Need some new winter activities? Some winters drag on F-O-R-E-V-E-RRRRRRRRRRRRR! My kids loved doing crafts when they were younger, now it less craft sets and more random pieces of this or that, but they still enjoy creating.  Here are some of my favorite winter craft/activities.

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Snow!! If you know it going to snow but you can’t or don’t want to go outside in it, set out a few bowls to catch the snow (set them out before it snows so that they are cold when the snow starts to fall) bring it inside and play.  Obviously the snow will melt, so make sure you are in an area that can get wet.  If you don’t live in an area with snow or don’t have any available, try this:

This can get a bit messy, but it’s not cold. It will stick to you and I wouldn’t recommend washing it down the drain, but it is fun when you don’t have snow!

Perler beads!
My kids love making all kinds of designs. Sometime they follow patterns, sometimes they make it up themselves.  An adult needs to use an iron to melt or fuse the beads together.

These are so much fun! It takes a while for them to grow, so prep them ahead of time,  Soak them in water and let kids play with them in a bowl or plastic tub. DO NOT PUT THESE DOWN THE DRAIN, these absorb water and could block your pipes, but as long as you keep them out of your sinks and bathtubs (and toilets!!), it will be fine.  Don’t store them wet, they will get stinky! let them dry out and you can re use them again and again!

Are you old enough to remember these? Hopefully I’m not dating myself too much, but I loved these as a kid! My kids got them as gifts a few years ago and they enjoy them too. We also have a 3-D one!

Have you ever played with these? There are so many things you can make with these things. We’ve even gotten some at a restaurant for the kids to play with while we waited for our food.

 

This one can get a bit messy but it is so much fun! You can even add some salt or sand to it for a new sensory experience.

This is a great way to introduce your little ones to mosaics.  This is easy and fun!

These are definitely a cross between a craft and a toy, you can create so many things and keep your creation or take it apart and do it again!

I love touching this stuff, it’s so relaxing to me.  My kids enjoy it too, it is a lot of fun to play with!

Don’t forget
Some people hate this stuff because it can get everywhere!   My kids played with it at the table and with a plastic table cloth on the floor to pick up any pieces.  I still enjoy making things out of it or even just stamping shapes into it, (I use my nesting cups from Discovery Toys) ,
the animal shapes on the bottom make great stamps!

For more craft time ideas check out this post.

For sensory activities check out this post

How do you keep your kids occupied while inside on cold or bad weather days? Share your favorites winter activities!