Grace Blossoms

Kids’ Winter Boredom Busters

These kids’ winter boredom busters will make your time during the cold months much easier.

We homeschool, so having lots of fun ways to engage the kids that aren’t electronic is key to survival.

I’ll break them into groups, so you can pick and choose or look into what fits your family best.

Games

Some of our boys’ (9 and 7 as I write this) favorite games are the ones they come back to time and time again.

We have all kinds of family games laying around. However, the ones I added are those they can play together easily without adult help.

Everything in this post is linked to make your life easier!

  1. Chinese Checkers
  2. Stratego
  3. Chess Teacher Board
  4. Mastermind
  5. Ticket to Ride
  6. Jenga
  7. Sorry
  8. Trouble
  9. Clack
  10. Connect 4

STEM Boredom Busters

Our boys have really enjoyed these games that not only entertain, but also keep their brains working!

  1. Magnetic Sticks
  2. Magnetic Blocks
  3. Marble Run
  4. Gears Gears Gears!
  5. K’Nex
  6. Lego
  7. Plus Plus Blocks
  8. Zoom Tubes
  9. Lincoln Logs
  10. Gecko Bot

Art

We like to keep bins like these clear ones so the kids can see their options.

Some of the best artsy things we’ve kept around the house that the boys keep coming back to are the following:

  1. Watercolor Easel
  2. Pearler Beads (you’ll need an iron)
  3. Sketch Pads
  4. Paper Airplane Books
  5. Paints + Brushes + Kraft Paper
  6. Kinetic Sand
  7. Mad Matter
  8. Scratch Paper
  9. Sand Art
  10. Paint By Sticker

Indoor Movement

Our kids are usually outside when the weather isn’t so cold they can’t stand it.

However, days like yesterday when it was 17 but felt like -6, they need some fun, physical movement indoors.

These are the ways we get the wiggles out at our house.

  1. Balance Board
  2. Hover Board
  3. Hippity Hop
  4. Hockey
  5. Fort Building
  6. BeyBlades
  7. Magnetic Darts
  8. Indoor Basketball
  9. Mini Trampoline
  10. Jump Rope

Good Reads

It’s always helpful to have some go-to books that the kids love so much they read over and over again.

Here’s a list of super affordable books that will keep your kids reading and rereading for years to come!

Final Thoughts on Boredom Busters

I hope these boredom busters for the kids will make your time together fun.

We have slowly built up these in our home over the years, especially during holidays and birthdays.

It’s been so very worth it!

More than 40 kids' winter boredom busters for you to pull out on those extra cold or rainy days or weeks to make your time together fun!
[jetpack-related-posts]

Why You Should Do a Book Trail Christmas Morning

What’s a Book Trail?

I got the idea of a book trail from my friend years ago, and it’s been a hit ever since!

A book trail is a line of books going from your child’s bedroom leading them to the tree Christmas morning.

Why do One?

Building your home’s library is key to your child’s education.

The journal Research in Social Stratification and Mobility stated that, “Growing up in a home with 500 books would propel a child 3.2 years further in education, on average, than would growing up in a similar home with few or no books.”

The excitement of Christmas morning puts books in a fun light.

Where reading can quickly grow to be a chore with the frustration that can tag along with homework and learning to read, these books are special and chosen especially for your child.

What Books Should You Get?

Books of high interest.

Too often when I taught, I had sad conversations with my 8th graders’ parents about how they once loved reading but lost it somehow.

Then they’d tell me that not only did their child hate reading, but he also refused to read books at “his level.”

Let’s look at these Christmas books a little differently.

These tree trail picks are the fun books.

The who cares what “level” I’m at choices.

They’ll get there, friend, but first we have to draw them in.

Open their eyes to the wonderful world they can find between the pages of a book that speaks to them.

In fact, I’d even argue we can nudge your child toward his or her “level” while keeping interest high!

Where to Get Good Quality Books

We like Usborne books because they’re easy to browse for the kinds of books we like.

Our boys are really into adventure, dogs, and inventing right now, and Usborne has it all!

I especially love this for the tree’s trail of books because I can find SO MANY for around $5 that have been super popular with our kids!

You can click here to go directly to their site.

Final Thoughts

I’d love to hear all about how the trail goes for your family if you choose to do one this year!

What books have your children loved?

[jetpack-related-posts]