I love outdoor play. I find that my children are happier, calmer, more content and helpful after a good session of outside play. These past few weeks of winter have been tough for even me to get outside.

It takes at least 20 minutes to get two 3 year olds, one 18 month old, a 7 month old and a mother ready to get outside with snow pants, jackets, boots, hats, and gloves; then after 10 minutes outside one 3 year old inevitably declares, “Shannon I need to go potty.”

So I, baby on back, big bulky coat, snowy shoes, trek inside to attend to the bathroom issues. Nine times out of ten, the wonderful play that was happening outside is so disrupted that we end up back inside… undressed and running wild.

So today I decided to think of things I could do with kids inside that don’t involve the TV or video games and that encourage creativity and play within the confines of my home. Here’s what I’ve came up with:

1) Build a fort. Today every toy in the house ended up under the dining room table. It became a store, a doctor’s office, a restaurant through the creative, genious, imagination of three year olds.

2) Family yoga. I love the CD’s Happy and Cozy by Shakta Kaur Khalsa with some lovely songs that lead children (and families) through yoga poses. Yesterday, we let off a lot of “steam” dancing and practicing yoga in our living room.

3) Tell stories. (With emphasis on the telling) I enjoy making up stories, sometimes they are silly, sometimes they have a deep meaning, other times, they are just simple ramblings that I make up as I go. I love to allow the children to add their own ideas to the story.

4) Play games. Active games like hide and seek, red light green light, Simon says help burn energy with some structure. Other games such as memory, puzzles, board games use more mental energy, and focus.

Kids need to feel important and valued.  Being with mom or dad or a special caregiver who is engaged with the creative play of children is part of experiencing a healthy childhood.

I feel a little less overwhelmed by the weather now. We will always go outside as much as possible, but knowing that I have a few great tricks in my back pocket leads to peace of mind.

Sometimes though, I really do wish I was a seed and could sleep through the winter.

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