Fun Family Activities To Do In The Colder Months

With the colder months approaching, many families prepare to enjoy the warmth of staying indoors. However, this can quickly turn monotonous, where we start to miss the excitement of summer adventures where the family easily bonds together. Usually, indoor time also increases screen time that could negatively effects emotional and mental well-being. There are several fun activities we can get involved in during the winter from camping to going on road trips. Here are six fun activities to consider enjoying with your family during the colder months.

Summer Activities: Board Games and Creative Workbook

To keep ourselves occupied during the many rainy days we have had this summer, we have been playing a couple of fun board games and doing creative projects. This trivia quiz game, Totally Trivia, and a hilarious speed drawing game, Speedy Scribbles are quite engaging. We agree with the author of The Bright Book that art helps process thoughts, emotions, and ideas, and this workbook has been inspiring are creativity.

Learning the origins of board games, illusions, journey, and math

We love playing board games and have a few family favourites. As children, we have played lots of different board games from monopoly to mancala, and made sure to introduce our children to board games at a very young age. A few years ago, we made a wooden convertible storage cart just to keep our games. We believe most board games are a wonderful way to socialize and connect, and they have become part of our lifestyle. Over the past decade, we have documented a few board games on CreateWithMom. When we saw the Board Games in 100 Moves by Ian Livingstone, we were curious to discover different board games and their origins. 

Fun Games and Entertainment

We are always excited to try new games and do different hands on activities in our family. We love game nights, and recently have been playing Azul and Ticket to Ride London. We also spent time building with Flexo. A new calendar year comes with new resolutions to become more creative, so we have been practicing watercolour painting with Watercolour the Easy Way book and took the time to clean up, get organized, and even spiced up our phones by replacing our Pop Sockets with creative ones! We have also been reading the Four Seasons of Entertaining book that is filled with colourful photography, recipes, and ideas separated by each season. 

Games that bring family and friends together

Joining friends and family to play educational and fun board games is a wonderful way to connect while stimulating thinking skills of all players, despite their age. Playing games develop a variety of cognitive, social, and physical skills.  

Fun educational games everyone in the family will enjoy

Learning doesn't have to be boring! Games are a fun way for families to spend time together while children develop a variety of skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, teamwork, sharing, and many other fundamental skills. Pressman Toys promote learning with its STEM and educational products. We have been playing with three of their games - Mastermind®, Tri-Ominos® and Rummikub®. 

Boredom Busters

Summer days are longer giving us more time to do fun activities. It is also the perfect time to cool off and do hands on activities.

InnoTab® 3 Opens a World of Learning

The InnoTab® 3 by VTech opens a world of learning. There is a wealth of age-appropriate educational games, apps and more that expands our children's minds, creativity and learning. 

Both my 4 and 8 year old enjoy using the 180° 2 megapixel rotating camera and video recorder to capture images and videos. They like using the WonderCam with over 55 photo effects, funny faces and frames to create fun images with the pictures they took. 

Lots of Fun We Had a Around the Theme of Despicable Me

Since Despicable Me 2 started playing in the theatres July 3rd, it has been about minions and Gru in our home. We enjoy playing Operation and Monopoly Hasbro board games with the Despicable Me theme. We went to Home Depot and my children enjoyed making the cute Lucy's car, while wearing the minion hard hat, a badge/pin and apron. 

Win a World Series Yahtzee Hasbro Game Before The Canada Day Weekend

This World Series Yahtzee game is a new way to play the classic dice-rolling challenge of Yahtzee. We enjoyed playing this fast paced game, as all the players can roll at the same time without waiting for one another. We have to roll out the right combinations faster than the other players to win. 

Family Time with Memorable Board Games & Win your own

I think sometimes we spend a little too much time as a family watching movies and shows especially on Netflix :) than playing a friendly interactive game.  Sometimes with hectic schedules we forget to spend quality time playing with each other.
The upcoming family day weekend reminds me that we need to make it a routine to sit around our family room and play interactive board games. This will allow us to reconnect, reenergize relationships and create memories.  Hasbro has a broad collection of over 60 timeless games that the whole family can enjoy.

JENGA Boom Game is similar to the classic JENGA game and is aimed for everyone over the age of 6 years.  We need to delicately pull the blocks out of the stack without knocking it down. With this JENGA Boom, we have to move fast because the detonator is pulled before we take our turn, and this is like a timer.  In order to win we have to get our block out before the time runs out and the stack "explodes."  This game includes 36 JENGA hardwood blocks, toy detonator, stacking sleeve and instructions and can be played alone or with more players.  

