A Family Therapist Shares 18 Winter Family Bonding Activities
Do you feel seasonal boredom setting in on your family? Perhaps you guys are getting stuck in a somewhat monotonous cycle of TV watching and need some creative ideas for your family to have some fun together.
I know it can get tough to be creative when it gets chilly out, but we’ve got some great ideas for you!
Decorate your house! If there are holidays that your family celebrates approaching, you and your kids can help each other decorate for each one. This can also lead to funny stories if there are decorations that remind you of a memory. If there are no holidays that you celebrate coming up, you can always decorate for winter in general! Make some paper snowflakes, build cotton snowmen, add some glitter, spray your windows, and voila!
Baking! Baking is so fun for the family. It can really teach your kids skills like following directions, having patience, and that progress can be achieved with practice. It’s also a great bonding experience to work on baking something together, and give each kid special jobs. Lastly, mixing, kneading, and decorating is super relaxing for kids.
Movie nights with popcorn! Everybody can get their PJ’s on, pop some buttery popcorn, get under some blankets, turn the lights off, and take turns picking a family member who can choose the movie for the night. It’s more exciting than mindlessly watching TV, and more intimate to watch movies their family members enjoy.
Arts and crafts days are great. Kids and teens love creating art in a space where nobody is judging how “good” it is, and it can lead to some great conversations as well. Hit up your local arts and crafts store and take turns letting a family member choose the craft for the day.
Go ice skating or bowling. These activities are a great time for families to do together and can bring out new skills in your kids or teens. Lots of communities have indoor and outdoor rinks, and bowling alleys usually have lots of arcade games and snacks as well.
Game nights! Board games are a lot of fun for families and can teach kids important skills as well. Game nights usually bring out a lot of laughs, kids’ competitive sides, and create great memories. Some recommendations of family games that kids love are Head’s Up, Sorry, Candyland, and Left Right Center.
Winter clothing cleaned-out. Cleaning out the closets with the kids can be an awesome activity for the whole family to do. Bonus points if you decide to donate your family’s old clothes, and explain to your kids that people who are in need of their clothes this cold winter will be getting them. It’s a perfect teaching opportunity to show kids the importance of cleaning out clothes that no longer fit or that they do not need, and to get in the spirit of giving. Kids usually love feeling a sense of purpose and doing good deeds.
Dance parties or fun music! Let your kids put on a show for you. If instruments or singing is their thing, let them put on a concert. If they like to dance, let them make up dances together and perform them. You can also get really into this by creating fake tickets, paying for them with fake money, and pulling up fake seats facing a stage!
Fire and s’mores, a classic combo on a chilly night! Build a fire, pull out some lawn chairs, and get to roasting! It’s seriously one of the best settings to tell stories, too!
Eat a kid-cooked dinner. Yup! Let your kids choose an easy meal to make for you for dinner. To make it even more fun, help them create the menus to hand out and even have them dress up as waiters. You can also set up your house to resemble a restaurant. Get creative!
Find your art materials out in nature and create something with it. Pinecones, fallen leaves, sticks, rocks, etc. Whatever you can find and collect, put it in a bin and then let your kids decide what they are able to make with it. Tip: get a hot glue gun and some construction paper for this one.
Living room camping. It may be too cold for backyard camping, but building a fort/tent in the living room and turning out all the lights never gets old! Bring some snacks, flashlights, and all the family members/pets into your biggest room to camp out together and unplug from your devices. Take it as seriously as real-life camping!
Breakfast for dinner. Kids love having pancakes, waffles, french toast, and eggs for dinner. Something so simple as cooking a different meal at a different time really excites them! Cook it together!
Real SNOW-cone. Next time it snows, go out and gather some snow, pour flavored syrup on it, and make a sno-cone with real snow.
Play outside! Especially on a snow day, kids love getting outside and enjoying it. Build some snowmen together. Build your family as a snow-family! Bundle up and get out there for a bit! Have some hot cocoa afterwards to warm up!
Take an art class together as a family. Whether your family’s jam is painting, ceramics, or clay, there are a variety of art classes offered in all different areas. Try to find something that your family would enjoy doing.
A You-Tube yoga class. Move all the furniture in the living room over, put some yoga on your TV, and let your kids give it a whirl. It won’t be perfect, but it’ll be a lot of fun! I’m sure you will have some giggles as well.
Costume photoshoots are a HIT with a lot of families. Let your kids put on any dress-up clothes they have or costumes from Halloween's past. Take photos of them modeling them. Or, have your family members dress up in each other’s clothes and act like each other. Take videos and photos. You guys will probably find it hilarious.
I know some of these may be hard to do, depending on where we’re at in the pandemic and what is exactly allowed. Just remember to be safe in doing so, but switching it up with your family is super important. A lot of people struggle when it starts to get dark earlier, cold out, and they are not able to do summer outdoor activities anymore. Hopefully some of these winter family bonding activities can help your family bond together but also help with the winter blues!
Remember to reach out to a therapist if you feel that your kid or teen may be struggling with their mental health this winter and needs some additional support. We’re here to help!
