Surviving Cabin Fever
We all know it's coming especially if you live in the Northeast like I do. Winter! Its just around the corner and with it comes long cold days and being stuck inside! I am a huge believer in being outside whenever possible but some years the winter weather does not always cooperate.
As parents we are faced with the task of balancing our children's independent play, use of their imagination and exploration of the world vs. organizing their activities and constantly "playing" with them. I personally aimed for an environment that allowed exploration, independence, imagination and quality 1:1, however I did have to think out of the box and organize some play options for them during our times stuck inside, or I would have gone a bit crazy!
I loved to go a bit "old school" and get all the blankets and chairs and pillows and make forts. We had tea parties, played board games, decorated large boxes as cars and went to the"drive in" while watching a movie. This took some preparation and sometimes quite a bit of clean up. I am including a link to our Pinterest page Fun Things To Try At Home with ideas for simple activities to try at home to help make the long winter months pass more quickly.
As a parent of a now college student, high school and middle school student, I speak from experience. Don't waste these precious days with your children. My children still talk of our snow days stuck inside and remember, not how organized I was or what great project I came up with, but they remember our quality time together. They do not talk about how much I did or did not play with them. They remember me reading to them and making hot cocoa and cookies. They remember having a pajama day and eating breakfast for dinner. They also remember the day I "lost it" and sent them upstairs and made them spend the day in one of their bedrooms until they could get along (no TV, no electronics). They will tell you it was one of their best days. They were upstairs ALL day, even after I allowed them their freedom! They played games, argued a little, laughed a lot and I'm certain they probably bonded while complaining about me! They were 4, 6 and 10 years old at the time. I'm not going to lie that was a great day for me too! I read a book, watched a TV show that did not include cartoon characters, drank my coffee in quiet.
Use these days to create spontaneous memories. Be creative, remember our carefree days as kids, and don't waste them worrying about doing the "right" thing or that which will look best as a Facebook post!
As parents we are faced with the task of balancing our children's independent play, use of their imagination and exploration of the world vs. organizing their activities and constantly "playing" with them. I personally aimed for an environment that allowed exploration, independence, imagination and quality 1:1, however I did have to think out of the box and organize some play options for them during our times stuck inside, or I would have gone a bit crazy!
I loved to go a bit "old school" and get all the blankets and chairs and pillows and make forts. We had tea parties, played board games, decorated large boxes as cars and went to the"drive in" while watching a movie. This took some preparation and sometimes quite a bit of clean up. I am including a link to our Pinterest page Fun Things To Try At Home with ideas for simple activities to try at home to help make the long winter months pass more quickly.
As a parent of a now college student, high school and middle school student, I speak from experience. Don't waste these precious days with your children. My children still talk of our snow days stuck inside and remember, not how organized I was or what great project I came up with, but they remember our quality time together. They do not talk about how much I did or did not play with them. They remember me reading to them and making hot cocoa and cookies. They remember having a pajama day and eating breakfast for dinner. They also remember the day I "lost it" and sent them upstairs and made them spend the day in one of their bedrooms until they could get along (no TV, no electronics). They will tell you it was one of their best days. They were upstairs ALL day, even after I allowed them their freedom! They played games, argued a little, laughed a lot and I'm certain they probably bonded while complaining about me! They were 4, 6 and 10 years old at the time. I'm not going to lie that was a great day for me too! I read a book, watched a TV show that did not include cartoon characters, drank my coffee in quiet.
Use these days to create spontaneous memories. Be creative, remember our carefree days as kids, and don't waste them worrying about doing the "right" thing or that which will look best as a Facebook post!
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