10 ideas for family weekends when it's gray outside the window
Outside the windows you can see autumn more and more, mornings and evenings are getting colder, which means that soon we will spend much less time outdoors. While the busy school schedule during the week does not allow children or adults to get bored, the question often arises what to do on weekends when it is gray, drab and unpleasant outside? We give you 10 ideas on how to spend your weekends creatively with your children and, above all, have a great time with your family. ideas for family weekends when it's gray outside the window.
- Do it yourself - at home!
The DIY ("do it yourself") trend has never been as good as it is today. Home needlework is a triumph, and for parents it is great news - after all, it is a mine of ideas for activities with children, which can be explored every rainy weekend. All you need is a few materials, a large table or a piece of flooring, willingness and time, and the range of possibilities is almost endless. We can prepare jewelry, simple toys, bookmarks, decorations or homemade colorful soaps and bath bombs with children. Older children can make a bird feeder or light garlands with the help of their parents. In autumn, it is also worth taking advantage of the treasures found by children on walks - colorful leaves, chestnuts and acorns. It all depends on our creativity and our child's, the possibilities are virtually endless. Need some inspiration? We can find a lot of ideas on the Internet, just use the abbreviation DIY when searching.
- Time for culture
Fall and winter are probably the best times to catch up on culture. After all, we have enough outdoor activities in the summer. When the weather doesn't spoil us, let's go on a trip to the museum, to an exhibition in a gallery or to the theater. Larger cities offer a wide cultural offer, including special facilities dedicated to children or a selected repertoire suitable for the youngest. In smaller towns, theater performances and temporary exhibitions often appear as guests - it is worth finding out about them in local community centers by checking their websites or profiles on social media. Common trips to the theater, museum or gallery sensitize the child to art, teach, and bring the younger and older generation closer.
- A kitchen better than a playground
For some time on the Internet, the answer to the question of what extracurricular activities must be enrolled in a child is a sensation, the author of which claims that the best activities are two hours a week in the kitchen with mom and two hours of DIY with dad, written in the schedule and observed as if parents they paid for them.
We completely agree with this approach! The first from the list of activities, i.e. family cooking, is a great idea for family spending time on autumn and winter weekends. Here, too, the range of possibilities is almost unlimited - we can bake cupcakes, pizza, prepare salads, homemade ice cream or burgers. It is important that it is colorful, tasty and that the children have their share in the whole project. Cooking together is a good opportunity to learn about the properties of products, introduce healthy eating habits and exercise manual skills, and then enjoy eating together. Adults only need to remember not to stress too much about the mess that will arise in the kitchen or during DIY activities. After all, spilled flour or spilled milk can always be wiped off, tools can be picked up, and family moments in the kitchen are more valuable than additional cleaning (which can also be a shared activity).
- Home laboratory
How to make a "rubber" egg? Can you make a volcano out of vinegar and baking soda? A self-made lava lamp? Even if adults are not experts in chemistry or physics, they can successfully create a home laboratory for children where real wonders will work. The Internet is full of recipes for crazy but safe experiments that will please not only the youngest. It's a great way to show your kids that science can be fun too!
- Water madness
In autumn and winter, we often feel a decline in well-being. And it is related not only to the deficit of the sun or the solstice, but also to the lack of exercise. By spending time only at home, we limit our physical activity, which translates into, among others for winter folds. In autumn and winter, especially on weekends, when we have more time, it is worth going to the swimming pool, where we can use our energy. Swimming and playing together in the water revitalize the body and integrate the family, ensuring great fun at the same time. If we have an indoor aqua park nearby, we can go for a few hours' stay in such a facility - games on slides, paddling pools and swimming pools as well as activities organized by instructors will provide us with a substitute for summer winter.
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- Trampoline park / games room
To move on cloudy days, not necessarily outside, where the wind blows and it rains, we can also go to the trampoline park. After even an hour-long session, the child will certainly be "saved", and we will also get the right dose of exercise and raise the level of endorphins. Younger children who may not feel confident on the trampolines will love to jump into the pool filled with soft balls, which offers numerous playrooms available in almost every city. Playing with balls will be even more fun if your parents join you.
- Puzzle room
A visit to the escape room, i.e. the escape room, is another suggestion for family spending time when it's gray outside the window. Escape rooms came to us from the west, and their growing popularity meant that they already exist even in small towns. The rule is simple - thanks to cleverness, logical thinking and efficient cooperation, the group has to get out of a locked room in 60 minutes. It is a real lesson in family cooperation, creativity training and great fun, consisting in solving puzzles based on clues and hints. Usually, the facilities offer escape rooms in which even 8-year-old children can handle.
- Games weekend
If we do not want to leave the house, we can organize a family weekend with games. Here, too, the possibilities are huge - we can try to deal with the arrangement of complicated puzzles, play puns or arrange several games of board games. For the youngest, we recommend Dobble, Monsters for the Wardrobe or the Super Farmer game. Older children will appreciate the Scrabble vocabulary developing, the classic Monopoly. Board games can be expensive, so let's exchange board games among friends. There are also places where you can play the available games for free - these are libraries, cafes and restaurants. There are also board game rentals. Timeless checkers, chess, pieces, Regular cards are also great entertainment for the whole family. Apart from the fact that the games develop logical thinking, they also teach children to win and ... lose! And that is an invaluable skill these days.
- Home art classes
A cloudy weekend is also a great opportunity to wake up the artist and show the child the unlimited world of imagination. Basic materials such as paint, cardboard, scraps of fabric, plasticine, clay or old newspapers are enough to conjure up greeting cards (e.g. birthday cards, for Grandpa's or Grandma's Day) or a beautiful notebook decorated according to the owner's personal preferences. We can also try to buy a special paint and fancifully paint individual plates that are left over from the old shop, but if we run out of ideas, we can use the recipes for creative, plastic games on the Internet.
- With friends
Holidays are long gone, but the last months of the year also have their advantages. In autumn and winter, it is much easier to make an appointment with long-lost acquaintances and friends. Meetings with friendly families, even those organized at home, are usually a large dose of positive emotions. In addition to visiting the house, we can also go to a restaurant together, preferably one with a playground for children. Changing the environment, the company of liked children and adults, even at home, is an opportunity for joint games and frolics. For children, it is an unforgettable experience to spend the night at a favorite cousin or friend - so do not be afraid of weekends with friends or family in another city. But let's also remember about the rematch - after all, everyone needs a change.
There are a lot of creative ideas for spending time, we just need to free ourselves from the stereotypical thinking that in autumn or winter we will only be bored at home, interspersed with sitting in front of a TV or tablet. We should also remember that regardless of the weather, a good idea for all circumstances is ... a walk. In Norway, famous for its harsh weather, children are brought up according to the old adage that there is no bad weather for a walk - there are only bad clothes.