 

Some people might be offended by the violent aspect of the game i.e. it being called a "detonator" etc., if we keep aside this "opinion" then it is a fun game for the family to play and try to remove the block before it all comes down.  My children enjoyed laughing when the blocks came down before we got a chance to carefully remove the block.  We will be practicing this more during the long weekend :)

The CLUE The Classic Mystery Game is for everyone over 8 years and is played with 2 to 6 players.  This game includes Mansion Game board, 1 Yellow Murder Envelope, 1 Detective Notepad, 6 Character tokens, 21 Black CLUEDO cards, 13 Red Bonus cards, 6 Weapon tokens, 2 Dice and Game Guide.

We have to be detectives and crack the case of who killed the millionaire Samuel Black by questioning everything to unravel the mystery and finding clues; Who did it? Where? etc. The person who solves the murder first wins.  This is a fun twist on the classic mystery game and features new characters and a two-player version.  I haven't played the classic before so this game is new to me.

The ZYNGA Draw Something Game is for everyone over 8 years.  There is no need to be an artist to win this fun-filled Draw Something game.  While one player draws, everyone else shouts out their guesses at what they're drawing.  Whoever guesses the word earns coins along with the drawer, and the harder the word, the more coins you earn.  To win, the person has to have 15 coins.  We really enjoyed this game and I think it does test our artistic skills :) and imagination so people can guess correctly.  This game includes 4 draw stations, 180 cards, 4 crayons, 4 pads of paper, 4 coin tracker clips and game guide.  My children enjoy playing this game on the iPad so it was nice to have something physical to play with instead.

I remember spending lots of time playing board games with my brothers and friends when I was little.   Sometimes I feel my children are missing making these memories because of all the technology that surrounds us.  Hope we will all get to play some fun board games and reconnect with our families during this weekend and then make it more of a regular routine to create lasting memories.

Giveaway:
To help you get started and have your own family time playing board games, enter this giveaway below through the rafflecopter below and win the ZYNG Draw Something Game.  This giveaway is open to everyone in Canada and ends on March 15th. 
Update: The winner is Sam
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Animal themed LEGO party

I sent this invitation to some friends last weekend to bring their little ones for a LEGO party in our home.  We were so excited and thrilled to organize this LEGO themed party because my children are huge fans of LEGO DUPLO.

Both boys and girls loved the variety of Animal themed LEGO DUPLO and we heard lots of farm noises in our home during the party :)  Children played with our previous collections of  LEGO DUPLO toys plus these Toddler line products such as the build and play cubes, pull along, building set and brick box.  

These Toddler line LEGO DUPLO are mostly for children age 1 1/2 to 3-4 year, however children over 4 will enjoy these as well.  The build and play cubes have cute windows that will encourage children to play peek-a-boo.  The pull along fun wagon has 15 pieces that encourage children to build on the base and pull the wagon. 

Children really enjoyed hearing the stories from the "read and build" LEGO DUPLO books such as the Busy Farm and Let's Go Vroom!  

Following the step-by-step pictures on the books to build and see the characters becoming 3D is very exciting for little ones.

Children also enjoyed playing on our LEGO DUPLO Zoo app on the iPad during the party.  

This interactive app is for children from 2 to 5.  Our LEGO DUPLO fans will enjoy solving the challenges they come across as Jack Rabbit and Giraffe's goes by air, land and water to make it to Lion's birthday.  

 

For the party I served, Beetroot cheese sandwiches, Lego cake pops, Carrot and celery, Animal crackers and juice.

To make the beetroot cheese sandwiches you will need...
cream cheese
steamed or boiled beetroots grated
sandwich bread

After placing the cheese and beetroots in the sandwich bread cut it into shapes.

To make the LEGO blocks cake pops I used...
a box of chocolate cake
1/2 cup to 1/4 cup chocolate cake frosting
white melting chocolate
smarties

Bake the chocolate cake following the instructions on the box.  Then crumble and mix it with cake frosting.  Children liked helping prepare this part as we formed the shapes and dipped the top of the cake pop into the melted chocolate before placing the smarties.

When the kids played "paste the duck" I had some of the little ones crying because they didn't get it in the correct spot.  However, when each child got a pack of crayons, stickers and a package of fun activities to do and take home they forgot about this :)

We had a fabulous animal themed LEGO party, while listening to the DUPLO jams.

Disclosure: I am a LEGO DUPLO play ambassador and receive special perks for being part of this.  All rights reserved on photographs and written content Createwithmom © 2011 - 2013. Please Ask First