Similar to summer break, children often look forward to the 2-week winter break from school. In today’s day and age, tablets and television are frequently the main go-to activity for children at home. While both of these are fine, when limited, too much screen time can have a negative impact on your child’s development. Instead of unlimited screen time, consider restricting the time your children are on these devices and supplementing free time with some of the winter activities below.
1. Puzzles
Puzzles are a great way to help your children work on visual perception and visual motor skills.
2. Winter Slime
https://www.naturalbeachliving.com/easy-frosty-winter-slime/
When reading through directions to create slime, your children are working on sequencing and planning (executive functions). Once the slime is complete and they have their hands immersed in the material, so you are also working on tactile sensory processing.
3. Indoor Scavenger Hunt
https://www.playpartyplan.com/indoor-scavenger-hunt-for-kids/
From working on executive functions to visual perception and gross motor tasks, scavenger hunts combine a vast array of developmental skill sets.
4. Roll a Winter Sentence
https://royalbaloo.com/winter-sentence-silly/
Wanting to find a way to make handwriting practice more fun? This is a great way to do so!
5. Snowflake Gross Motor Game
https://www.pinkoatmeal.com/snowflake-hop-winter-gross-motor/
This snowflake printable works on a variety of gross motor skills, such as hopping, squatting, and balancing.
6. Melted Snowman
https://lifeovercs.com/melted-snowman-goo-sensory-play/
Typically a fan favorite, the Melted Snowman is another tactile sensory friendly activity.
7. Indoor Ice Skating
https://funlearningforkids.com/winter-alphabet-activity-indoor-ice-skating-letters/
Indoor ice skating can be set up in a variety of ways, depending on the skills you want to work on with your child. Ice skating focuses on balance, posture control, and bilateral coordination. Your child can skate between different shapes, colors, letters, numbers, or even parts of a sentence.
8. Snowman Ball Toss
http://intheleafytreetopsthebirdssing.blogspot.com/2012/01/mr-singing-snowman-pom-pom-snowballs.html
This game works on bilateral coordination and visual motor control. Add a partner to the game and you can also address social skills.
9. Painting with Snow
Whether it is fine motor coordination or tactile sensory processing, painting with snow is one of my favorite winter activities for the young creative mind.
10. Hands and Feet Hopscotch
https://www.boeybear.com/post/hands-feet-hopscotch-game
This adapted version of hopscotch focuses on motor planning, executive functioning, postural control, and various gross motor movements.
On behalf of the Washington University Neurofibromatosis (NF) Center, we wish you and your family a joyous holiday season.