LIFE

5 ways families can Have Fun indoors when it’s too cold outside

For many parts of the country it’s cold! Brrr. This cold and blustery winter weather is keeping families indoors where it’s warm, toasty and safe from the record breaking lows. This can be disappointing for kids who are used to playing outdoors and getting out their energy by running around. If it’s too cold out for kids to safely play outside, it’s a good time for parents to start getting imaginative with their kids and discover some fun activities for indoor play time. Parents and Little Toader founders Lori and Michael Bredemeier live with their family in Florida, but know the difficulty faced by families living in other parts of the country that are dealing with below freezing temperatures. The Bredemeiers know all about making parenting fun (their company motto and inspiration) and share five ways families can have fun indoors.

“As parents of four, Michael and I always want to make parenting fun – for the kids and for us parents. This is why we invented AppeTEETHERS teething toys. We were sick of the same old boring baby teethers and decided to act on one of many ‘they should make’ ideas we always thought of. AppeTEETHERS make parenting fun because they look like real adult food! When you see a teething baby gnawing on a Baby-Q Rib (BBQ rib) or a Nopainapple (pineapple ring), it’s hilarious. Aside from the funny factor, our teething toys are also safe and effective because of the unique shapes and designs,” share Lori Bredemeier.

1. Create activity stations — Set up three or four different activity stations that will keep them engaged and entertained. We do arts and crafts, blocks, dolls, cars, and temporary tattoos. They love it!

2. Freeze dance –– Dancing is a healthy activity for kids and loud party music will really get them going. To play freeze dance, put on an upbeat song so everyone can dance around and have fun. At different parts of the song, stop the music and everyone must freeze and hold their position at the time the music was stopped. Anyone who moves is out of the game. Play the music again and keep stopping it until one person is left standing and becomes the freeze dance champion!

3. Play charades — Charades is a great game for the whole family to play and it definitely involves using your imagination. The game involves each player choosing a saying, movie title, book title, famous person, etc. to act out while the rest of the family guesses the word or phrase. You can come up with fun categories like Disney movies or favorite children’s books or animals so that little ones can join in on the fun as well.

Bonus: You can even have an open topic where one person tells another a word secretly and then that person has to act out that word. Then, the person who guesses correctly first is given a word by the person who just had a turn.

4. Have a scavenger hunt — Every kid likes a good scavenger hunt which involves solving clues to search for hidden items around the house. Rhyming clues adds to the fun and having the hidden items also serve as prizes makes the game much more exciting. You can also divide the family into two teams and the winning team gets to pick the movie for movie night or decide on the next family outing.

5. Follow the leader — Everyone gets to take turns being the leader in this game and the rest of the family has to copy the leader’s every movement. The leader can take the family around the entire house and make them do silly dance moves, make roaring noises, sing songs and more. The more creative the actions are, the funnier the game gets!

Lori Bredemeier is the co-founder of Little Toader with her husband Michael. They are the inventors of AppeTEETHERS, safe and effective teething toys for babies that look like real foods!

What makes AppeTEETHERS safe:

1. AppeTEETHERS are solid silicone and extremely durable. There are no parts and there are no surface materials that could possibly come apart or detached.
2. AppeTEETHERS are not porous so they do not absorb germs, dirt, or any other undesirable deposits. This makes them very easy to clean at home or on the go.
3. AppeTEETHERS do not have topical paint. All of our coloring is the actual color of the silicone. There is no risk of flaking or having the paint rub off into your baby’s mouth.

Consistently ranking in the top teething toys, AppeTEETHERS are a truly unique teething solution. Babies love them and parents get a kick out of watching their precious bundle of joy using them. All Little Toader products are tested and meet or exceed safety standards in US, Europe, Australia and Canada.