Igniting Winter Spirit: Fun Ways to Keep Kids Energised and Happy All Season Long through Creativity

As the days grow shorter and Melbourne’s winter chill settles in, it’s easy to fall into the cosy lull of blankets, hot chocolates, and screen time overload. But underneath those fluffy socks and sleepy yawns, our children’s creative energy is still pulsing, waiting to move, play, express, and connect. And let’s be honest – we parents need a little spark too.

So how do we honour the stillness of the season without slipping into total hibernation? How do we keep our little ones (and ourselves) emotionally nourished, physically moving, and creatively alive?

Let’s dive into some soulful, sensory-friendly ideas to light up your winter days.

1. Indoor “Adventure” Spaces

Turn your living room into a magical space for play – no Pinterest pressure needed.

• Obstacle course using pillows, couch cushions, and tunnels made from blankets.

• Treasure hunts with clues and silly challenges that encourage problem-solving and movement.

• “Weather Walks” indoors where you act out different weather – thunder stomps, raindrop tiptoes, sunny stretches.

✨ Therapeutic benefit: movement awakens body awareness and shifts mood. It grounds anxious energy and brings children back into the present moment.

2. Creative Art Stations

Let go of the “Instagram-worthy” craft idea and focus on open-ended creative expression.

• Recycled materials box: cereal boxes, fabric scraps, egg cartons.

• Washable paint on the window = instant sensory joy.

• Collage journaling together (you and your child) – glue down magazine clippings, draw emotions, and colour outside the lines.

✨ Art helps children process inner feelings when words are too hard. For parents, it’s an invitation to join the moment rather than just manage it.

3. Winter Dance Parties

Five minutes. One fun playlist. Let go.

• Choose one “family theme song” per week.

• Dance with scarves, torches, hats – whatever’s on hand!

• Freeze dance = big laughs + regulation practice.

✨ Movement and rhythm support emotional release and co-regulation. Bonus: it shakes off that winter fatigue faster than a triple espresso.

4. Cosy Storytime Theatre

Take reading to the next level.

• Create voices and act out characters with sock puppets or paper plate masks.

• Invite your child to draw scenes from the story.

• Swap roles: let your child “read” to you or make up their own tale from the pictures.

✨ Storytelling builds identity, empathy, and imagination. It lets kids rehearse life’s big themes in safe, silly ways.

5. “Feelings & Tea” Ritual

A gentle afternoon ritual to connect and check in.

• Warm tea (or milk with cinnamon) in your child’s favourite cup.

• One feeling word each – “Today I felt _____ because _____.”

• Close with a shared moment: a joke, a cuddle, a breath.

✨ Emotional literacy grows through connection. Rituals bring safety, rhythm, and attunement – especially vital during overstimulating winter days.

6. You Matter Too, Dear Parent 💛

When you show up with your child, rather than for them alone, magic happens.

You don’t need to create the perfect activity. Your child doesn’t need constant entertainment. What they need most is your presence. So when you:

• Sit and scribble beside them…

• Put on silly music and laugh together…

• Share your feelings gently and honestly…

You become the warmth that winter can’t dim.

💡 Final Thoughts

This season, instead of focusing on doing more, try feeling more. Be in your body, your breath, your creativity – and invite your child in. When you're both allowed to play, feel, and rest, winter becomes a wonderland of connection.

You are doing beautifully, even on the messy days. And your child – in all their winter wiggles, loudness, and tired tears – is simply asking for presence, not perfection.

Stay warm. Stay connected. And keep that spark glowing.

With love and creativity,

Mei Sze Awakening Creative Therapies