Handwriting Ideas: Ways to get your Children to Practice Writing

Easy Ways to Get Kids to Practice Handwriting

Is handwriting a thing of the past? Handwriting has become a controversial issue. Should children learn cursive? Why is handwriting important at all? My kids cry when I ask them to write a draft for a research paper. Cry! Their Language Arts skills are fantastic when they use Google Docs, but ask them to write on paper and everything goes south! So, we're sharing Handwriting Practice Tips, handwriting ideas, and ways to get your children to practice writing without the fuss. Enjoy!   

Handwriting Ideas: Ways to get your Children to Practice Writing.

BIC is on a mission to save handwriting! Kids can enjoy handwriting practice. Before they know it, they'll have improved handwriting skills. We took the fight for your write pledge, and you can too! Pledge to save handwriting, and enter for a chance to win BIC prize pack worth $1200! Just visit www.BICFightForYourWrite.com.

Ideas to Get Children to Practice Handwriting

Shopping Lists
Be sneaky! Sneak in handwriting. Every time you head to the store, have your child help you with the shopping list. You dictate, they write.

Mayhem, loves to write shopping lists! She always adds little extras she hopes to get or puts something preposterous on the list! If you follow the blog, you may remember that she has Dyslexia. Her handwriting skills are not to par, but that doesn't keep her from writing. She hopes to be a novelist when she gets older.

Cool Bic Pens
Jake despises any form of drawing or writing. For Jake to write with a pen, it requires lots of incentives (okay, bribes). The cooler the writing utensil, the better. This is where our Bic Pens come into play. I remember writing paper notes and making every word a different color with this cool Bic Pen. Awesome. Jake thinks it is pretty cool too.

Word Games
Another way to sneak in some writing practice is to play word games. We especially like those fill in the blank stories- just add a noun, adjective, or verb.

Letters to Grandparents
Though the kids love to write email, penning letters to Grandma and Grandpa is fun too! Encourage handwritten letters by taking a trip to the post office to let your kids pick out their favorite stamps. This also encourages Grandma and Grandpa to write back. Everyone loves getting mail!



Goals and Wish Lists
Any time is a good time to make a wish! It doesn't have to be a birthday or Christmas want list. Sneak in some practice handwriting time, by asking your child to pen a wish list or a list of things they hope to achieve in the near future.

#BICFightForYourWrite

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Bic. The opinions and text are all mine.



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Ways to Make Extra Money at Home

Need an Online Side Job?

Whether you're self-employed, under-employed, or just always looking for more cash, there are many legitimate ways to make money at home online. As a self-employed entrepreneur, I've tried many different side gigs. I've always got a bunch of irons in the fire trying to find one that is the best return on my time invested. Some things pay well, but are tedious and stressful. When that happens, it causes a shift in my mood. I'd rather do something that took less time and caused less stress. I mean who wouldn't? If you're looking for ways to make extra money at home read on for a list of things you can do as a side job online.

This post contains Amazon and other Affiliate links.

Need a side gig?

Ways to Make Money Online

When working online, you never have to leave your home. Let's get real, you never even have to leave your bed! Unfortunately, you do have to have some marketable online skills. However, there are a range of activities for the amateur to the professional online entrepreneur. So, if you're hoping to become self-employed or to add a little extra cash to your monthly bottom line, it might be worth it to brush up on some English grammar lessons, Microsoft skills, and understand how social media is beneficial to your bank account.

• If you're a teacher of any sort, including a homeschooling teacher/parent, you can make money by selling your printable lessons online. #worksheets People don't have time to create these and they appreciate the work being done for them by a professional.  Some great sites to start selling your teacher resources are TeacherSherpa.com and TeachersPayTeachers.com  Each website is reputable, and as an added bonus, you can sell the same items on each site. They work sightly differently, so go for it and see which one works best for you! If you're a serial entrepreneur like me, you'll continue to do both.

• Do you have some random skill? Something you're an expert at and can do quite well in a very short amount of time? Maybe you're a freelance writer, a musician who does jingles, you were born with a great voice for voice overs, you're an amazing cartoonist, skilled at graphic design, or perhaps you can write a kick*** cover letter and resume. Whatever your marketable skill, you can promote it on fiverr.com. Just offer something for $5 and you can add additional fees or add-on work. I haven't sold anything over there, but I have used the service many, many times!

