How to Beat Winter’s Boredom

Long cold winters and much shorter days combine to force kids and adults to spend much more time indoors. And let’s face it, there’s only so much time one can spend staring at the walls and each other before cabin fever sets in, while bickering and other unpleasantness reach their seasonal lows.

How to keep things all nice and civil while making productive use of your time, offspring included?  Here’s how!

Craft it up! Put together a craft box with left over egg cartons, toilet paper cardboard rolls, and old newspapers so you have supplies ready when you need them. Whatever you make it from, it should be a box just for your kids and to use however they wish.  The only rules are that they must lay out the small plastic table cloth before starting, and when finished, they must clean up the mess.

Bird feeders: Not all birds fly south for the winter, and although they may be harder to spot, they’re still around. You can make your own birdseed rings, suet feed, or create your own upcycled birdfeeder out of old boxes, cartons, or jugs.

Put on a play: Whether you choose an established story or create your own, you and the kids will have fun planning everything from scenery and costumes, to who gets to play which character. The kids can use puppets, play dress-up themselves, or even use digital tools to make their own movie!

Make a fort: This one is not only fun for kids of all ages, but also keeps everyone warmer once inside the newly crafted fort. If the kids are fighting with each other (of course they are!), creating private spaces for everyone can soothe tempers and nerves. Let them each bring in flashlights, books, and games, too, provided the accessories aren’t so abundant that they serve to exclude someone from the fun.

Discover a new hobby: Teach kids something new! Learn a new song, practice a musical instrument, or try a new recipe. Kids can also try their hand at knitting, making jewelry, or building models. No matter what they try, they will have spent quality time learning a new skill. Who knows, they may even find a new passion to carry them into spring.

Of course, don’t get so pre-occupied with your newfound indoor play activities that you neglect to keep an eye on your pipes once outdoor temperatures hit sub-freezing levels.  Before going to bed at night, for example, open cabin doors that conceal pipes that lay against outside facing walls.  That serves to let ambient heat prevent them from freezing.  But should you experience a frozen pipe issue anyway, you have yet one more very good reason to contact Your 1 Plumber for fast action and positive results.