By: Faigy Akda, Lubicom Staff

Midwinter vacation is coming up. Unfortunately, not everyone can take off to sunny destinations. So, unless you have an excursion planned for every day, you’re bound to hear these three words on repeat: “Mommy, I’m booored!”

Preparing indoor activities is vital to keep everyone sane.

I compiled some fun indoor activities, including a variety of craft and baking projects, so you’ll be prepared the next time boredom strikes.

Some activities below require (relatively) inexpensive purchases, (unless you happen to have gummy bear molds lying around your house).  But the purchases will be worth it, especially when you get to enjoy the peaceful silence of the kids hard at play at least for an hour or two.

Also, don’t be afraid of the activities that can get messy, that’s what kids love the most!

Hot Pretzels

Although the thought of making dough sounds complicated and time-consuming, it’s really not. It’s as simple as dumping flour and yeast into your mixer with a couple more ingredients. Once you whip up the hot pretzel dough, the possibilities are endless. You can turn the dough into standard pretzel shapes or get creative. You can spell out names or create unique shapes. Best of all, lunch is covered!

Try: Soft New York Style Pretzels

Paint Canvases

Painting places are extremely popular. But your family can create works of art from the comfort of your home and without a sitting fee. These canvases come with a pre-printed image,  which makes it easier for your child to create a work of art. Alternatively, you can purchase blank canvases. Here’s a set of paint brushes and paint.

To take it up a notch, purchase a large canvas and all the kids can paint it together. You’ll have a masterpiece to hang in the living room to show for the teamwork! Enjoy creating an art studio in the comfort of your own home!

Cupcake Cones

This is by far one of the cutest kid-friendly desserts ever! Follow your favorite cupcake recipe, or use this one, but instead of using cupcake holders, place flat-bottomed ice cream cones in the tray and fill a bit more than halfway. Bake according to the recipe.

Decorate your cone with frosting or whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry on top. It can pass for ice cream, and best of all it won’t melt everywhere.

Slime

It takes only three simple ingredients to create every mother’s worst nightmare…aka every kid’s dream activity. The only thing I will say: be sure to restrict this activity to one area so you don’t end up with slime all over your house. 

Elmers.com has recipes for different variations on slime (think glitter or glow-in-the-dark!). This will keep your kids busy for ages.

Homemade Sushi 

The popularity of sushi is stronger than ever. And it’s pretty simple to make on your own.

1.       Cook up a pot of sushi rice and let it cool.

2.       Place a Nori sheet on a bamboo mat or parchment paper. Pat some sushi rice onto Nori sheets.

3.       Flip it over and place vegetables directly on the Nori. Give your children different options, so they get to make their own personalized roll. The more choices, the more exciting!

4.       Roll up tightly. Even if it comes out messy it will still taste delicious and they won’t know the difference.

Alternatively, you can create sushi stacks following this recipe. 

Homemade Gummy Bears

Who would’ve thought you can make your own gummy bears? And the recipe is actually pretty simple. This recipe is for grape-flavored gummies. Besides for being delicious, it’s relatively healthy—for candy that is. Here are some options for gummy molds: Lizber Gummy Bear Molds, The Silly Pops Gummy Bear Mold, Silikolove Gummy Bear Mold. 

Sprinkle Cookies

Who doesn’t love cookies? Especially those deliciously colorful bakery sprinkle cookies. Here’s a quick and easy recipe to make them at home. Once the dough is made, it’s perfect for kids to form small balls and dip them into their favorite sprinkles. Don’t limit this activity to just sprinkles, you can set out bowls of chocolate chips, colored sugar, or any small candy to roll the dough into. The options are endless!   

Although some of these activities sound complicated, they’re fun and totally eliminate boredom. The cleanup at the end will be 100% worth it. Have fun!