STOP Cabin Fever! Tips for Keeping Tots Entertained

There are moms who stoically brave -10 degree weather to make snow-angels and forts in the backyard. They walk 22 minutes in 15cm high snow, pulling the kids in a wagon, to the nearest Mom & Tots play centre. There are moms who dress their child from head to toe and bring out the jogging stroller; counting laps as they push and pace themselves around the neighbourhood cul-de-sac. And to those moms, I salute you!

I am not one of those moms.

Unless it’s 5 degrees Celsius or warmer, you will NOT find me outside. Kids: let daddy take you out on weekends. C is for comfortable; that’s good enough for me.

And so I must do my best to ward off boredom, tedium, lethargy and the like – all symptoms of staying indoors during the cold winter months. Thank goodness I have two boys close in age – they honest-to-goodness do everything together. And I mean EVERYTHING – you can generally find little Reid tearing off two sheets of toilet paper for Ryder when he’s finished with #1. Too much information? You should see it! It’s nothing short of comical.

Even though they keep each other entertained, they do need a little help from me. And although I do my best to cycle through books, colouring activities, TV time and snacking, sometimes the routine does become monotonous and I require a bit of inspiration.

Thankfully, there’s oodles of ideas out there, especially if you know where to look. As a Fisher-Price Mom, I was introduced to this handy little resource: Play and Learn Family Activities. Full of great tips for keeping the little ones entertained indoors, once you click on your child’s age, the site provides you with a list of family friendly activities.

Ryder and Reid both love “Go Together” –

This advanced version of the matching game will suit your toddler’s higher-level cognitive thinking skills. Make the game fun by providing lots of interesting things that Go Together!

Materials: Pairs of items that go together, such as spoon and bowl, pencil and paper, soap and washcloth, cheese and cracker, sock and shoe, and so on.

Instructions: Collect a number of items that go together, as suggested above. Keep them simple. If you like, provide one or two more complex pairs, to challenge your toddler. Arrange all the items on the table, but do not place any of the matching pairs together. Bring your toddler to the table and show him the items. Choose one item and ask her to find which of the remaining items goes with the selected item. Give her hints if she needs them. When she finds the match, praise her, set the pair aside, and choose another item. Continue playing until all items have been paired.

Click here to see all the Play and Learn Family Activities.

Of course,  the boys also squeeze in a healthy dose of play time; at the moment, their favourite toy is the Fisher-Price Little People Wheelies Stand ’n Play Rampway.

“Looking for a “wheelie” fun way to play with Little People Wheelies? On the Stand ’n Play Rampway, they zip and zoom up and down and all around! It’s over two feet tall, so the “wheelies” really zoom down each of the two spiral ramps. Plenty of lights and sounds as kids “drive” around, with a mechanic’s lift, a place to fill ’er up, a sign that spins when a car drives through and more! Includes rampway and two Wheelies vehicles. Requires 3 AA batteries.”

I am part of the Fisher-Price Play Panel and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.