• My first venture into the making money online came via UpWork. Back in the day, it was known as Elance. With UpWork, you can charge whatever you want. The more skilled you are, the more you can make. I started out low-balling bids on jobs until I gained confidence in a particular subject. Now, I work as a consultant and bid a much higher wage.  I work as a freelance writer, SEO specialist, and social media marketer. However, you can find jobs for draftsmen, architects, interior designers, product testers, reviewers, and virtual assistants. Sometimes, you can even find work offline.

More ways to make money online.

• If you're a blogger or anyone with a large online following, you can do a search for sponsored social media posts. You've heard of celebrities getting paid to post on their Twitter and Instagram? You can do it too! This is my favorite side gig. It only takes a few minutes to complete and the pay out can be just as good as a sponsored blog post. You decided what pay you want. Your stats, engagement, and follower count play into it. Anyone can do it and earn $1 to over $1000 for a short post.

Learn how to get sponsored posts on Instagram.

• If you are still uncertain about what type of job you would love to do at home or what profession is the most suitable for you, it's important to keep an eye on new trends and analyze different open positions and their requirements. In this case, you can use the best job search websites. For example, you can have a look at the work-from-home vacancies listed on Jooble. Filters such as location, date posting, salary, work experience, and work employment will help you speed up your search and find the most appropriate vacant post in the long run.

• Write a how to manual, a comic book, or a full-fledged novel! Using Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing tools, you can create book covers, upload content, and sell your book on Amazon. I've done this several times now. The key is quality. This is a pretty hefty time commitment. However, once you've done one book and created a template, it becomes easier. This is not for the faint of heart, the easily stressed, or the perfectionist. If you're any of those things, do the book, but pay someone to set it up for you. Here's one of my best selling Amazon books: Circle Time Activities. Tip: I also have versions of this book available on TeacherSherpa and TeachersPayTeachers.

Now, once you've created your own ways to make money online, you'll need to promote your business. You can do this yourself through boosting Facebook posts, running ads in Google AdWords, Pinterest, Twitter, or Instagram,  or enlisting a digital marketer to help. Pick me, pick me!

Still looking for more ways to make extra money online? Check out this article from the PennyHoarder.

Pin it!

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Inspiring Kids to be More Creative can Boost Self Esteem

 Different Ways to Inspire Creativity in Your Child 

As a parent, it's often challenging to see your child struggling, especially with their creative endeavors. It's essential to inspire children to explore their passions and interests. For young girls, especially, it can be difficult not to get pulled along by peers and lose sight of personal interests and passions. One way to help all kids find their voice and unique passion is to inspire their creative flow with lots of creative activities. Encourage your boys and girls to try something outside of their comfort zone!

This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links for your convenience.

School plays are a creative outlet that builds self-confidence
 and life long friendships.

If you follow along on this blog, you know that kids being creative is our lifeblood. Kids Creative Chaos is not only our name, but our mantra. Creativity is often a chaotic event, but it needs to take place! Never choose a clean house over letting a child explore their creativity. Squelching creativity can have unwanted outcomes. Empower your kids to be themselves, explore their creativity, and improve their self-esteem in the process! And never, never, fall into the old stereotypes of labeling activities for boys or for girls. Without even knowing it, you can be killing a child's self-worth and dreams. As we always say, let them try, try try!

Inspiring creativity is a challenging tasks for most parents. Kids often choose not to do something simply because their parents have suggested it. Other times, they may feel insecure about trying something new. Try to encourage different creative pursuits as an outlet for self-esteem, fellowship, and mental health. Here are a few simple ways on how to cultivate your child’s creativity. 

Mayhem in a school band production.

Introduce kids to different types of crafts

Introducing your child to different ways to be creative allows their mind to develop away from the rigid confines of the creativity taught in many schools. It shows children the art of critical thinking and developing passions beyond the ordinary. Ask your child what interests them, but also give them options and ideas to inspire their creative and critical thinking.

