It’s that time of the year when, depending on where you live, the temperature is probably dropping. Now your kids feel like they’re trapped inside and can’t play outside like they’re used to. And now the kids are stir crazy. You’re going to hear the dreaded words that every mom hears, “I’m bored.” So now you’re asking, what do we do once we’re finished with our school day? Or what are some other fun things we can do once we’re finished with our school day? Or, what are some other things that we can incorporate into our school day that we don’t already do? These are all valid questions. But don’t fret; I’m here to give you some tangible solutions that can work.
As homeschool parents, we’re with our children for most of the day. It can be difficult to mix things up during the winter months because we’re afraid of disrupting the rhythm that our children may have. It’s okay during the winter months to slow things down or add new things that we may have not already done before. I’ve been doing this for a few years now. Switching things up has been such a blessing to our homeschool day when the kids are stir crazy!
Switch Things Up
It’s been said before among homeschool families that the holiday season is always a time when kids start to really get into a lull and are looking for new experiences. For starters, make a list of the things that your children like to do in their spare time. This can be anything from Legos, drawing, painting, etc., and then incorporate that into your learning time. Now, you may already do some of this stuff depending on the curriculum that you are using. If you don’t, now is a great time to explore these options.
What can help those stir-crazy kids? I’m always surprised by the amount of people that I’ve talked to who don’t realize that Legos can be used as teaching mechanisms and can be used for a variety of different subjects. My kids also love Magnatiles and we use those a lot for different STEM and science activities for indoor learning. Now is a great time to go through your child’s toys and figure out what you can use to teach with. I also have a craft tote full of different activities that my children can pull out and play with as well. This gets their creativity going. The winter months are always a fantastic time to allow your children some creative freedom. Let them explore and play with different things and create different things.
Using Board Games
Another thing you can do is to pull out some board games that you may have already at home or check out some new games that you could invest in. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on games, check out some buy, sell, trade groups on social media or ask your local friends if they have any games that they are getting rid of. Thrift stores are also a great place to check for board games. I’ve found some games that were actually on my wish list, and I couldn’t believe that they had it.
Check your local library for games too. Some libraries are now including ways for you to check out things like this, which will also help alleviate the cost. Board games are a great teaching mechanism and add so much value to your kids’ day. I used to teach my children using board games, and they had a lot of fun and also forgot that they were actually learning! You could incorporate one day into your schedule to have a board game day and see how it goes. Having games readily available will help decrease the boredom but also help them learn new skills.
Change the Environment
Some other ideas could include things like building a fort with pillows or chairs and blankets. My kids love to do this as well. They also love to include things like fairy lights, their stuffed animals, and sometimes music. They also like to eat a snack while in their special place. This can entertain them for a good while, and I love to hear them giggle while they’re playing. Video games are always my last resort, but once my kids are done with their school work for the day, they love to play games like Minecraft and Jeopardy, etc. These are great games that can also help with learning. We do limit screen time, but sometimes it can be an effective learning tool.
There are so many great ideas that are available, and I’m sure that I didn’t even give you half of what there is out there, but these options are a great start. This article is just the beginning of ways to help when kids are stir crazy. What ideas would you add?
HomeschoolingFinds.com Author
Katie Silliman was born and raised in Evansville, Indiana. She’s been married to her husband, Jeremiah, for nineteen years, and they have four children They’ve homeschooled for ten years. In her spare time, she loves to listen to music, garden, and play board games. Connect with her on Instagram.