While the southern states are already tilling gardens and trees and flowers budding, our part of Minnesota is still buried under several feet of snow, and there’s no sign of spring in sight. Sun-starved and stir-crazy, how can you and your family not just survive the last month or two of winter but even thrive?
March was an unpredictable month, when it was never clear what might happen. Warm days raised hopes until ice and grey skies shut over the town again.
~ Tracy Chevalier
Here’s a family bucket list of activities to help you and your child find the joy in this season!
At Home
- Do a puzzle together
- Make a sweet treat together
- Make some comfort food
- Have breakfast for dinner
- Take a nap
- Purchase a craft kit to do as a family
- Have friends over for dinner
- Schedule a playdate for your child
- Read aloud a chapter book with your child
- Watch a comedy – laughter is good medicine!
- Introduce your child to a movie you watched at their age!
- Pull out all your spare blankets and build a fort in your living room—just for fun, have a picnic lunch in your fort!
- Play a board game as a family
- Build a Domino train
- Make homemade pizza
- Send a letter to a friend or a relative – have your child include a picture they drew
- Grow some seedlings at home so that when spring finally does arrive, you’re ready to plant them!
- Play hide and seek
- Play charades
- Ice cream sundae bar!
- Try family Zumba in the living room! Or have a family Just Dance challenge!
- Choose one room to organize over the next month, and get your child in on the project – they can wipe down shelves, or help sort things, or can even go through their own toy bin to find what they would like to donate to another child!
Outdoor
- What CAN’T you do once winter melts into spring? Squeeze in a last trip to the ice skating rink, sledding hill or ski hill!
- Get OUTSIDE with your child . . . yes, it’s wet and sloppy but pull on those waterproof boots and slog through. We promise, you’ll feel better afterwards!
- Get some sunshine (try for at least 15 minutes 2-3 times a week) to get a mood boost! Can’t manage it? Talk to your family physician about how you can make sure you and your child are getting enough vitamin D!
- Sign up for a family outdoor program at one of the area nature centers or park districts! (Three Rivers Park District, for example)
Out & About
- Go out to the movies
- Visit a new restaurant
- Go bowling
- Check out a library you haven’t been to before
- Visit an art studio–Color Me Mine, Crayola Experience, Kidscreate Studio
- Visit an aquarium–Minnesota Zoo, Sea Life (Bloomington), SeaQuest (Roseville)
- Visit an award-winning bakery (like Marc Heu) or donut shop (like Cardigan or Mojo Monkey)
- Visit your local Home Depot’s first Saturday free workshop
- Visit a cooking school (check out Way Cool Cooking School’s family classes for ages 3-6!)
- Visit a unique ice cream shop (MN Nice Ice Cream, anyone?)
- Visit your local ninja gym for open gym and make your endorphins happy as you exercise as a family—check out open gym at Elite Gym (Burnsville) or Gleasons (Eagan)
- Visit an indoor playground–Good Times Park (Eagan), Millzhouse (Apple Valley), Rainbow Play Systems (Bloomington), Edinborough Park (Edina)
- Visit a local museum—there are a lot of child-friendly museums in the Twin Cities besides the Children’s Museum, so consider checking out The Works (Bloomington), Firefighters Hall & Museum (Minneapolis), Bell Museum (Falcon Heights), or the MN History Center (St. Paul)!
- Visit a waterpark—in the Twin Cities, check out the Shakopee Community Center, The Grove (Inver Grove Heights), Great River (St. Paul), Chaska Community Center, and Shoreview Community Center
- Visit an entertainment/amusement center: Chuck E. Cheese (Burnsville), Grand Slam (Burnsville), Nickelodeon Universe (Bloomington)