If you wonder what this might look like, consider introducing your kids to different expressions of art that inspire creativity. For example, listen to music with them, discuss musical instruments and let them try one. Many cities have musical petting zoos or other opportunities to test an instrument.

Activities for Creative Expression

Jake in an adaptation of Brother's Grimm.

You can also show your kids different forms of creative expression with painting and other arts and crafts. Allow them to play and explore. The earlier kids start experimenting with creativity, the better chance it will have an affect on their emotional stability and self-esteem. So, be sure to take your kids to museums, the theater, and to music concerts to inspire their senses and allow them to engage in all sorts of artistic pursuits. If you want to learn more about that, here's an article from Berkeley on why the arts matter.

On a side note, always remember to read with your children and encourage critical discussion on the book and its themes. A child with a curious mind will find it easier to access their personal creativity. 

Surrealist Art Activity for Elementary Children

Give Kids creative gifts

Giving a child and exciting gift that isn't clothes or a video game, might inspire them to think creatively or get actively moving and making art. If you're struggling for ideas for your daughter, there are many gifts for girls to choose from that don't need to sit within the confines of gendered stereotypes. For example, you could buy her a zine-making kit. Firstly, making things helps kids to be more creative, but secondly, creating their own magazine can encourage kids to use their voice for good. Zines are a great way for children of all ages and genders to write and be creative. Click here for gift ideas that are targeting boys but can work for either gender. My daughter always hated to be excluded from toy cars, trains, and Transformers and my son loves to use hot pink as an accent color for sunglasses, hats, or other accessories. He gets a kick out of people giving him a hard time. Self-confidence at work!

Books about the Arts for Kids

Allow kids to explore 

Finally, one of the most important ways to inspire creativity within your child is to allow them to explore on their own. For a child, exploring comes in many shapes and forms, from creative play to fashion. If you want your child to develop a unique identity and a sense of themselves, they have to learn what they like and don't like.

See how we encouraged our daughter to dress however she pleased.

Kids have to try out activities and get things wrong. Making mistakes is an excellent way for a child to learn, and this can also be applied to their creative endeavors. So, give your kids some paint or a dress-up box and encourage them to explore. Then, stay engaged in their exploration and find out more about what they are doing and why, but never force it- being an over zealous parent can backfire. Play it cool, and watch your kids have fun with the skills you helped to create.

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3 Ways to Inspire Children

Children are the most precious and innocent members of our society. When they are young, they tend to have the drive, motivation, and energy to do whatever they put their minds to. That is why it is important to nurture that side of them and keep it alive for as long as possible. If you have children yourself or perhaps you are a sibling to a young person or know a friend with a child, then this article could be of great use to you. So, continue to read on in order to learn about the three ways that you can inspire children.

1. Be a good role model 

It is likely that the majority of the people reading this article have heard that it is important to be a good role model to younger people. So, it will come as no surprise to you that if you want to inspire children, you need to be a good role model to them. Be the person that they look up to and aspire to be, as this is a great way to motivate them to grow to be someone who is great. How does one become a good role model? Well, some helpful tips on how to become a good role model are listed below:

• Believe in yourself – if you want to be a good role model to younger children, then you need to show them the importance of believing in yourself. If you want anyone to believe in you, you need to be able to believe in yourself first. 

• Hold people and yourself accountable – if you notice that the behavior of you or another needs improving, then be sure to hold yourself and others accountable. Children should be taught how to challenge bad behavior in themselves and others. 

• Be honest – one of the best things that you can do to become a good role model is to instill values of honesty in the younger generation.  

2. Let them express their own sense of style 

If you want to make children feel more inspired and empowered, it is important that you let them freely express themselves through clothing. So, next time that you go clothes shopping be sure to let them roam around and find clothes that they like. If they have a favorite color, then why not buy them a piece of clothing that is in that color. Or, if they like to cook and spend time in the kitchen, then why not check out Chef Works for some kids’ chef coats and aprons. There are many options of chefs’ apparel and you can choose from their full range. 

3. Show affection 

Humans are social beings that need to be shown love and affection. So, one great way to inspire positive and loving emotions within children is by showering them with affection. A great way to show children that you love them is through touch, be sure to give lots of hugs, high fives, and pats on the back. Acts such as hugging, rubbing their backs, and holding their hand while walking are amazing ways to make them feel comforted, calm, and relaxed.  

