29 May Indoor Activities to Combat Cabin Fever

Nothing puts a damper on picnic plans like rainy weather – literally. Similar to hibernating animals, we humans tend to prioritise warmth and comfort, avoiding the natural elements until spring. But there are a number of fun ways to keep you and your family entertained this winter. Here’s how:

GROW AN INDOOR GARDEN
If you have green fingers, it can be quite a challenge to horticulture hiatus during the cold months. Luckily, there are a number of hardy herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables that thrive during winter. Cultivating your own potager can be quite rewarding. Kitchen gardens do take some effort to get going and require regular attention, which means you can dedicate the same time you would’ve spent in your backyard showing your kitchen garden as much love.

WORKOUT
There’s no better time to get up and get active. When it’s cold outside, we tend to use it as an excuse to neglect our fitness. Regular exercise (coupled with healthy eating) is the easiest way to keep seasonal colds at bay as it boosts your immune system.The healthy dose of endorphins will beat the winter blues, and your waistline will appreciate you running on the treadmill instead of to the fridge. Working out with others will be a great motivator to keep at it all season long, so get yourself an exercise buddy with the same goal in mind.

THROW AN UPCYCLE CRAFTING PARTY
Indulge your creativity. You can spend hours with your friends and family, finding interesting ways to reuse discarded items. Spend a cosy afternoon making decorations, furniture or an even eco-friendly gifts for one another. You’ll be amazed at what you can do with milk bottles, egg cartons, bottle caps and some glue. Tye-dying old shirts and hand-painting sneakers is a great way to breathe life into a stale wardrobe too.

MAKE EVERY NIGHT GAME NIGHT
A healthy dose of competition is just what the doctor ordered. Whether it’s over a tense game of 30 Seconds or poured over a Monopoly board, nothing will curb cabin fever and tire you out before bedtime quite like this. If you have little ones, write down a bunch of options (from duck, duck, goose to charades), place them in a hat and get them to pick a game for each night. It also creates a great sense of excitement and togetherness.

BAKE SOMETHING
Cooking can often seem like a chore but baking is always a treat. Your kids will love getting involved with this family-friendly activity because they’ll look forward to the finished product, and stay occupied for a good half-hour just licking the mixing bowl clean. Growing up, my favorite past time was getting the kitchen messy with my mother. We’d bake scones, cakes, brownies or even a cake in a cup! Baking needn’t be an extravagantly unhealthy affair either, there are gluten-free, preservative-free alternatives easy and available on our site. For more inspiration check out these 3 seriously sweet cupcake recipes.

REWORK YOUR SPACE

It is believed that a simple reorganization of your space feels as refreshing as a holiday. Since you’ll be spending more time indoors, consider introducing a zen atmosphere into your space so the energy in your home is light, positive and harmonious. Get a head start on your spring cleaning. Donate clothes you no longer wear, get rid of old furniture that you’re holding onto unnecessarily, move a few things around, paint an accent wall a fresh colour. This is a great opportunity to get the kids involved; they’ll be more willing to spend time in a space they helped create.

AT-HOME SLEEPOVER
Even in my 20’s I still get excited by the idea of building a blanket fort with my friends or siblings and crawling inside with a bowl of snacks and a thermo-flask of hot chocolate. The winter season calls for great creativity when it comes to entertaining the family and this is an activity that’ll definitely treat the kids. You can all cuddle under the sheets, share stories, binge watch your favorite movies, make shadow puppets or just fall asleep to the pitter patter of rain falling outside.