15 Family-Friendly Indoor Activities to Beat Cabin Fever

We have a pretty huge snowstorm that is about to hit our area in the next few hours. Neighbors have been firing up their snowblowers, grocery stores have emptied out their milk and bread shelves, and homes have been prepared for the big storm. News reports are predicting a large amount of snow to fall over the next 72 hours and local officials are asking people to stay inside and don’t go anywhere.

Stay inside and don’t go anywhere … with a husband, two-year-old, and two large dogs. Hello, cabin fever.

So, what will we do to occupy our time in the great indoors? Sure a movie marathon or a Netflix binge watching session might be nice. But, it can also get old after a while. Plus, our two-year-old won’t be a fan of those activities. And in the fact that it’s hard for me to sit around and those ideas aren’t sounds too enticing to me either.

When it’s snowing, we love to go outside and have fun before we get too chilly. When we head inside, I try and think of creative ways to make sure our family is having fun and not getting too cabin feverish.

15 Indoor Family-Friendly Activities to Beat Cabin Fever

Here are 15 indoor activities to help your family beat cabin fever during winter.

Build an indoor fort using pillows, chairs, tables, sheets, blankets, and holiday lights.
Use fingerpaints to create artistic masterpieces with the kids.
Work on adding to your scrapbook. Have your kids help put together the pages.
Bake cookies.
Play board games.
Create a Chopped game by giving family members a basket of ingredients and have them prepare a meal.
Have an indoor sports tournament. Our son has a toddler-size basketball hoop and we love playing with it.
Break out the arts and crafts. Make paper snowflakes, necklaces, painted canvases … search on Pinterest for super fun and unique idea.
Play dress up by going into the closets and picking out funky clothing and accessories.
Get your science on. Create some slime, build a volcano, make play dough … the possibilities are endless.
Go outside (if it’s safe) and build a snowman.
Create a time capsule with your family’s favorite things.
Go camping your living room. Set out sleeping bags, roast marshmallows on the fire, and tell fun stories.
Help your kids start a hobby. Ask what they love to do and then figure out and/or set out supplies in order to start the hobby.
Get the energy out … do aerobics together, have a dance off, host a talent show. Being cooped up can make energy get bottled up. Figure out ways to let loose and have fun.