6 Ways to Help Teens Lead Healthy Lives

Are you Ready to Show your Teenagers Healthy Habits?

If you’ve got a teen in the family, it can be challenging to get them to do anything. Encouraging them to lead a healthy lifestyle is an important foundation for their future adult years. Habits teens develop when they’re young can be beneficial to your teen for a lifetime. One of the best ways to influence your teen is to lead by example. Teens don’t usually take being told what to do very well. So what lifestyle choices can YOU adopt in the hope that they rub off on your teenage children?

• Eat Less Meat and More Fruit and Vegetables

The recommendation is that you eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables every day. For many teens, this can be a difficult goal to achieve. You can help by leaving processed foods and snacks off your grocery list and making more meals and snacks at home. It also helps to set regular mealtimes and eat meals together as a family. We've been doing this the last year or so. Now, my kids prefer oranges to donuts!

• Exercise More

There are many benefits to regular exercise, not just the burning of calories. Physical activity also helps to keep the heart and lungs strong and produces endorphins. These are the chemicals that improve mood, which is always going to be good for a moody teen. Ideally, exercise should include a good balance of aerobic, strength and flexibility training. 60 minutes of vigorous exercise every day should be the goal for your teen to get them on track to lead a healthy lifestyle in the future.

• Moderate Your Drinking Habits

It’s important for teens to stay hydrated, especially if they participate in sports. Ideally, aim for six to eight glasses of water per day. Fruit juice is good along with low-fat milk. However, you should limit your teenager's intake of  sugary and caffeinated drinks as they have little nutritional value and just provide excess sugar and empty calories. Don't forget to limit your intake too!

• Introduce a Ditch the Gadgets Day

Is your teen glued to their smartphone most of the day? Did you know there is a condition known as social media addiction? You could introduce a ditch the gadgets day in your family and see how that goes. Alternatively, if you’re worried about your teen's social media obsession, there is professional treatment for teen social media addiction that can help. if you want to know more, please visit igniteteentreatment.com 

• Set a Regular Sleep Schedule

Eight to ten hours sleep is the optimum amount of sleep for a teen, for teens to function at their best during the day. It sounds like an achievable goal but when you factor in homework and other activities, together with the early morning school start, getting enough sleep can be challenging. Set a regular schedule and encourage your teens to have at least an hour of quiet time before going to bed. It also helps if electronic gadgets are switched off for the night. You too, Mom.

• Help Them Manage Stress

Being a teen can be very stressful, and teens don’t always know how to deal with their stressful lifestyles. The tips mentioned above are very beneficial, together with distractions, relaxation exercises, and talking. Being a positive role mode for your teen l is another way to teach teens stress management techniques.

Being a teen isn’t always easy, but with love and support from their family, teens can lead a healthy lifestyle and have a brighter future.  So can you! Are you ready to lead by example?

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This post contains Amazon affiliate links. 

What are the Benefits of Outdoor Play?

Playing Outside Improves Mood

This post was sponsored by Landscape Structures as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Have you noticed a change in your children when they're playing outside? Sure, they may complain that they're tired or that it's too hot or even that they're bored. However, outdoor play benefits kids in many ways. Once children have built the coping and social skills needed to interact in an outside play environment, the benefits of outdoor play far outweigh their complaints! What are the benefits to outdoor play? Keep reading to learn some tips on how to keep your kids happy outdoors.

What are the benefits of outdoor play?

Be Prepared. 

When you take your kids to an outdoor play space or local park, be sure to be prepared. Bring a cooler with bottles of water for hydration, cool, healthy snacks like carrots and cucumbers, and go ahead and throw in a treat for when they've depleted all of their energy. 

You may also want to bring a change of clothes, a non-toxic bug repellent, a blanket for resting, hats or sunglasses to shade them from the sun, and a first aid kit. Whatever you can do to insure the happiness of your children and counteract any excuses they may have for not wanting to play, only increases your chances for success.

