When Old Man Winter arrives, it is time to think about indoor activities for our families. Like outside activities, inside activities can be just as enriching and fun. In this article, I have included fun activities that build your child’s fine motor, creativity, and communication skills. Create a snow scene from nontoxic material like a mix of flour, water, and food coloring for a homemade finger paint. With these materials, children can safely fingerpaint on a tray without making a mess. Making a winter mobile by cutting winter themed pictures from magazines or holiday catalogs and paste them onto construction paper or index cards. Then use string or ribbon to hang the cards in a special spot or on a holiday tree.

Invent your own board game by asking your child to choose a theme. Sketch out a path and divide it into squares. Label the start and the finish. Your child can then illustrate the rest of the board and label a few of the squares as special theme-related places. You can also write directions; go ahead two, go back one, pick a card, etc. Make a deck of index cards with theme related direction such as "take a ride on the sled" or "you are lost in the woods." Players can use a dice or spinner to move around the board as they increase their counting and math skills.

Set up an indoor snowball game to increase hand-eye skills and gross motor coordination. Cut a few 8-to-9-inch holes into a big piece of cardboard and decorate the cardboard to look like a tree or a snowman using markers or paint. Using "indoor snowballs" (puff balls available at craft stores or crumbled newspaper), encourage your child to throw the snowballs through the holes on the target. Have your child start very close to the target and then move back a few feet to make it a little bit more challenging, using both underhand and overhand throws.

Write a winter storybook together to develop early literacy and fine motor skills. Invite your child to make their own book about a favorite winter activity, what they are seeing outside-a snowy day is great, or write about a special memory. Ask your child to draw pictures or paste photos to illustrate their story. Encourage them to tell you the story in their own words and help them write the words on each page.

These are just some activities that build skills and cut down on hearing the words, “I have nothing to do.” There are, of course, plenty of other things we need during the winter. Danbury is full of resources for families, from free Play to Learn Play Groups, food pantries, sports activities held by many community agencies, the Danbury Library’s programs, and community-led gatherings. For more information on these resources, call the Infoline at 211, or the Danbury Public School’s FACE Center at 203-797-4735.

I hope everyone has a safe and healthy holiday season. I’ll chat with you again in January 2026.

Anne E. Mead, Ed. D. is the director of Family, School, and Community Partnerships for Danbury Public Schools. She can be reached at 203-830-6508 or by email at meadan@danburyu.k12.ct.us.