When it’s too dark or too cold to play outside during the winter months I am not sure who goes more crazy…. Me or the SIX children living in my home!!!!
We spend a LOT of time outdoors. I love being outside. And I LOVE when my kids are outside. They get energy out, they explore their world, they develop motor skills, they make-believe, and so much more! Plus, my house doesn’t get destroyed when they are outside. So it’s a WIN for me!
But of course, winter comes and the sun sets so easy and it’s cold outside…. And I am whining…
So, we are indoors more right now. A LOT more! And to keep everyone smiling, I decided to come up with a minimal mess, maximum smiles activity for the boys to do when it’s cold outside.
When I broke out the Goldfish crackers CHEERS could by heard by the neighbors for this mommy! I am a hero for combining snack time with playtime!
Here are the supplies we used:
- Goldfish Colors
- Pencil (we used a white colored pencil)
- Paper (we used Black constructions paper)
- Ruler
- Children (number of children may vary depending on your current sanity level or children available to you in your home)
We first drew lines on one of our papers using the ruler and pencil. I showed the boys how to make a grid pattern.
The first game we played was CONNECT FOUR of YOURS!
Each boy selected a color of Goldfish and gathered 20 in his color. We then took turns placing the Goldfish in a box attempting to line up four of his own color in a row. This involved strategy as not only did you have to connect four Goldfish in your color you had to block your brother from connecting four of his own! It really forced them to pay attention to what was going on with every Goldfish during the game.
The next activity was good, old fashioned Tic-Tac-Toe.
The boys drew their board and set out to win the classic game. We put our own twist on this one. The winner got to EAT the losers Goldfish!!! When your opponent ran out of Goldfish you were the winner!
The third activity was designing or drawing a picture using only Goldfish.
This is the activity Jimmy loved best! He is all about drawing and crafting. He made a star first and then began spelling out his name and other words using the Goldfish.
Jayden, however, split his Goldfish into two sides and had an epic battle between the two which ended in half the Goldfish being eaten. (It’s amazing how different two boys can be!)
The last activity of the night was EATING!
Of course, they had been snacking on the Goldfish most of the evening. I didn’t mind. Goldfish crackers are a snack I can feel good about serving as a mom. Goldfish are always baked with real cheese and no artificial flavors or preservatives.
The little boys, who had been playing on their own upstairs suddenly appeared and wanted in on the last activity of eating! Everyone ended the night with a smile on their face! Including ME!
Our next project will be a Stop-Motion video!
Jayden wants to make more videos. And right now you can enter your own stop-motion video featuring Goldfish crackers and you could win $5,000!!! This is going to be a fun project and fingers crossed, we WIN!
You can submit yours or find out more HERE.
Hope this gives you a few ideas to put in your back pocket for evenings you need something fun to do with very little mess and a whole lot of snacking!
Happy Snacking!
Keikilani
Super cute! I will have to add this to our fine motor activities.
Plus when they are done they can have a snack!
Such cute little ones. I love that they are learning while playing a game. Great ideas!
That’s a fun busy activity! The best part is that it ends with a snack of yummy Goldfish!
Great pics. Goldfish are just so much fun to play with and eat that they make every activity better. It amazes me that even adults love to play with the little fish. Your ideas are terrific and great for a winter day when kids are stuck inside.
ah, my kids favorite snack! What a cute idea to play connect four with them!
Fun! My kids are always snacking on goldfish. We can use these ideas the next time we are out at a restaurant!
A game and a snack! love it!
This looks like fun and delicious! I love goldfish crackers! Good luck with your Stop-Motion video!