Get Creative and Avoid Cabin Fever This Winter!

Get Creative and Avoid Cabin Fever This Winter!

Tips from Jami Smith, Director of Therapeutic Services for Bancroft’s Adult Day and Employment programs

As households across our region brace for the largest winter storm, we’ve experienced in a few years, many parents are in panic mode, scrambling to stock the house with groceries and frantically making plans to occupy the kids while they hunker down. But armed with the right activities and the right attitude, families can transform chilly snow days into fun opportunities for education, and even exercise!

Activities Coordinator Jami Smith

As Director of Therapeutic Services for Bancroft’s Adult Day and Employment programs, my job is to turn daily tasks into learning experiences for the individuals we serve. And right now, throughout Bancroft, the staff is making plans to keep residents in over 200 group homes and supported apartments busy and thriving in the face of the storm.

So, parents, while you’re snowed in this weekend with the little ones, borrow some of the following creative ideas and avoid the dreaded cabin fever:

Host a Fashion Show

Ask the kids to dive into the back corners of their closets and resurrect old holiday outfits and outdated items. Take turns posing for photographs and ranking each look. Bonus – you’ll clean out the closets in the meantime!

Indoor bowling using water bottles and a bouncy ball.

Play Indoor Bowling

Arrange water bottles like bowling pins (they can be empty or full) and use whatever you have around the house as a “bowling ball.” Keep score and award trophies (hot cocoa or another treat) to the winner.

Create a Dance Club

Turn off the lights and give each child a flashlight. Turn on some favorite tunes and dance it out! It may be snowing outdoors, but your home will become the hottest club in town. And, the kids will burn all that excess energy.

Host an at home movie theatre! Open a Movie Theatre

After dinner, embrace the weather and open your own home theatre. Shut off the lights and make treat bags for the kids with popcorn, pretzels, chocolate candies and other favorite treats. Allow each child to select a movie and cozy up together and enjoy the marathon!

Some other fun activities would be hosting a cooking or baking contest (try decorating cupcakes, or making DIY pizzas), putting on a fun Karaoke night (you can use Youtube to stream videos and have everyone take their turns to sing). Need more inspiration? Check out Bancroft’s additional List of In Home Activities and get those creative juices flowing this weekend.

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