Fun activities and games for kids

There are certain times of the year that staying indoors due to the weather can make any child restless and give them cabin fever. You could allow them to spend that time in front of a computer console or in front of the TV all day, but what happens when the lights go out?

Here are some tips you can do today to prepare for that inevitable event:

• Scan websites for fun free printable activities for kids. Coloring pages, masks, paper dolls or figures, craft projects and experiments are just a few ideas of what the sites offer.
• Create a supply chest and fill it with art supplies: crayons, non-toxic paints, paper, rulers, scissors, glue, fabric scraps, etc. You can search garage sales, thrift stores, or your attic for scraps of fabric, buttons, ribbon, paper, etc.
• Make a list of emergency supplies, and then divide the list among the children. Ask them to find as many items as on the list. You can adapt the list to include any items you can think of for the children to find.

This list of fun activities for kids is not all-inclusive, there are plenty of things you can get your kids to do when the lights go out that will pass the time quickly.

Some game ideas:

• Board games: Monopoly, Life, Trouble, Sorry
• Guess Type: Game involving an even number of players and a scorer using descriptions to guess words that you can pre-print on 3×5 cards. One side looks at the other and gives clues without saying the word.
• Dry Erase Paper or Board: Hang Man, drawing type game where you draw elements of the main object for others to guess.
• Acting Games: Charades, Name That Tune (you can hum the notes)

You are not restricted when it comes to portable games and you can easily find many in the store; the problem with most is that when the batteries die and the spares too, you’re left with many quiet hours with nothing to do, especially if the weather forces everyone inside.

When the weather is the reason everyone is staying inside, you can open your supply trunk and start projects using the fun free printable activities for kids as a guide. If you planned ahead, all the supplies on the list will be in the chest ready to go.

You can put on a talent show that showcases everything your kids did during the time the blackout occurred or while the weather kept everyone from going outside.

Bad weather or power outages don’t have to be boring, and with a little preparation they can bring family members together and turn a boring situation into a fun and productive one.