Winter is one of my favorite seasons. I love bundling up my family and going outside to play or for a brisk walk. It’s even better when it snows! I am all about the winter wonderland. However, my kids can only spend so much time outside in the cold before they’re tired and cranky and ready to go inside to warm up.
Once the kids have warmed up and are tired of “relaxing” they’re ready to go again. I can only spend so much time making Mega Bloks castles before I’m just done. Enter my favorite fun boredom buster crafts that are perfect for wintertime. These vary between quick crafts, and crafts that can eat up more of your afternoon.
- Baking Soda Snow – This is my number one favorite wintertime craft and activity. It is insanely easy and is always a huge hit. I put a box of baking soda in the freezer overnight. This may seem unnecessary, but it is a critical step if you want your sensory play to feel like real snow. When you’re ready to create you just dump the baking soda into a large bowl or sensory bin. Next, slowly add water and mix until it is the consistency of snow. This one is so cool because your sensory snow is COLD like real snow! How cool is that? When you’re done playing you can dump everything down the sink. Feel free to scrub that sink down with the baking soda while you’re at it. This is a win-win for sure.
- Edible Frosting Play Dough – 2 ¾ cups powdered sugar and 1 cup frosting. This is a great recipe for when you’re looking for those awesome-mom brownie points. (I know you know what I’m talking about). Mix the powdered sugar and frosting in a bowl until you reach play dough consistency. I like to let my kids have a little taste test before they start sculpting to let them get over the excitement of eating pure sugar. When they’re done creating I let them eat a little of their play dough and suddenly I’m the coolest mom ever! That’s a whoop whoop for me.
- Modeling Clay Twist Beads – One of the easier crafts on this list, but it is definitely one of the cooler crafts. The kids pick two different colors of modeling clay and roll them into separate snakes. Then they twist the two snakes together and roll to make them smooth. Next the kids cut their snake into bead sized pieces. The finishing touch is to use a toothpick to poke holes through the beads. And that’s it! Let the beads air dry or bake them in the oven, depending on what kind of modeling clay you’re using. My kids think it is so cool to wear jewelry that they created themselves!
- “Junk” Sculptures – This craft is perfect for when you need to purge some craft supplies. Lay everything out on a table and let your kids go for it. This is one of the more time-consuming crafts on this list, but it is always fun to see what the kids create. Each sculpture is so unique!
- Coffee Filter Diffusion Art – Are you looking for some cool watercolor-esque prints? Why not let your kids create them? I like to print a fun quote onto a piece of card stock. Then the kids color on coffee filters with markers. The more color on the filter the more vibrant your prints will be. Next place the coffee filter on your piece of card stock and spray the coffee filter with water. Lift coffee filter up to reveal diffusion painting on the card stock. And voila! A beautiful watercolor print.
These crafts are great for anytime of the year but my kids definitely seem to appreciate them more when the weather outside is frightful. I hope your family enjoys them as much as mine!
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