It’s no secret that winter can be a drag. The days are shorter, it’s colder and darker outside, and all you want to do is curl up on the couch with a good book or movie.
But just because homeschooling during the winter can be a little boring doesn’t mean it has to be!
Here are some ideas to make your homeschooling experience more fun this season.
Make a Snow Volcano
One of our favorite things to do is science experiments. Of course, I’d rather keep the mess outside, but in the winter we bring the mess inside and try to keep it contained in the bathtub.
The science experiment pictured above was a snow volcano.
Here’s how to make a snow volcano:
Mix together the following ingredients:
- Bucket of snow
- 1 spoonful of dish soap
- 2 spoonfuls of baking soda
Shape it like a volcano and add:
- 30 ml of vinegar
- A few drops of your favorite food coloring
Watch it erupt! It is something fun to do that is unique to the winter.
Do Fun Crafts Together
We recently got a bunch of art supplies together and made a Mardi Gras mask. It was a big hit! So grab your glue sticks, sequins, glitter, crayons, and anything else you can think of and get creative.
Make a Sand Art Project
We bought a sand art kit and we made our own beautiful creations. Once we ran out of sand, we created our own by using iodized salt and sidewalk chalk!
Watch an Educational Documentary
If you’re like me, some winter days you just want to snuggle up with your kids and be lazy. Ask your kids what they want to learn about and put on a YouTube documentary. It’s a great way to bond as a family.
Bake Cookies Together
Winter is the best time to bake and it can be so educational. Ask your kids to find the ingredients you need. Have them help you read the recipe. Teach them about fractions by using measuring cups. Teach them life skills like how to use the oven and how to use a mixer – with adult supervision, of course.
Make Homemade Pizzas
Let your kids help make dinner. Our favorite is making homemade pizzas. There’s so much to learn in the kitchen.
Build Snowmen Together
Building a snowman isn’t exactly my favorite thing to do, but kids sure love it. It’s especially easy if you cheat and do it on the porch like we did!
We used a snowman kit to make it easy also. I just realized we forgot to add the nose, oops!
Go on a Winter Scavenger Hunt
Winter is such a beautiful time of year. The trees are glistening with snow and ice and the untouched snow is gorgeous. If you’re like me, you try to stay indoors and avoid it, but it really is a special time of year, even though it’s freezing.
Getting outside and getting some fresh air is the key to cutting out the stir-crazy winter blues. Make it even more fun by creating a scavenger hunt list of things for your kids to be on the lookout for.
Winter Scavenger Hunt Ideas:
- Cardinal
- Pine tree
- Pine cone
- Icicle
- Your breath
- Animal tracks
- Snowman (not in your own yard – that’s too easy!)
- Snow shovel
- Christmas lights
- Smoke coming from a chimney
Build a Gingerbread House
Building a gingerbread house is actually really educational. It teaches engineering skills, color identification, spatial awareness, plus it’s yummy and fun! It doesn’t have to be Christmas time to build a gingerbread house. In fact, they go on sale after Christmas, so stock up!
Paint Letters Using Chalk Paint
Painting with sidewalk chalk isn’t just a summer activity. This winter, we brought it indoors and used it to practice our letters. It was a huge hit, plus it was educational. Win win!
Build a Fort
Do you know any kids who don’t love forts? Me either! If you don’t feel like getting all the kids bundled up and out of the house, building a fort should be a go-to. It will keep kids occupied for HOURS, and learning to build a fort themselves is educational as well.
We even recently used a huge box to build a cardboard fort and my son asked if he could get inside the fort to do his schoolwork. Yes, the answer is always yes.
Deliver Winter Clothes to a Homeless Shelter
Give back to your community. Sadly, there are many homeless who have to try to keep warm during the winter months. Teach your kids the importance of helping out where they are able to by going through their clothes to see what they are able to donate.
Start a Snow Shoveling Business
Teach kids the value of entrepreneurship and working hard by helping them start a snow shoveling business. It is a great exercise for kids to learn how to start a business, the neighbors will appreciate the help, and it’s a good form of exercise.
Measure and Chart Snow over a Time Period
What a great way to learn about the weather! Watch the forecast the day before to see how much snow is predicted, then measure after the snow has fallen to see if the meteorologist’s estimate was correct.
You can even chart the snowfall over a few weeks and teach kids how to interpret the data. It gives everyone a reason to get out of the house while taking care of the science and math class for the day.
Study Snowflakes
Take a dark piece of construction paper outside, catch some snowflakes on it, and study them. Then, have kids draw or paint their favorite snowflake. Science and art – check!
Break Out the Building Toys
Do your kids love to build and create things? If so, you’ve got to try this building set from Brickyard. Kids learn to think creatively, use logical thinking, and improve their hand-eye coordination and motor skills.
There are 42 different options to build, ranging in difficulty depending on your children’s skill level.
Build a Cabin with Lincoln Logs
What a blast from the past. We love building toys. Lincoln Logs for the win!
Spell Words Using Puzzle Pieces
Get creative for spelling class. These STEM-building puzzles are so much fun. Your kids will love them!
Build an Obstacle Course
Have each kid design their own part of the obstacle course, but the catch is they can’t tell their siblings what they built. Then, you can put all the pieces together and have the kids race through the obstacle course. Have each child keep track of their individual times by using a timer, and have them graph their progress. They aren’t racing against each other. They are racing against themselves.
Put a Blow Up Bounce House Inside
Last winter, I got desperate. My son needed to get his energy out, and that is how I decided to bring the blow up house inside. Call me crazy, but I thought I was a genius.
Visit the Library
Just getting out of the house is enough to energize kids and parents. We love visiting the library, especially in the winter. Plus, a little quiet time is good for our sanity!
Play Games
Uno is a great way to learn while having fun. It helps with color recognition, taking turns, following directions, number recognition, and being a good sport.
Build a Marble Run
Engineer-minded kids will love building a marble run. It keeps my son entertained for hours. I’m little to no help on the building part, but my husband and son have this thing doing all kinds of crazy things!
Play with Magnetic Tiles
Magnetic tiles are the greatest toy ever. You know how kids play with a toy for 5 minutes and they’re sick of it? Not this one. They can build houses, rocketships, you name it. Turn it into a Geometry lesson, have kids sort by shape or color, or just build something cool together.
Escape the Winter Weather
If all else fails, maybe try escaping the snow for a little bit. We did that this past winter and loved it so much that we decided to become snowbirds in our 30s. If you’d like to read more about that, here’s an article about it.
Conclusion
Winter can be a challenging time to keep things interesting for homeschoolers.
The days are shorter and the weather often forces us to stay inside. But with a little creativity, you can make this season just as fun as any other.
What are your favorite winter activities? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below!
