Winter is here once again, bringing with it Christmas, coziness, hot chocolate, and in some places, snow. Lots of snow. And while playing in the snow is great fun, sometimes you just want to be out of the cold wind for a while. Here are some fun indoor hobbies and activities to take up this winter when you need a break from building snowmen:

Knitting & Crocheting
While these are certainly year-round hobbies, winter is the best time to take advantage of them! Sitting by a fire with a cup of tea (or cocoa), a good audiobook, and cozy yarn running between your fingers is certainly an enjoyable pastime for a winter afternoon.

Cooking & Baking
Cooking and baking are extremely useful skills, and there’s no better time to learn how to make a soufflé than in the dead of winter. A plus side of this activity is that you get to enjoy whatever delicious treats you make.

Bread Making
Bread making is a great hobby to take up in the winter. Making bread is an exact science and it can be very tricky at first, but once you have a method that works, you’ll find yourself addicted to the process!

Writing
This may be the simplest hobby to take up. All you need is a paper and a pencil, and an imagination ready to run wild! Don’t be afraid of making mistakes; just write whatever comes to mind and let creativity flow from your fingertips.

Interior Design
Winter is the best time to clean out and redecorate your room. You can paint your walls, install a desk, put up pictures and decorations, bring in some houseplants, reorganize your space, dust that ceiling fan that hasn’t been dusted for months…the sky’s the limit.

Board & Card Games
These are a lot of fun if you have willing siblings and a few hours to spare. And if you just want some alone time, games like solitaire and bananagrams are great one person games.

Puzzles
Though puzzles are similar to board games, they deserve their own category because there are so. many. varieties. of puzzles. A fun challenge is to put a time limit on your puzzle. Try to solve a 500 piece puzzle in under an hour and a half.

Genealogy
Learning about your genetics is a fantastic way to spend winter break. There are an abundance of resources out there for learning about your ancestry, but relatives are the best sources for researching where your family came from. It’s also fun, once you learn about some of the cultures you’re descended from, to cook cultural food or dress up in traditional clothes.

Stand-Up Comedy
This is a unique hobby to take up. It is definitely a skill, but if you feel you have a gift for the comical (and even if you don’t), try writing down some of your best jokes, quips, and funny stories. Link them all together, practice a few times, and perform your skit in front of your family for some guaranteed laughs.

Make a Time Capsule
Let’s face it: you’re only young once. Before you know it, you’ll be an adult with all kinds of responsibilities, and your childhood will fade into the past. This hobby requires nothing but a large shoebox and a miscellaneous assortment of pictures, crafts, letters, notes written on a napkin, pressed flowers, an old toy from your early years, maybe even a letter to your future self. Tape the box shut, write the date, and stuff it in your attic for future you to find in a few years.

Learn an Instrument
This one may be a more expensive hobby to take up, but it is definitely very rewarding. There are hundreds of resources and video tutorials online to learn a new instrument. Two of the easiest and fastest instruments to learn are the recorder and ukulele.

Taste Testing
This is a great activity to do with siblings! Pick a category of food or drink, buy various samples from different brands, and have everyone taste and anonymously vote on their favorite version.

Make a Home Movie
If you and your siblings like to act or play pretend, this winter activity is for you! Write a script, make costumes, assign parts, rehearse, and record it. Make it as extravagant or simple as you want.

Comment on this article if you’ve tried any of these activities; we’d love to hear from you! Have a blessed winter!