what to do on a cold winter day

spaceboy

I am looking after the kids today and need to find something we can do together. I'm feeling kind of low as I'm not getting on with my ex-partner and the kids are currently just playing in the living room together with the TV on. They are 5 and 2. I'm lacking motivation and feel bad that I'm not interacting with them.

Towser

on days like these we go for a walk and feed the ducks.

Swimming they love it every Sunday.

Force yourself you will feel much better afterwards.

whizmo

Wrap them up extra warm and go play at the park. My children are older but still love it, get on a swing with them, race them to the slide and fake battle who goes first. Mini contest who can find the biggest fallen leaf gets a ride on a horse (you piggy back running around the park etc) Take them a drink and a sandwich wrapped up to eat on a bench when you're there if you've not already fed them.
A bit of fun might be the best medicine if you're feeling low today

PasturesNew

Depends where you are. Others say "the park", but not everybody's got one, not everybody's got one with swings. Not everybody's got ducks.

What's your area got?
Do you have transport?

It's acceptable to just play inside when it's so parky out there.... but you should really be joining in and playing too.

Towser

play with wooden bricks and build towers see how high you get.

toniq

Get down the pound shop and get lots of arts and craft bits and make sme fun xmas decs/cards/collages.

I collect bits from our recycling and put them into my little girls craft box so she loves the fun of sticking and gluing!


x

Towser

OP what did you do in the end?

Hope it all went ok?

My boys also like playing with a big box.

Mayflower10cat

Here's a daft and completely free game we invented ourselves as children. I'm sure it's not remotely PC or even acceptable so I apologise. But we were less than 10 years old and as Mummy and Daddy used to like a 'lie-in' at the weekend, we were told to stay in our bedroom (please!) until 9am. Fair enough. We could read or play a quiet game, then we all had breakfast together.


We called it 'Being Big'. Wearing our pyjamas (at the time they were stretchy tops and bottoms (it was the 70's so they were track suit style) we would use all the soft clothes in our chest of drawers to basically stuff our pyjamas full to bursting. Literally stuffed so full we could barely move. Then, looking like Michelin Men we would lie down on the bedroom floor and attempt to get up....

I can't tell you how hilarious we thought this game was. The pent up laughter that seeing each other barely able to move (and also trying to be quiet!!!) made my sister almost wet herself one time.


Simple pleasures! I can imagine if either or both of our parents would have joined in they'd have laughed very hard too. I'd certainly have loved seeing them struggling to get up off the floor stuffed to bursting!

frugaldad

May sound obvious, but role playing games always work best for my kids. My kids are 4.5 and 2.5, and they love role playing with me when it's cold and wet outside. Their favourite game is called simply "the prisoner game" - basically identify a spot in the room (prison) - the two kids are prisoners and I'm the angry policeman. Angry because the kids keep escaping from prison! My eldest likes to shine a torch in my face at which point I go "ahhh!" and they run out and I chase after them.

They can play this for hours without getting bored (well, for as long as you don't get too knackered!)

Indoor soft ball games are great too.

I know how it is, because you want to find a game that not only entertains them, but keeps you entertained! Soft ball games (ball It, catch, etc) work best with my kids.

Hope that helps!

byuanbay

Actually kids like you to join them. I have one son and he doesn't like play building blocks himself. He just like us to join him. I think most kids are alike.
And once you join them and play with games with them, you will feel happy.

pollyanna24

Bake a cake. My youngest loves that.