Weeding Out The Couch Potatoes – 50 Things To Do Instead Of Screen Time

Across the nation, crops of couch potatoes sprout up every winter. They are fueled by the colder days and early sunset, leaving them unable to do more than is absolutely necessary. If you are looking for alternative ways to entertain the kids and yourself this winter, try leaving the electronics in their chargers. Here are 50 suggestions to help combat cabin fever and get you through until the spring thaw.

Use your imagination:

• Make paper airplanes out of colored paper
• Cut out paper dolls and accessories from newspapers
• Create doll houses and furniture out of felt pieces
• Build skyscrapers out of Legos or Tinker Toys
• Use large cardboard boxes to create kid-sized houses that they can decorate

Get outside:

• Take a walk around the neighborhood with the dogs or a friend
• Roller blade around cones in a parking lot on a sunny day
• Head to the park for a trip across the monkey bars
• Jump rope in the driveway
• Bundle up for an outdoor winter scavenger hunt

Make a game of it:

• Pick card games like Uno, Hearts or Rummy
• Try a dice game like Tenzi or LCR
• Bring out the board games – classics like Monopoly or Sorry!
• Create a Battleship game out of two pizza boxes
• Tape a tic tac toe board on the floor and use colored bean bags for the X and O

Play road trip games without leaving the house:

• Name that Tune – Turn on the radio and see how quickly you can identify the songs
• I Spy – Describe something in the house so the other players can guess what it is
• Alphabet Game – Name animals, foods, or athletes starting with the letter A, then B and so on.
• Mad Libs – Fill in the blanks to a short story with nouns, verbs and adjectives
• Bingo – You will find free printable bingo sheets online

Expand your mind:

• Play Sudoku or complete a word search
• Browse the library for a good book
• Set up a home laboratory and create some science experiments
• Put together a model car
• Work a puzzle

Get crafty:

• Make homemade playdough from Kool-Aid
• Build structures with marshmallows and toothpicks
• Create pasta people with glue and a variety of pasta shapes
• Use duct tape and cardboard to make swords and shields
• Design Popsicle stick snowflakes, paint white and hang in the windows

Spend time with family:

• Look through photo albums or school memorabilia
• Use your talents to create a family variety show
• Cook dinner together or bake cookies
• Sing karaoke or have a dance party
• Listen to a book on CD together every night

Get out and go:

• Go bowling
• Play indoor laser tag
• Head to the indoor pool for a game of Marco Polo
• Get messy with a game of paintball
• Try rock climbing

Do something for the animals:

• Teach your dog a new trick
• String popcorn on a string or make homemade suet for the birds
• Collect towels and blankets for the animal shelter
• Create a maze for your hamster
• Make a no-sew pet bed for your cat

Think spring:

• Plant seedlings to start your garden early
• Have an indoor picnic
• Use watercolors to paint a summer sky
• Make a kite out of sticks and a kitchen garbage bag
• Order a caterpillar to butterfly kit and watch them grow