If you're forgetful and always seem to forget the essentials, keep a park preparedness kit in your car. We never leave the house without folding chairs, a vinyl table cloth, and an umbrella packed in the trunk. If you leave a mini cooler in the trunk, it's always waiting there to be filled. You can simply stop at any convenience or grocery store along the way.

Benefits of Playing Outside

Best Places for Outdoor Play

No matter where you choose to incorporate outdoor play, it's beneficial to your child. Simply being outdoors in the sunshine can boost your child's immune system because the sun gives us vitamin D which is essential to health and happiness. Dr. Clare McCarthy shares some benefits of outdoor play over at Harvard Health. Even if you have a tiny yard, be sure to create a space for your child to get in some daily outdoor play. If they like to color or finger paint, set up a table for crafting outdoors.

Water is the most fun element of sensory play.

A well designed play structure will keep your kids busy for an hour or two. You may not be familiar with the brand name Landscape Structures, but I'll bet you've seen one or two. These playground structures aren't just for swinging and sliding, they're set up with all kinds of ways to get kids moving and to encourage sensory play.

When you give children the freedom to play and discover on their own, they build self-confidence to explore more things on their own. They want to see what else they can discover without mom or dad. So, sit back and relax while the kids explore the outdoor environment and find new ways to have fun.

Hello, over there! This megaphone encourages interaction with others.

Landscape Structures playgrounds are designed to welcome children of all ages and abilities. This play equipment has all kinds of sensory elements and play activities that encourage kids to work together making it easier for them to socialize with others. These playgrounds also encourage exercise, but don't worry, your kids will have so much fun playing on the equipment they won't even know they're exercising!

Sneaky playground equipment encourages exercise.

Sensory play aids in the learning process. Children who play outdoors have more access to sensory elements as the five senses are involved in nearly every aspect of outdoor play. They hear other children laughing, birds chirping, and bugs buzzing. They feel the wind on their face and the grass on their feet. They can even taste the outdoors when berry picking or licking their salty lips.

Practicing on the bars builds upper body strength and self-confidence. 

These poles encourage learning to balance.

What will you do when it's raining? Rain is the best sensory activity! Grab an umbrella and some rain boots and slosh through some puddles with your kiddos! Reach up to the sky and savor the raindrops as they splash on your face. Show your children that rain is fun, don't discourage it. Rain even smells good! These days, most parks use rubber mulch. If storms do force you to stay inside for awhile, don't worry about the playground being wet. Be a good parent and take the first trip down the slide to dry it off for those finicky little ones.

Encourage social interaction with other kids, but don't force it. Kids are smart, they know what you're trying to do. If they're moody, they'll fight you every step of the way. Also, simply knowing that you want them to interact with other kids can make the feel self-conscious. They may feel too shy to talk to another child when they know that you're anxious for it to happen. Pretend to keep busy reading a book or returning a text. Don't get too caught up though, those little eyes are always watching you. Sometimes, they want you to watch them and know that you're proud of them. Always be ready with a thumb's up!

A simple way to encourage socialization is to point out a favorite character on another child's clothing. "Hey, look he's wearing a dinosaur shirt. Don't you love it!" Your child may not respond, that's okay. Don't push them. You've given them something to talk about. You've made a connection with another child. Sit back and watch what happens. Socializing may start out awkward. If you have a backward child, trying to force it will certainly backfire. Learn to be happy with a nod or a smile. The rest will come with time.

Outdoor play improves mood.

Sleepy kids!

As an exhausted parent, one of the best benefits of getting in a lot of outdoor play time with the kids is that you'll get to enjoy some down time when the kids take naps. Even if they are past nap taking, they'll probably stay quiet for the car ride home! Be careful not to let little ones get too over tired. Often, an over tied preschooler will have trouble sleeping through the night. They need just enough exertion for a good night's sleep. And no one wants an over tired toddler...


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3 Tips to Stay Hydrated this Summer

On the Go Tips to Stay Hydrated in Summer 

KCC is a member of the Mom it Forward Influencer Network. This post is sponsored by BODYARMOR. However, all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Our kids are active and always on the go. They love team sports. So, we're always looking for ways to stay hydrated in the summer heat. This summer, we tried a new sports drink with electrolytes and the kids loved it! We've got some tips to help active kids stay hydrated in the summer while playing football, baseball, soccer, or even swimming. Keep reading for tips to stay hydrated this summer and a fun giveaway. Enjoy!

