Things To Do With The Kids In January

I hate January. Everyone (myself included) is grumpy, bored and skint. You don’t really feel like doing anything apart from hibernating but the kids just won’t let you. Apparently they need to be fed and entertained! So, things to do with the kids in January, apart from trying to get them to hibernate with you….

It’s a tough one really. The weather is mostly crap and as already stated, everyone is skint. And if you’ve seen one of my latest posts then you’ll know I’m having a No Spend January. Which is great as I’ll save money but I also have bored kids.

I’m quite lucky as my two love a PJ day! They laze around all day, play games, read books, watch films, whatever they want. Genuinely, Mr and I will be dressed as we need to go to the shops and the kids will flat out refuse to get dressed. It’s great in one aspect but sometimes it can be a little annoying. Fighting the 4yo to get dressed is not fun.

So what if your kids aren’t lazy little tykes like mine? Well, here’s a few ideas.

Get Cooking.

It’s a proven fact that children who get included in the household cooking have a better understanding of healthy food and tend to eat a larger variety of foods. If they’re making it, they will often at least try the food. It’s a great confidence booster and let’s face it, it’s a massive life skill that they will need to learn at some point!

Try starting out with something simple like Rice Crispy cakes or making their own pizzas (pre-made bases or pitta breads are a lot easier when starting out). It will kill an hour or two and you get to eat something tasty at the end of it! Win win!

Get Outdoors.

This one is obviously for when it’s not raining. It may still be cold but that’s what jumpers, scarves and woolly hats are for. It doesn’t matter where you live, there is bound to be somewhere close by that you can explore. We’re quite lucky to live where we do. We’re 2 minutes from the beach and surrounded by countryside outside of town.

We love taking the dog to different places, the kids enjoy exploring and it gets us out of the house. Usually my camera will come along too and I get some practice in. Even better is it usually wears the kids out too.

Get Crafting.

OK, so doing crafts is probably one thing I actually hate. PlayDoh is the work of the devil and don’t even get me started on glitter!

But I will do them because quite frankly the kids love it. Pinterest has a million and one ideas when it comes to kids crafts. I have a board especially for kids crafts…. None of which I’ve ever actually done. My 4yo is quite happy just to get paints out which is great as his require minimal clean up afterwards.

It gets them using their imagination though and helps their creativity so it’s worth doing.

Get Lazy.

There’s nothing wrong with a good lazy day. Find some films, get some popcorn (the stuff you do yourself in the microwave is great!) and just chill.

I find this hard at times because if we’re at home I usually find housework to do. But the children enjoy it even more if we’re actually doing it all together.

If they can’t sit down all day watching films then dig out the boardgames. There’s nothing better than a bit of friendly, family competition. Just don’t go flipping the Monopoly board when you get beaten by your own child. No one likes a sore loser.

Well I hope my ideas of things to do with the kids in January helps. Sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference and don’t worry…. January is nearly over!