10 Ways to Stay Entertained Indoors This Winter

The cold weather is officially here — and for many households, that means a lot of time trying to stay entertained indoors.

While movie marathons can get you by at first, even that starts to get old after a bit (especially if you have kids).

Need to branch out and expand your options? Tired of being a couch potato?

Here are 10 creative ways to keep entertained indoors this season

1. Have a bake-off.

We’ve all seen the “Great British Baking Show,” right? Well, instead of just watching the bake-off, why not participate in your own? Come up with a challenge, stock up on ingredients, and have each of your family members make their own take on the recipe. If you have little ones, you can divide into teams, with a parent or older child leading the way on each. 

Finally, appoint a non-biased judge (maybe grandma?) and find out who’s the winner. You could even have a prize for whoever does it best.

2. Take on a big puzzle to keep entertained indoors.

Grab a 1,000 or 2,000-piece puzzle, and get the whole family involved. You can take turns letting each person pick the background music, and you can bring in some popcorn, candy, and snacks, too. If you want a bigger challenge, you might consider one of those 3D puzzles that you build upward — not out.

3. Make s’mores over the fire.

Have a fireplace? Turn it on one chilly winter night, and make s’mores with the family. You’ll need marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate, and some sort of skewer, and that’s a wrap. You could add a few mugs of hot cocoa too, for even more seasonal spirit.

4. Build something.

Clear some space in the garage for doing some DIYing. Build a dog house for Fido, a dollhouse for Sally, or even just a shelf for books or chest for toys. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Just get creative, and work together to create something simple and practical for the home to keep entertained indoors. (If you’re getting kids involved, make sure you have the proper safety gear — goggles, gloves, etc.)

5. Have a board game tournament.

Dig out all your board games and have a household tournament. You can either set up brackets or just keep a tally of each family member’s wins and losses. At the end of the day, whoever racked up the most wins gets to pick what’s for dinner (with no complaints from mom or dad either!)

6. Do some painting to stay entertained indoors.

If you have kiddos, get out construction paper and washable paint, and make finger paintings or watercolor landscapes. You could also do some more practical painting, touching up areas that might be scratched or scuffed or repainting a room or wall entirely, if it needs it.

7. Watch a virtual concert or play.

Many concert venues, playhouses, and other entertainment hotspots remained closed, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still experience the culture they typically provide. Many dance and theater companies are now offering virtual performances, and there are also virtual concerts by big-name bands, singers, and classical options like symphonies and orchestras.

8. Declutter and round up some donations.

Unless you’ve just moved in, you’re probably due for a good spring cleaning — or winter cleaning, in this case. Use this indoor time to declutter your closets, go through your kids’ old toys, and dig through the attic and garage for items no longer use.

You can donate them to Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or a local shelter. If you’re looking for some extra cash, selling items on Facebook, Nextdoor, or another app could be an option as well.

9. Compete in a scavenger hunt.

Come up with a list of items that each family member must find, and set them off. They can use their phones to snap photos of each item, and the first person to get them all wins a prize. You can even leave your list a little open-ended, with things like “something you shouldn’t eat” or “something that needs to be cleaned” to see what creative stuff your loved ones come up with.

10. Try an online escape room.

Escape rooms aren’t just in-person anymore. Now, thanks to the pandemic, many companies are now offering these experiences online using Zoom or other platforms. You pay a fee, log on with your fellow teammates (they can be anywhere in the world), and you work together to solve puzzles, decipher riddles, and find your way out of the room. It’s a fun and challenging way to get together.

The bottom line about staying entertained indoors during the cold months

Winter doesn’t have to be boring. Use this time to get creative and really spend some time with your loved ones.