Welcome to February! It’s the month of pinks, reds, and celebrating the people we love. It’s also the month where winter feels never ending and everyone is stir crazy. Here is a mix of quiet, creative, and high energy activities to keep everyone active and engaged while stuck in the house.
Forever Handprint Bouquets
Nothing says I love you, quite like a handmade gift, right? These flowers never wilt and capture the size of your little (or big) ones hand perfectly in the moment.
What you need:
– White Cardstock
– Paint (any color)
– green pipe cleaners
– brown paper and string (optional)
The How To:
– paint your child’s hand any color and transfer it to the white paper—this part always gets giggles
– once its dry, cut the prints out (could be great scissor practice for older kids)
– attach green pipe cleaners as stems
– optional: wrap the flowers in brown paper and string to give it that bouquet vibe or simply place them in a vase for that special touch
Color Mixing with Paper Towels
This one is pure magic with minimal effort. It is a great experiment that takes about 2 minutes to set up, can be done over and over, and creates beautiful results every time.
What you need:
– paper towels cut into hearts (or any shape…or honestly, just paper towels)
– 2 small cups of water
– food coloring (red and blue)
– water droppers
– tray or Tub to keep mess at a minimum
The How To:
– lay paper towel hearts onto the tray
– fill two cups of water
– dye one cup red and one cup blue
– provide one or two water droppers
– watch the magic happen
Sweet Shop Sensory Bin
The goal with this sensory bin is to use items you already have in your house and put a new spin on them with endless imaginative opportunities. I personally love this sensory bin, but truly any tub or container would work.
What you need:
– white rice (you can leave it as is or dye it pink/red if you’re feeling ambitious)
– any “baking” supplies you have on hand like:
– cupcake liners
– pom poms
– measuring spoons
– mixing bowls
– empty chocolate boxes (or anything similar)
The How To:
– fill your sensory bin with the rice and any materials you have on hand
– encourage your child to “bake” cupcakes or fill the chocolate boxes with treats
– if you want to extend play, add a themed book (think baking or valentines related) or turn the bin into a cupcake shop where your child has to prepare several orders for delivery or pick up
The Heart Hop
Need to get the wiggles out but may not have a lot of space? This game gets the whole body moving, helps with color recognition, and best of all is low effort to set up.
What you need:
– construction paper
– painters tape
The How To:
– cut hearts out of different colored pieces of construction paper
– tape the hearts in either in a path across the floor or scattered all about
– play some music and have your child jump from heart to heart. When the music stops, they have to free
– if you want to make it challenging:
– call out instructions like “hop to the red heart or spin around the blue heart”
– write action words on the hearts (jump, squat, clap, crawl)
The Book Nook
Novelty creates focus! It always amazes me how changing the environment can work wonders in piquing the interest of kids.
What you need:
– blanket
– pillows
– stack of books or yoto player
– optional: a flashlight and cozy blanket to bring inside
The How to:
– drape a blanket or two over the dining room table and chairs
– toss some pillows underneath for a comfortable landing place
– bring in a flashlight and blanket to create a cozy space
– let them read or listen to a story as they relax inside their very own nook
I hope these activities inspire some February fun in your home! We’d love to see how you make them your own—tag us in your photos or share what activities were the biggest hit. Here’s to making winter a little warmer with creativity and play!
Written by Becca Thiemann and Kelsey Jaspers
Like this blog? Check out these others we know you’ll enjoy!
1. Snow Many Activities
2. 5 Activities to Survive the Rest of Winter
