When the sun disappears and the rain is pelting down sideways, the kids are getting cabin fever and you just want to finish ONE coffee before it turns cold. It’s tempting to justify another trip to go ice skating or to an indoor playground. But bad weather doesn’t have to mean spending money just to survive the day.
Below are the simple things we come back to in winter to make the colder months feel cosy, homely and something to genuinely look forward to. All without needing to spend a single dollar.
The activities are split into indoor activities and out-and-about ideas, so you can take your pick depending on how tolerable it feels to brave the outdoors on any given day.
Indoor activities: Escape the Weather
When the outdoors is too much to handle and spending another dollar on an indoor activity might actually tip you over the edge, these are the cosy, low-effort ideas to keep kids happy and entertained all winter long.
1. Pyjama party
Declare it a pyjama day and make it feel intentional instead of just… everyone accidentally still being in pyjamas at 11am.
Let the kids choose their comfiest PJs, bring doonas or sleeping bags into the lounge room and make the whole day feel a bit silly and special. Add in pancakes, cartoons, board games, a living room dance party and make it a whole event!
Very low effort. Very high excitement.
2. Build a fort
Blanket cubbies are a classic for a reason. They transform the same old lounge room your kids see every day into their own personal hideout – with essentially no planning required.
Use couch cushions, sheets, blankets, pegs, chairs… whatever you can find and drag to the lounge. Add fairy lights or warm-toned lamps for an extra cosy feel.
Done. Let your kids use it for reading, snacks, toys, movies, whatever they can think up!
3. Hot choccy / coffee date at home
Set up a little café at home and call it a date.
Make hot chocolate for the kids and a coffee for yourself, then add whatever toppings you already have: marshmallows, sprinkles, whipped cream, biscuits, cinnamon, Milo, literally anything.
You can make it feel extra fancy by putting everything on a serving tray or letting the kids “order” from you like they’re at a café.
4. Indoor Picnic
Lunch will happen anyway. Dinner will happen anyway. Chuck a blanket on the floor, call it a picnic and suddenly a boring meal is “the most fun ever”.
Food doesn’t need to be fancy or anything special, the novelty is the whole activity.
5. Cosy Movie Night
This can absolutely happen at 2pm if you want. No rules here.
Close the curtains, pile up the blankets, make popcorn if you have it, and let everyone choose a movie. If you want to make it feel like more of an experience, make little paper tickets or set up a “snack shop” with pantry bits. If not, blankets and something to snack on is enough.
6. Torch tag
This is such a good one for winter because it gets dark so early, and kids love anything that feels a tiny bit spooky without actually being scary.
Turn off the lights, grab a couple of torches, and play an extra fun version of hide and seek. One person hides, the other has to find them using only the torch light. You can also hide small toys around the room and send the kids on a little torch-lit treasure hunt. It burns energy, feels exciting, and doesn’t require leaving the house.
7. Keepy Uppy
I always have a pack of balloons hidden away for a rainy day. So easy, and takes about 10 seconds of prep work.
Blow up a balloon and then don’t let it touch the ground. That’s it. Somehow this can entertain kids for ages.
You can make it harder by adding rules like only elbows, only knees, one hand behind your back, or everyone has to stay on the rug.
To say this game is a favourite in our household is the understatement of the century. The proof is in Bluey’s Keepy-Uppy climbing the ranks of my Spotify Wrapped every damn year.
8. Write a letter to someone you love!
This is a cute slower activity for when everyone needs to calm down a bit.
Write a letter or draw a picture for a grandparent, cousin, friend, teacher, or someone you haven’t seen in a while. To keep this activity absolutely zero spend, hand deliver your mail or you can take a photo and send it.
It feels thoughtful, fills time, and gives the kids a little connection moment too.
Bonus excitement if the recipient writes back! Kids LOVE getting mail.
9. Nature Crafts
This one starts outside but ends inside, so it fits nicely as a bridge between both sections.
Collect leaves, sticks, acorns, bark, feathers or seed pods on a walk, then bring them home for craft.
Let their creativity go wild with whatever craft bits you have at home and see what they come up with!
Out and about: Brave the Outdoors
On the days when the weather won’t instantly turn your blood to ice or blow you sideways, chuck on your best coat and brave the elements with these simple outdoor winter activities.
There’s something about cold air and muddy puddles that kids are just wired to enjoy.
10. Puddle Hunting
Once the rain clears, put on gumboots, old clothes and a jacket, then go searching for the biggest puddles you can find. No destination needed. No “don’t step in that!” Just puddles, sticks, leaves, mud and probably wet socks.
Come home, chuck everything in the wash, and finish with a warm bath.
11. Nature scavenger hunt
Give the kids a little list of things to find while you’re out walking.
Some ideas:
- mushrooms
- a feather
- a puddle
- something soft
- something crunchy
- a leaf bigger than your hand
- a tree that has lost all its leaves
This can also double as collecting supplies for nature crafts later, which makes you feel like you planned the whole day beautifully. 2 for the price of 1!
12. Stick Boat Races
Barky boats, Poohsticks, stick boat races — whatever you call it, it’s classic fun for a reason.
Find a stream, gutter, or any flowing water after rain. Choose your sticks, drop them in at the same time, and see whose boat makes it to the self-appointed finish line first!
This is such a simple activity that usually becomes very competitive between kids and filled with lots of laughter.
13. Mud painting
Mud is a guarantee in winter. You may as well use it to your advantage.
Give the kids sticks, leaves, old paintbrushes or just their fingers and let them “paint” on rocks, cardboard, or tree trunks. It washes away, costs nothing, and kids usually leap at an opportunity to get grubby.
Definitely an old-clothes activity!
14. Spotlight Walk
Because it gets dark so early in winter, even a normal walk can feel like an adventure.
Take torches and go for a short walk after dinner or just before bath time. Look for possums, streetlights, shadows, spot the moon and count the stars!
It doesn’t need to be long. Ten minutes can feel exciting when it’s dark.
15. Local library
This is the perfect “we need to leave the house, but I refuse to spend money” outing.
Let the kids choose a stack of books, read a few there, enjoy the change of scenery, then come home with fresh entertainment.
Technically you braved the weather. It absolutely counts.
Also a reminder to check your local library’s website for any activities or story-times they might be hosting, particularly over school holidays.
Final thoughts:
Winter with kids doesn’t have to be expensive or perfectly planned. Sometimes the best days are the ones where everyone’s a bit messy, the house is slightly chaotic, and you somehow make a whole afternoon out of blankets, puddles and snacks.
So next time the weather is miserable and everyone’s bored, pick one thing from the list. Hide from the weather, brave the weather, or do a bit of both, and finish the day with a big warm bubble bath.
Save this for the next rainy day when you need something easy, cosy and free.
Olivia x