time with them! Lately, we’ve been having breakfast and coffee (for me) together as a family in the mornings before work. We sit and chat about what we’re doing for the day and how we all slept. I’ve noticed on mornings that we do this, my kids will play together nicely while I get ready. They no longer beg for my attention because they get it all the time!

If you can’t think of things to do with your kids, teach them something (tracing letters, math, a puzzle, etc), sing songs together (we love listening to Pandora!), let them help you clean (this is a favorite activity of my girls – I give them a damp rag and let them wipe down the stair railings, clean the floors, clean the bathroom counters, and more), play “Ring Around the Rosy” and more.

I think it’s easy for moms to go crazy when they’re trapped inside all day with your kids. This winter, though, I encourage you to change your attitude and really enjoy your kids! My girls are only 3 and 2, yet it seems like time is just flying. I no longer have babies, and I don’t want to take a second of them for granted.

What are your favorite free activities to do in the winter with your kids?

 

Pin
Share
Tweet
0 Shares
   

/ Filed In: Budget, Holidays, Parenting, Saving Money
Tagged: budget, life, saving money

Comments

  1. Christina @ Embracing Simple says

    at

    These are such awesome ideas Sarah!

    Spending time at our library is one of our favorite things to do when the weather isn’t cooperating, and I know will be a favorite this winter as the temps drop in Chicago! Making plans everyday is a great tip not just for winter, but for everyday haha. I find myself losing patience or feeling in a rut if we don’t have something planned every single day. Even if it’s just going to Target to pick up something we need, getting out of the house is key for staying sane when it’s not nice enough to be outside.

    Thanks for the great inspiration, I’m sure I’ll be referring back to this all winter when I’m figuring out how to keep Little Miss occupied 🙂

    XO Christina

  2. Mr. Groovy says

    at

    Hey Sarah –
    My wife and I are in/near Charlotte too, so howdy neighbor! I see you mentioned driving around and seeing the lights but have you ever specifically been to “Christmas Town” in McAdenville?
    http://www.mcadenville-christmastown.com/
    It’s totally free and a lot of fun.

    • Sarah Brooks says

      at

      Hi Mr. Groovy! What part of Charlotte are you in?! We definitely want to check out McAdenville! This will be our second Christmas here in Charlotte. We wanted to go last year but time got away from us. This is the year for sure!! Thanks for reminding me! 🙂

      • Mr. Groovy says

        at

        We’re in Indian Trail. What about you? Do you love NC? We sure do.

        • Sarah Brooks says

          at

          Oh wow! We’re close! We rented a house in Indian Trail but we just moved to Matthews! We LOVE NC! I always tell my husband it was the best decision we made 🙂

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Search my blog!

Top Posts

  • Frugal Birthday Ideas for Your Husband
  • Working Moms Morning Routine: 5 Tips to Streamline Your Morning
  • How to Start a Successful Handyman Business
  • How to Have a Great Day
  • How to live like you're on vacation

Affiliate disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission from a sale at no extra charge to you. Thank you for supporting the frugal millionaire blog!

Theme by 17th Avenue · Powered by WordPress & Genesis