This post may contain affiliate links.

The kids can't get enough soccer, basketball, football, swimming, and running. Whatever team sport they do, we love watching them play. One of the things we talk a lot about is how to stay hydrated without adding a lot of junk ingredients.

To keep their team hydrated, the coaches encourage sports drinks as a way to restore and balance electrolytes. While we agree with that goal, we don't always love the ingredient list on some of the popular sport drinks.

Ways to Stay Hydrated this Summer

Tip #1

• Topping our list of cool ways to stay hydrated this summer is BODYARMOR sports drink. We're delighted to see a new sports drink with electrolytes that contains no artificial flavors or sweeteners. BODYARMOR SuperDrink smells divine and is a great tasting, premium sport drink that is low in sodium and includes coconut water.

Ways to keep kids hydrated in summer.

We've already started football practice and this 15-pack of BODYARMOR provides quick recovery and hydration for these hot, summer practices. It will be a regular drink at practices and games throughout the season. Here's why:

• BODYARMOR is a premium sports drink with potassium-packed electrolytes, coconut water and vitamins – and has no artificial flavors or sweeteners
• BODYARMOR provides superior hydration and comes in 9-great tasting flavors: fruit punch, orange mango, strawberry banana, tropical punch, blackout berry, mixed berry, grape, watermelon strawberry and lemonade.
• BODYARMOR is a better alternative to traditional sports drinks, because it contains no artificial flavors or sweeteners and has potassium packed electrolytes, vitamins and coconut water. 

We've been taking advantage of the beautiful weather and spending lots of time outside and at the pool and the kids are thrilled when BODYARMOR is a part of their healthy snack break. What a super drink for active kids! You can get yours at Sam's Club.

Our kids love the flavors they've tried. We love that it contains potassium-packed electrolytes, coconut water, and vitamins. It's an awesome and healthier alternative to traditional sport drinks while still providing the needed benefits for hard working, sweaty kids! If they aren't drinking enough water, the kids will stay hydrated with BODYARMOR. 

Your little athletes are sure to love BODYARMOR too. You can feel great about giving it to them! Kids Creative Chaos kids and moms approve.

Some Facts about BODYARMOR Sports Drink

• Premium sports drink with no artificial flavors or sweeteners
• Healthier alternative to traditional sports drinks
• BODYARMOR provides your body with Superior Hydration
• Potassium-packed electrolytes
• Coconut water
• Vitamins
• High in potassium, low in sodium
• Available now to purchase at Sam’s Club 

On sale $12.98 (save $3.00) till July 16th, 2017. Is your young athlete working to be the best? Check out how your athlete can become the next BODYARMOR athlete.

Tip #2

• Another yummy way to stay hydrated is with YOGURT ICE CUBES. Pop them in your ice chest for a quick on the go snack while you're sitting on the sidelines. You'll be the most popular mom on the bleachers when the athletes taste this healthy hydrating snack.

Hydrate with yogurt ice cubes.

Tip #3

• You need to stay cool to stay hydrated. So, even if you're drinking hydrating sports drink and eating yogurt ice cubes, the best tip is to cool off, drink lots of water, and rest in the shade. The United States Department of Labor suggests water, rest, and shade to stay hydrated in summer heat.

GIVEAWAY
One winner will receive a BODYARMOR cooler and a Sam’s Club membership. To enter, hop over to our Kids Creative Chaos Instagram profile and comment on the BODYARMOR post. Contest ends Midnight EST July 12, 2017

Get Social with BODYARMOR

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#Switch2BODYARMOR #BringIt

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Snow Day Activities

 5 Snow Day Activities to Keep Your Kids Entertained

Snow days are basically the best thing ever for kids. What’s not to love about a random day off from school? For parents, though, seeing their child’s school scroll by on the list of closures during the morning news isn’t always such an exciting experience. Having the kids home on short notice can be stressful for lots of reasons. For some parents, arranging childcare is a huge challenge. Even for stay-at-home parents, having the little ones home unexpectedly isn’t always easy. Don’t let the next snow day get you down. Prepare yourself by checking out these snow day activities to keep your kids entertained.

