By Rebecca Yee-Peters
Halloween.... over.
Thanksgiving... over.
Christmas... over.
New Years' Eve... over.
Now it's January.
Oh, January. There are so many reasons you can love or hate January. January is a fresh start for some, while it is a depressing cold month for others. I grew up in Northeast Ohio. The winters there were always cold. Most of the time, we had snow on the ground. But now that I am older, we live in Florida, and there is no snow. So no matter where you are in the country, these five creative ideas to bring the fun into January will work for you!
These activities are designed to keep the kids busy and help your family bond and become closer.
1.) Have a campout right in your living room! This one is fun for many reasons. You can basically do whatever you want!
Whether it is cold and snowy where you are or cool and sunny, you can have a campout inside. Step 1: Turn off ALL of the devices. Grab some flashlights and books and have storytime. Pack a small cooler or a lunch box with some snacks. Get some paints and butcher paper and make shadow art. Or do a shadow puppet storytime. Get creative! This will be fun and memorable for young ones. It will also be quality time together as a family because you will have all the devices turned off.
2.) Have an indoor scavenger hunt. This is an activity that will get your kids thinking and having fun.
You do not have to make this anything elaborate. If you run to Pinterest, you can type in "indoor scavenger hunt for kids," and you will get many ideas. Again, this main objective is to spend time away from screens and bond as a family. Have a fun little prize for the end, waiting for the kids. This activity will do several things. It will get them to use their brains. Any chance you get to have your kids think critically is great. It will also keep them busy! But you will need to supervise, so make sure you do this when you can set aside time to bond with your family. (If you want a done for you scavenger hunt, we like this one from Look We're Learning Blog)
3.) Set up an indoor obstacle course. Kids love to compete.
With this activity, you can use anything you have to create an obstacle course. Use cardboard boxes, laundry baskets, pillows, or tape hopscotch on the floor. You can get super creative with this activity. You can have the kids compete to see who goes the fastest or clears the most obstacles without knocking them over. Again, this is meant to keep your kids off screens and engaged with you as a parent. You can also get in there and compete with them. Have a prize or a fun lunch planned when it's all over for added fun. (If you don't have much to get creative with, you can get the game The Floor is Lava from Amazon.)
4.) Competition Game Night. Board games or video games are great for having competitive fun.
Not all screen time is bad. (read our article here on screentime guilt) We are actually huge fans of video games. I personally play a video game almost every night to unwind. But there is a way you can still bond with your family while playing. There are many games out there that you can play and compete in, either together or separately. One that comes to mind is Mario Kart. That one you can play for hours! I also like games like Overcooked and Moving Out, where you can compete against the clock by working together.
There are also many fun board games you can play together. Check out our post 10 Best Board Games for Family Game Night. You can also make your own board game.... yes, you read that right. Make your own. Read our post here on a fun full-size tabletop board game we created here.
5.) Movie Night. Of course, a good old-fashioned movie night is always a hit.
We are also HUGE fans of movies here. Grab pillows, blankets, and popcorn, and head to your living room. If you need help choosing a movie, here are five choices for movies that inspire kindness. Or you can check out these three movies you can watch as a family.
No matter what you choose, you can make January just as fun as the rest of the months of the year. Our goal for 2023 is to spend more time with family and really get to learn from each other and love each other more.
Want some more fun things for your kids? Head to our printables page and download some FREE fun coloring and activity pages!
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