JFF What Do You Do When Stuck Inside?

We used to make tents and crawl all under them...like blankets thrown across 2 or 3 chairs. Clear off the dining room table and put all kinds of paper...crayons...markers...glue...whatever you have...show them how to fold paper and make snowflakes and then tape them to the windows. Snuggle under blankets on the floor and watch a good movie. Play hide and seek in the house. Bake some cookies and eat them while they are warm with cold milk. Oh my ideas are endless..it makes me want my grandson to be here with me right now.

Make the dining room table into a fort. (turn the chairs out and drape the backs and over the top of the table with a huge blanket). Then put pillows underneath and play "camp out". Get flashlights and books and tell made up stories.

And draw/color. Watch movies. Build obstacle courses out of pillows and laundry baskets around the living room floor. Play in the bathtub. Make hot chocolate with marshmallows.

Read! At 18 months, my son would say, "Here book, Momma read" all the time! It got to the point one winter where I lost my voice, so he had to "read" to me! Another fun thing it to pull out the play dough, or maybe make a cake, or some cookies. Get some construction paper and safety scissors, and let the two of them have a ball cutting. It might be tough for the 18 month old, but he/she will love to be included.

If I were stuck inside due to a blizzard, we would start off with some art projects, then we would make some soup and bread and perhaps a treat. Then we would snuggle up and read, have some movie time, the kids would have a long bath while playing with bath toys.

We usually spend time reading, playing games, baking/cooking together and generally just enjoying each others company. Granted my kids are 8 and 5 so they can entertain themselves as well but we recently had a week long period where we were stuck indoors and that's what we did.

I had a similar situation when my kids were little. We lived near Palm Springs CA and summers there are horriblly hot. I didn't want to send the kids out to run and play during the hot part of the day. I had an extensive video collection, coloring books ect to keep them busy.

Just be prepared for the toy mess in the house. Just relax through it as long as you know the floor under the toys is clean -- let it be a debris field for a few days.

I keep a box of toys in the basement that are reserved ONLY for days like this. The kids get excited because they haven't seen the toys in a while, and will play with them for a long time. Then, when we get back to our other activities, the toys go back to the basement. I periodically add and subtract from the box, too, to keep it interesting.

I hate being stuck home too...

You might want to check out this website for some ideas... http://playathomemom3.blogspot.com/

...or this one... http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/01/101-fun-easy-and-c...

K.:

I saw on the news that you got 2 feet of snow!! My best friend lives in Thornton! What a mess!!

My kids would be outside playing in it. Mine are 9 & 11. We would LOVE to have some snow here!!! It's been a VERY dry winter for us.

i would play games with my 4 year old like Candyland or Uno while the 18 month old is sleeping. Get 'em out in the snow - that tires them out at that age SUPER fast!! :)

My brain is a little slow right now - I didn't sleep well last night and have been out of bed since 545...I think I need a nap!! I'll think on it and remember what I did when my kids were stuck inside at that age!!

I only have a 4 year old, but I would set her up with art/craft projects, play games (cards, board games) and probably have her help me bake something. And as long the weather is not crazy dangerous cold, I would take her outside at some point to go sledding and play in the snow. Nothing wrong with some movies on TV and popcorn either.

the only time i ever feel 'stuck' inside is in summer, when i live outside! in a blizzard i'd a) play in the snow!!! a lot! b) hot cocoa and cookie baking, big time c) favorite movies d) hide and seek e) board games f) let's pretend g) circle stories where each person builds on the last person's contributions h) READREADREAD!
:) khairete
S.

Aren't those days just downright difficult? You have all of this downtime and it's tough keeping kids entertained. Does your 4 year old have a Gamecube, Wii, Xbox, Nintendo DS? My 6 year old plays games or we break out the easel to paint or spell words using magnetic letters. Get a homemade playdough recipe and have them help you make playdough. Also, building blocks, train tracks, coloring books, and reading books. When you need a break, put on Sprout channel. You can also go to sproutonline and they have games on there for little kids.

Hope this helps.

Just Dance and Just Dance Kids! My son loves to dance to the monkeys on the bed song.

Read some books, color, have a dance party, have a picnic on the floor for lunch, watch some movies, play some board games.

I spread newspaper on the floor, set up the easel and let my daughter paint. If you have (or can buy) a large roll of paper you can spread it on the floor and have your 4 yr old lay down on the paper. Trace his/her outline on the paper and have him/her color it in. It will take a while! I also have her help me cook, or have her make something simple like pudding. The 4 year old can also "help" you find blizzard necessities like flashlights, batteries, canned goods, etc. Of course you will already know where these things are but it might make your child feel good to be involved in the preparation, and it will also serve as a learning experience. I'm not sure I have any suggestions for the 18 month old. I was never very good at entertaining young children! Best of luck.