Indoor Snowball Fight

One thing I've discovered over the years is that gross motor activity strategically placed before a work period has greatly enhanced my children's willingness and ability to focus on work.  20 minutes of running around outside can be enough to turn any day around.  One of the challenges of winter is that this isn't always an option.  While I'm comfortable letting my children go out in some winter weather, my youngest struggles in colder temperatures and has developed fairly impressive hives on several occasions.  Not only that, but sometimes we only have 15-20 minutes at the given moment.

A number of years ago, our local Children's museum had an indoor snowball fight setup for a winter display.  It consisted of soft, white, stitched balls.  I loved the idea.  We had a blast.  As excited as I was to hear that they sold them in the gift shop, I was shocked at the price tag for a set of six.

I began searching craft stores for options.  I stumbled upon a 3 inch pom pom by Darice that was the perfect size and weight.  To my delight, they were far more economical as well.  Here is a pack of 24 that you can purchase on Amazon.

For the five of us, I purchased a grand total 72 and placed them in a large bin.  You can certainly get by on far fewer but that gives everyone a chance to grab a good sized handful.

I'm amazed at how fun this activity is for all of us.  The pom poms have enough weight to travel but not enough to hurt anyone or break anything.  It makes it perfect for indoor fun.  We've played together even when we had an infant in the picture.  Now that my children are older, they still adore it and are excited when I pull the basked out for the season.  And yes, you can throw the snowballs in the washing machine if they get dirty and dingy.

This has been one of my favorite spontaneous activities in our household by far.  The basket can sit on a table, ready for anyone to initiate at any moment.  It doesn't make a mess.  We always end up laughing.  And most of all, we can all burn off some much needed energy while strengthening coordination.  Even adult guests that visits have a hard time resisting.

Bess
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This post is part of the 12 Months of Montessori series.  I am honored to take part in it.  If you'd like to see other Winter Themes, please visit the links below.