UFDA, after this last week, while staying indoors at home during this polar vortex with the kids, we needed all the projects we could get. I hate to complain, but on top of the cold, we all got sick…so we’ve been going a little stir crazy!
We got our creative caps on and came up with some fun DIY ideas to keep the kids occupied. We wanted to share with you guys too, in case you’re in need of some fun creative kid ideas to get you through this winter.
Snow, rain, or shine, these will make for fun things to do with your babies year round.
1. Tape Race Car Track
My boys are four and almost two right now, and both can’t get enough of the toy cars and race tracks. So we got the tape out and built our own style of race car tracks. Whether it’s pushing their trucks around, racing their remote control cars or driving their bikes around it, they now love making their own race tracks.
2. Strider Bike Race
This is the boys’ favorite activity! Racing their Strider bikes around our house. If you don’t have bikes, that’s ok; they can walk or run or drive their trucks. The whole reason why our boys love this is that we set up cones and say…READY, SET, GO… and pretend like we’re talking on microphones saying who’s in first, who’s in last, who crashed…that’s when they get so excited!! It doesn’t matter what they have, they just want to pretend like they’re actually in a race. So get out those pretend microphones, mom and dad, and get your boys to the pretend race track.
3. Build Forts
A good ‘ol fashion fort! Grab some sheets or if you have some cardboard boxes laying around, build one! Nothing’s better than getting cozied up inside.
4. Paint Old Toys
Have your kids paint their old toys and make them something new! We’ve been going to the dollar store to get our boys little toy cars for fun prizes on other games, so having them paint them doesn’t bother us. What’s even more fun is they’ll both wash them up later after they’ve raced a few times and have been learning how to take care of them, because they “made” them after all. It’s pretty cool to watch your kids create something and then because they made it learn and want to take care of it.
5. Plastic Bottle Bowling Alley
Crashing into things and knocking stuff down is what our boys are constantly doing. So these DIY bowling alley set makes the perfect DIY craft and activity. And they even like to run their bikes into them. All you need is 10 plastic bottles out of the recycling bin, some paint and a ball. The bottles don’t even have to be the same size, switch it up and do juice or milk jugs.
6. Treasure Hunt
Greyson, our little 4-year-old, is super into “maps” right now. Every day he gets home from school, he’s wondering where his map is and what adventures we’re about to find.
We usually don’t have one, so we have to draw one up, and he knows to put an X at the good spot. Most of the time, we’re hunting for “treasures” we already own. You have to be careful though, because these little 4-year-olds know what a treasure is not. Every treasure has to come with a story! So prepare yourself for that.
Sometimes those treasure hunts are tiring, so a scavenger hunt will do too! Here’s a downloadable PDF for you print to just hand your kids and let them find on their own. Prepare yourself, they might want a prize at the end if they have siblings to compete against. Ha!
Download the “Scavenger Hunt” printable HERE!
7. Bake
One of my best memories growing up was at my auntie’s house and her letting us bake. My parents owned a restaurant, so I spent a lot of time at my aunt’s and what I loved was that she would give us some ingredients and just let us “bake.” I’ll never forget making “cookies” alongside my cousin. The “cookies” weren’t really cookies, but we were so proud of them. My aunt never cared, she just let us learn.
Now because of those fun memories, I’ll give my boys 3-4 ingredients…and let them have at it!
They also LOVE to sprinkle cookies or stir the waffle mix, so when I actually want to make something good, I always try to involve them.
8. Ball Drop
Balloons or balls, whatever you have. Blow them up, kick them around and don’t let them drop!
9. Paper Airplanes
Or better yet, origami! Remember that? One of those things that will probably soon fade. I love to put these together and show my kids how to make something fun out of a simple piece of paper.
Sometimes paper is all you need! Check out these fun paper airplane ideas.
10. Take things Apart
Take things apart and have them put it back together again! This is what Jamie grew up doing and why I always say he’s a jack of all trades. His parents would take things apart, TVs, dirt bikes, cars…and let their kids play with them. Then they would eventually put them back together again in their way.
Now when we’re out in the shop working on something, Jamie will take something apart and have the boys play with it. It can be something as small as their toy, something silly like a paintbrush, or crazy like a dirt bike. It’s pretty cool to see how their minds think and work too.
How cute is Jamie and his little brother here. 🙂
