Transmenu powered by JoomlArt.com - Mambo Joomla Professional Templates Club

by Tessa Costa 

It’s a time for family get-togethers, holiday parties…oh, and kids that have cabin fever because they can’t play outside due to the cold weather.   If you are tired of hearing “Mom, I’m bored. There’s nothing to do”, I have a suggestion!

Create a “cold weather survival activity box”.  Its contents are really determined by your child(ren)’s interests.  My preschooler LOVES arts & crafts. So, last year, we went to the local dollar store and picked out a bunch of inexpensive goodies.

Winter Survival box Must-Haves:

· Crayons, colored pencils, chalk, watercolor paints- Draw, color and paint. Use chalk to rub  over a plate of sugar or salt to make fair-like sand jars

· Construction paper- Draw. Rip different colored sheets and glue on a base sheet to create a stained glass mosaic.

· Stamps and Ink Pads- Create cards and stationary gifts for family members and friends.

· BINGO Ink Stampers- Perfect for dot drawings, tic-tac-toe games.

· Index Cards- Make homemade flash cards, practice writing letters, homemade memory game.

· Stickers, Foam press-Ons and Googly Eyes- Put them on construction paper for artful designs and faces, create cards, stationary. Put pairs on Index cards for homemade memory game. Stick them on recycled paper boxes such as cracker boxes. Use the decorated box to hold small toy parts such as puzzle pieces.

· Glue Stick

· Hole Puncher with Plastic Coated Handles- Great for gross motor skills. Your child will have fun punching holes in different colors of paper (keep punched “dots” for inexpensive gift bag filler)

· Play Dough and Plastic Cookie Cutters- Play with play dough as normal…or punch a hole in the top. Let it dry and you have a homemade holiday ornament!

· Recycled Toilet Paper and Paper Towel Rolls- Create cars, trains and animals using construction paper and googly eyes.

· Cotton Balls- to glue on paper, or paper rolls

· Uncooked Wide Macaroni- To either string as a necklace or glue on paper

· Sticky Note Pads- To make homemade stickers or have fun posting around the house  (they remove easily!)

· Magazines- Cut out pictures and glue to base sheet for an “all about me” collage. Child will look for favorite toys, foods, locations, pictures, etc.

Let your child personalize the outside of his/her survival box with stickers.

I mostly just let my daughter use her imagination and do what she wanted with the crayons, stickers etc, but you can always find neat craft ideas and printables online at sites such as Free Kids Crafts. Happy Crafting!

Tessa Costa is the founder of the parenting Family Made Simple Facebook page and Family Made Simple Blog.