You’ve taken down the decorations, there’s no big family gatherings or parties on the horizon and playing outside in the sunshine is at least a few months away. How do you fill the time and keep your family entertained without spending the rest of the winter hibernating on the couch? For starters, don’t beat yourself up if you’re spending a little more time on screens than usual. There are only so many ways to fill up the hours each day and the weather can cast a sleepy spell on you. Give yourself, and your family, a break and try a few things to help ease the cabin fever.

Lights! Camera! Action!

This one is fun because you can work on it throughout the winter months. Depending on how old your kids are, sit down with them and figure out a story. You can either recreate one of your favorite books or give them a few suggestions for their imaginations to run wild. Once you have the story figured out try putting together costumes by combining different clothing with items you find around the house. The kids will get a kick out of playing dress up and you’re stimulating their creativity while teaching them about how to construct a long-term project. You can shoot the movie on your phone or tablet and edit with the help of any of the free movie apps available online.

Calendar Babes

Another fun one to get your family in a creative spirit. Capture the everyday fun you have around the house and turn it into a beloved calendar to send to the grandparents. Or, if you want to take it up a notch – try a themed calendar! Is your little one obsessed with cars? Or animals? Make each month and homage to some of their favorite things and put it up in their room to help them keep track of the days. Take a look at some of our ideas for at home photo shoots to get inspired!

Build Your Own Gymboree 

It’s rainy and yuck out and the idea of getting everyone bundled up in their winter clothes and piled into the car is so daunting. Why not turn your place into a cozy playground for the kids. Kick off your shoes, toss your pillows on the floor and create a maze for the kids to walk through. It can be as simple as a classic like “the floor is lava” or you can add chairs and different challenges like a ring toss and turn your house into one big obstacle course! Can’t go outside and sit in your tree house? Well, you can build a pillow fort and play games from inside!

There’s a lot of ways to keep active and busy during the colder months, but make sure you have some fun with it! Find different ways to run out your energy so you don’t feel quite so cooped up. Be safe and enjoy the cabin while it lasts!