After a heavy snow, your kids will likely want to spend their morning sled riding or building snowmen. Once the chill sets in and they get tired of being outside, though, you can expect to listen to a chorus of “I’m bored” all afternoon. That is, unless you plan ahead and come up with some indoor activities in advance.

Activities for Snow Days

Bake Up Some Tasty Treats

Baking is always a fun way to warm up and pass the time when you are stuck indoors. Most kids love helping in the kitchen, and with proper supervision, baking is an activity that is fun (and rewarding) for kids of all ages.

There are all sorts of kid-friendly recipes for things like cookies, breads, cupcakes, etc. Pick out a few options and stock up on the supplies necessary to make them. Keep everything on hand and you’ll be prepared for the next snow day.

Baking with your kids is a great way to work on your holiday gift list, too. If a snow day falls prior to the holidays, spend the day making cookies and other goodies to share with your loved ones. The kids will have fun and you’ll get to check something off your holiday to-do list. Talk about a win-win!

Customize Clothing

Arts and crafts projects are the standard go-to when it comes to keeping kids entertained when they are stuck indoors. If you want to try something a bit different from the usual drawing, painting or stringing beads activities, though, consider stocking up on wholesale clothing. There are many ways to customize blank t-shirts and other apparel, and kids of all ages enjoy making their own wearable art.

Wholesale kids’ t-shirts are the perfect foundation for tie-dyeing, drawing, painting and much, much more. You can dye cotton t-shirts with food, use readily available dye kits, customize them with iron-on decals… The options are virtually endless.

Older tweens and teens can also use blank t-shirts and sweatshirts to make entirely new garments and accessories. They can transform t-shirts into purses, skirts, headbands and all sorts of other fun things. There are plenty of ways to give sweatshirts a makeover, too.

Build a Fort

Sometimes, the best activities are the tried and true classics. Chances are, you have your own happy memories of building a fort in your living room or bedroom when you were a kid. Why not help create those memories for your little ones, too?

You can keep things old school by building a fort by draping blankets over chairs and tables or making one out of a large cardboard box for a nostalgic feel. Or, if you want to be a bit more modern, there are now fort building kits that make things much easier. Whichever option you prefer, you and your kids will have a great time building and playing in a fort. You’ll also have a blast getting to see your little one’s imagination at work as they design their creation.

Read a Book Together

When the weather is cold and snowy and you are trapped indoors, you can escape to a place where the weather is a lot more pleasant (or simply doesn’t matter) by getting lost in a book. Consider picking up a few adventure books and tucking them away for the next snow day. Any genre works, but adventure books are great when you want to help your kids mentally escape for a little while.

Cuddle up on the couch with a soft, cozy blanket and read together. Put on your best performance to help your child feel like they are really in the story rather than just listening to it. You may find yourself getting lost in the book, too!

Have a Treasure Hunt

Keep a special toy or treat on hand to surprise your child with when they are home on a snow day. Hide it and then create clues that they need to follow in order to solve it. Riddles are great for older kids. For younger kids, each clue can be something simple, like a picture of where they need to go next.

Putting together this type of scavenger hunt does take a bit of time and planning. If you are running short on time, you can make it a simple game of “hot” and “cold” instead. Tell your child that you have hidden a surprise, and when they are getting closer to it, tell them that they’re getting “warmer.” Tell them they’re getting “colder” if they move farther away from it.

If you have older and younger kids, ask your older child to hide the prize and draw a map that their sibling will then use to find it. As you can tell, there are all sorts of ways to have an indoor treasure hunt. Get creative with it!

The Bottom Line

Keeping your kids entertained when they are stuck at home doesn’t have to be difficult. With a little bit of creativity, you can come up with all sorts of snow day activities that will pass the time and keep you from having to listen to whining, arguing, etc. Look at a snow day as an opportunity for making family memories instead of as a burden. Changing your perspective will make it way easier to have fun with these unexpected days off rather than dreading them.

Recommended:

Games for Kids from Adventures of Kids Creative Chaos

Cool Snow Day Activities from Amazon

Fishy Crafts from Adventures of Kids Creative Chaos