Where I live we are very excited that Spring weather is starting to appear!
It is, however, manifesting itself with traditional “April Showers”
which seem to be in the forecast for the next 2 weeks at least!
So, I started thinking about all of the warm weather activities that we’re so excited to get started on,
and I realized that we could bring many of them inside! Today’s post is all about
10 OUTdoor Activities that you can Bring INdoors !
1. Roast Marshmallows
I love bringing this one indoors as much as my kids do! You don’t need a campfire to roast marshmallows- just a stove! Get some long skewers and some large marshmallows, and get busy giggling and roasting! If you want to get fancy, pull out all the ingredients to make S’mores!
Have you got a basement? They’re PERFECT for lots of wheel-related activities! Bring your bike or rollerblades down to the basement, move a few things out of the way if you need to clear some space, and have a great time!
3. Sidewalk Chalk
These days chalkboards are all the rage- if you’ve spent any time on Pinterest, you’ve probably seen chalkboard paint (for walls & furniture), chalkboard spray paint (for ANYthing), and even chalkboard fabric! Add to those your old school chalkboards and easels, and you’ve got a long list of sidewalk chalk-ready surfaces INside!
While not all sports involving balls can move inside smoothly, there is plenty to do indoors with a ball- whether with rolling games (sit in a circle or across from each other) for young kids, or something more involved for kids a bit older. Try gathering a bunch of items around the house to be pins, and get a good game of bowling going!
As for frisbees, I’ve seen mini frisbees (my daughter insists they don’t go very far and would be great indoors) or if you’re nervous about throwing a plastic disc around, why not spend some time crafting some fabulous paper airplanes and throwing them around? 🙂
One of my favorite fun memories with my mom is from a night when my dad stayed overnight out of town for a conference, and my mom came up with the idea to move all of the furniture out of the kitchen and play double dutch! My mom, sisters, & I had so much fun laughing and skipping inside!
If your kids are too young to skip well, you can lay the rope on the ground and jiggle it (the rope becomes a live “snake”) and take turns trying to jump over it without landing on it!
If gardening is a big part of your outdoor fun, why not plant something indoors? Something as simple/easy as planting grass can be a lot of fun- and the fun lasts for days & days because your kids will be excited to check on whatever you planted! (Of course there are tons of things you can get started inside for your garden, so the possibilities are endless!)
One of our favorite things to do outside is to grab a quilt, get outside and read or play a game or have a picnic! There’s something really fun about laying out the picnic blanket INside and doing those same activities! After taking the photo below, my daughter got really into this- she was hurrying around the house to gather snacks and craft supplies so that we could hang out on the blanket longer!
8. Blow Bubbles
If you’ve got young kids, you know the joy that comes from blowing bubbles! This doesn’t have to be an outside activity either! Clear some space in the kitchen or dining area on the day you want to clean the floor- let the kids blow bubbles to their hearts’ content and then mop the floor! The bubbley mess won’t last long, and it’ll probably help with the cleaning, too! 🙂
9. Water Balloons & Guns
Water guns can totally be played in the bathtub! Maybe close the shower doors or curtain to protect the rest of your bathroom (unless it’s cleaning day & you really want to let your kids let lose, with the plan in mind to get the place sparkling afterward- water helps with that, right? 😉
As for water balloons, it might be challenging to play that inside in the traditional way, but we have had fun in the past, filling water balloons with water AND food coloring (not to be broken open, but to squeeze & watch the color change as the balloon gets stretched). You could also put one of those bath “fizzies” that changes bathtub water color inside of a water balloon and let the kids burst the balloons in the tub- you could even incorporate a lesson on blending colors!
What’s more fun than camping indoors?! You decide how far you want to go with this- it could be as simple as a play tent, or you could go all the way with an overnight camp out in the living room, complete with real tent & sleeping bags! (or stay somewhere in between with blankets and pillows and furniture combined to make a fort- great for cuddling up in and reading to your kids 🙂
11. Go Swimming!
This one is a bonus. I just thought of it, so I’m adding it on. We’ve done “bathtub swimming” which is fun, but can you imagine the squeals of excitement if you set up a wading pool in the middle of your kitchen?!! You could totally do this and you’d be the best mom ever!! 🙂
There is something magical about doing something that’s not “normal”. I hope you’ll have fun on your next rain day, pulling out some of these ideas and making some memorable moments with your kids!
I’d love to have you visit me at my blog, Raising Memories,
to check out some of the other fun things we’ve tried at our house. 🙂