Unplug but stay connected with each other. Activities that don’t require power:
- Card games & board games (Uno, Scrabble, Go Fish, etc.)
- Storytelling circles – take turns telling parts of a made-up story
- Read aloud – from books, comics, or even journals
- Shadow puppets or flashlight games
- Crafts & coloring – keep a storm box with basic supplies
- Indoor scavenger hunt – using flashlights for a fun twist
- Puzzles – physical ones or riddles from memory
- Build a fort with blankets and pillows for cozy comfort
Pro Tip: Make a “Power Outage Fun Kit” with a few games, paper, pens, books, and fidget toys.
How to Talk to Kids About Storms
Keep explanations simple, reassuring, and age-appropriate:
- Use calm tones: Kids mirror your energy—if you stay calm, they will feel safer.
- Explain the basics: “The power is out because the wind knocked over some lines. It’s okay, the workers are fixing it.”
- Offer tasks: Let them help by handing out flashlights or “checking” on stuffed animals.
- Validate their feelings: “It’s okay to feel scared. Let’s sit together and read your favorite book.”
- Use storytelling: Create a fun adventure story where your family are storm explorers.
Ways to Reduce Cabin Fever if Stuck Indoors
Too much indoor time can wear on everyone—these help fight the stir-crazy blues:
- Stick to a basic routine (meals, quiet time, activity time)
- Mini indoor workouts (Simon Says, yoga stretches, hallway races)
- “Camp-in” night – Set up a tent or sleeping bags in the living room
- Write letters or make drawings to give to neighbors or helpers
- Journaling – A good activity for older kids and adults alike
- Window-watching – Observe birds, snowflakes, or storm clouds
Try a “Boredom Jar”: Fill a jar with fun ideas on slips of paper to draw from when moods dip.
Family Games for Bored Kids
Indoor Scavenger Hunt
Find something that is…
- Soft like a blanket
- Cold to the touch
- Your favorite color
- Round
- That makes you smile
- Used in winter
- Starts with the letter "S"
- You wear on your hands
- That smells nice
- You can read
- That makes a noise
- That you can stack
- Smaller than your hand
- You use when it’s dark
- That’s shaped like a square
Optional twist: Give kids a bag or basket to collect their items and “present their findings” like a little show-and-tell session.
Indoor Movement Fun: Power Outage Play Edition
When the power’s out and the energy’s high, get everyone moving with these silly and active challenges! Get slips of paper to write these (and whatever else you come up with) movements down and draw them from your bowl of choice. Use a timer (30–60 seconds) for each challenge. Players race to complete the move as many times as they can. Bonus points for use of sound effects or props!
Examples:
- How many frog jumps can you do in 30 seconds?
- How many superhero poses can you strike before time runs out?
- Waddle like a penguin across the room
- Pretend you're ice skating in socks on the floor
- Do 5 frog jumps and make "ribbit" sounds
- Crawl under a blanket tunnel like a bear in a cave
- Spin in 3 slow circles like a snowflake
- Freeze like a superhero when you say "Storm Stop!"
- Stomp like a snow monster
- Pretend to shovel snow — big scoops!
- Be a melting snowman (slowly sink to the floor)
- Do 10 tiny toe touches
- March in a parade around the house
- Flap like a bird stuck in a windy storm
- Take 3 deep, calming “blizzard breaths”
- Walk in slow motion like you're trudging through snow
- Pretend you're catching falling snowflakes with your tongue