It has been cold and wet these last few weeks in the Willamette Valley. Last winter we talked about family fun outdoors. But this month has been persistently cold and wet! 

Is anyone else looking for some cozy family indoor activities while we wait for warmer and drier weather to arrive? 

Here are a few ideas for indoor family fun in these last cold weeks of winter.

Family fun indoors

Baking together. Get the family (and maybe a few friends) and gather round in the kitchen to cook together. Make a meal (small individual-sized pizzas with toppings made to order) or a yummy snack (popcorn and hot chocolate). Help everyone find a way to contribute mixing, stirring, chopping, and measuring, and enjoy the time together.

Movie marathon. Speaking of popcorn, pick a theme and spend the day watching movies together. Enjoy that popcorn you made together while binging on beach movies and dreaming of summer.

Dance Party. Kick off your shoes, put on some music, and get moving together. Put together a dance playlist that has music that appeals to everyone in your family. Dancing is a great way to get the wiggles out when young ones need to get moving but are stuck indoors. Even the big kids can reach their daily move goals when they join the fun.

Indoor Workout. Have a yoga mat? Stream an online yoga class and do some yoga together. Pick a class that uses simple stretches and yoga poses so that even the littles can participate. If you’re looking for something a bit more strenuous, try group calisthenics to add strength training and cardio to your time together. A beginner workout is described here.

Play games. We’ve talked about game nights before and we’re big fans of games at our house. Playing games – board games, card games, dice games, and partner games is a great way to spend time together indoors. If your family has very young children, look for ways to simplify games so they can play too. Carcassonne is a perfect matching game that even a three-year-old can play. When mine were young we skipped the scorekeeping and played cooperatively, each helping to complete the roads or cities that were being built. Now we play a bit more competitively and enjoy long games of Ticket to Ride Rails and Sails.

Build a fort. Grab the kids, some pillows, and blankets, and build an indoor fort, tent, or hideaway. Or build a couple. Let their imagination take them on grand adventures as they play inside, outside, or between the two. They can even spend the night ‘camping’ in the new ‘tent’ you’ve created and enjoy a sleepover in the family room.

Start that summer garden. If you have a summertime backyard garden, now is a great time to start planning. Gather the family and talk about what you’ll grow and decide what can be started indoors. Once you have a plan, starting seeds indoors can give you a jump on harvest season. Little ones love to help put dirt in starter pots and water the freshly planted seeds.

Some other ideas for indoor winter fun

• Make homemade hot chocolate
• Have a fun indoor picnic
• Make some winter crafts together 

Next time you’re looking for something to do on a cold winter day, try one of these fun indoor activities and enjoy some family time together. Let us know in the comments what you’ve done to keep it fun while we’re staying warm indoors.