When the winter weather has really set in during the July school holidays, cabin fever can quickly become a reality! If it’s too wet or cold to head to the park, staying indoors doesn't have to mean endless screen time.

Here are some favourite "winter warmer" activities to keep the kids engaged, creative, and cozy at home, no matter their age.

🧸 For the Younger Crew (Ages 5-10)

1. The Epic Living Room Fort & Storytime Turn the lounge into a cozy winter hideout. Let the kids use furniture and bedding to engineer the ultimate fort, then grab some torches and read books inside.

• What you need to get:
  • Fitted sheets, flat sheets, and heavy blankets
  • Couch cushions and pillows
  • Dining chairs (for structural support!)
  • Torches or battery-operated fairy lights
  • Snacks and their favourite books

2. Homemade "Galaxy" Playdough Warm playdough is surprisingly comforting on a cold day, and making it is half the fun! Add dark food colouring and eco-glitter to make a "galaxy" theme.

• What you need to get:
  • 2 cups plain flour & 1/2 cup salt
  • 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1.5 cups boiling water
  • Black/blue/purple food colouring and eco-friendly glitter

3. The Floor is Lava: Indoor Obstacle Course Burn off that excess energy without breaking the furniture. Set up a course where they have to balance, jump, and crawl from one side of the room to the other.

• What you need to get:
  • Painter’s tape (to mark safe zones or balance beams on the floor)
  • Cushions, folded towels, or yoga mats (for stepping stones)
  • Cardboard boxes (to crawl through)
  • A stopwatch to time their runs

4. DIY Bird Feeders Winter is a tough time for our local birds to find food. Making bird feeders is a great indoor craft that leads to weeks of indoor bird-watching from the window!

• What you need to get:
  • Pinecones or empty toilet paper rolls
  • Peanut butter (or a seed-butter alternative)
  • Wild bird seed mix
  • String or twine for hanging

📱 For the Older Kids & Teens (Ages 10-16)

1. Host a "Nailed It!" Style Bake-Off Challenge your teens to recreate a complicated-looking cake or cupcake design from Pinterest. The results are usually hilarious, and you get to eat the evidence afterward!

• What you need to get:
  • Boxed cake or cupcake mix (to keep it simple)
  • Icing/frosting in various colours
  • Sprinkles, chocolate chips, or edible googly eyes
  • A printed photo of the "inspiration" cake

2. The Ultimate DIY Hot Chocolate Bar & Board Game Tournament Nothing says winter like a decadent hot chocolate. Set up a station with all the trimmings and let them battle it out over Monopoly, Catan, or a deck of cards.

• What you need to get:
  • Good quality hot chocolate powder or cocoa
  • Mini marshmallows
  • Whipped cream
  • Crushed Peppermint Crisp or chocolate flakes
  • Cinnamon sticks or chocolate syrup

3. At-Home Escape Room You don't need to leave the house to do an escape room. There are fantastic printable kits online that turn your living room into a puzzle-solving adventure, perfect for keeping teen minds sharp.

• What you need to get:
  • A downloaded, printable escape room kit (search online for free or low-cost options)
  • Printer access and paper
  • Scissors, pens, and scrap paper for solving clues
  • A timer or smartphone

4. Thrift-Flip Fashion Project Teens love refreshing their wardrobe. Have them go through their closet to find old jeans, jackets, or t-shirts they no longer wear and "upcycle" them into something new.

• What you need to get:
  • Old clothes (theirs, or from a recent op-shop run)
  • Fabric scissors
  • Fabric glue or a basic needle and thread
  • Fabric paint, patches, or bleach (if doing a supervised bleach-dye project)

What is your family's go-to activity when you're stuck indoors? Let us know in the comments below! 👇