20 Creative Indoor Winter Activities to Do When You're Bored

As the weather gets colder, it becomes very tempting to go into hibernation mode. But how do you beat winter boredom? What can you do in cold weather indoors? The answer is to plan some fun indoor winter activities that you can do right from the comfort of your own home.

Each idea in this blog post is budget-friendly and can be done either alone or as a family. You can even turn a few of them into a frugal date night at home. There are many free date ideas at home that will help you pass the time this winter without needing to spend extra money on entertainment!

So, if you want to plan some fun things to do during the winter from the comfort of your home, then let’s jump right into the different ideas!

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20 Creative Indoor Winter Activities

1. Living Room Campout

There is something so cozy about having an indoor campout right in your living room. Gather up all of the blankets and pillows you can find, set up your tent or make a fort, and have an indoor campout.

To make your indoor campout feel more authentic, turn off any interior lights and instead use candles or string lights instead. If you have a Bluetooth speaker, you can easily find some ambient, outdoor sounds on YouTube to give you that camping vibe.

You can also set up the tent to go along with your movie night, another idea we’ll cover later on!

2. Cooking Class From Home

A budget-friendly way to take a cooking class is to do it online, right from the comfort of your own home. There are a ton of places online that offer cooking classes such as YouTube, Skillshare, and Craftsy.

Start by choosing a recipe or cooking class that interests you.

Once you’ve picked one, plan what day you will do it, get the ingredients you’ll need, and set aside some time to cook.

This can be a fun activity to do by yourself or with the whole family.

Stay indoors and take an online cooking class this winter.

3. Bake Cookies

High up on the list of fun things to do during the winter is baking cookies, because, why not? Whether you bake some of your classic recipes or decide to try out some new recipes, it is a fun and creative activity to fill those winter days.

If you want to take it a step further, consider hosting a cookie exchange with your family, friends, colleagues, or neighbors. This will get everyone involved and give them something to do inside as well.

Looking for some new cookie recipes? Check out this big book with over 100 recipes!

4. Paint Night From Home

Paint nights are becoming increasingly popular and for good reason; they are so much fun and a great way to relax!

Unfortunately, though, they can also be quite pricey if you go to one of those popular paint-and-sip places. So, instead of going out and spending loads of money, turn this idea into t a fun indoor winter activity. You can order a cheap canvas online and pick up some inexpensive paint and paintbrushes.

Then, find a step-by-step painting tutorial that you want to follow. You can find many of these for free on YouTube. Or one of my favorite places for panting tutorials is through Craftsy. They have have INCREDIBLE specials on their premium memberships which give you access to online instruction across 20+ hobbies with over 1500 online classes.

Another solid option for learning how to paint at home is with Artist Academy! Sign-up for their new-member promo and you’ll get a whole year of unlimited access to premium instructional drawing and painting videos, techniques and expert tips. Or you can check out this wonderful tutorial for sitting drawing reference if you want to work on character pose during your art activity!

Another indoor activity that you can do during the winter is a DIY paint night.

5. Board Game Night

While it can be great to have evenings where you watch television, it can also be nice to take some time to disconnect from technology. A great way to do this is to have a board game night.

You can do this as a family, as a date night, or you can even host a board game night with your friends.

Some popular family-friendly board games include Monopoly, Mouse Trap, Sorry, HeadBandz, CandyLand, Clue, etc.

You can also get board games that are more specific for adults such as Scattergories, Taboo, Trivial Pursuit, etc.

6. Card Games

If you don’t enjoy board games, you could try card games instead.

There are cards you can get for specific games such as Uno, Phase 10, or SkipBo. You can find these decks on places like Amazon or Target.

There are also hundreds of games that you can play with a traditional deck of cards such as War, Rummy, Canasta, Crib, etc. If you are looking for game ideas that you can play with a traditional deck of cards, check out this book with over 50 game instructions.

7. Build A Puzzle

Puzzles are a great indoor winter activity because they can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to a few days to complete. Plus, you can do them in silence or while watching a movie or favorite family series on Netflix.

Overall, they are a great way to unwind after a long day.

If you really like the puzzle picture you build and want to keep it, you can turn it into another indoor winter activity! You can use glue to preserve the puzzle. Then, simply put it into a frame, and now you have a new decor piece for your home.

Puzzles are a great indoor activity to do during the winter.

8. Redecorate

One way to beat the winter blues is to redecorate a room in your house. You don’t have to do anything too drastic, but even small changes can make a big difference.

Something as simple as rearranging the furniture in the room, repainting the walls, or just switching out your decor pieces can completely transform your space.

You can also simply decorate for the season. Add more string lights and candles to your space to enhance the cozy feeling. Add more texture with throw pillows, fleece blankets, etc.

Read: Decorating on a Budget: A Debt-Free Family’s Guide

9. Video Game Marathon

Video game marathons can be really fun, even if you aren’t someone who plays video games regularly. It is a great activity to pass the time when you need inspiration for some indoor winter activities or for a no-spend weekend.

You can either have a solo gaming marathon, or you can set up a marathon with family or friends. You could host a competition, play a multi-player game, etc.

Another thing that can make your marathon more fun is having lots of food, snacks, and drinks ready to enjoy. You can plan easy meals like appetizers and charcuterie boards. For snacks, load up on all the stapes like popcorn, chips, crackers, and dips.

Have a video game marathon to avoid cold winter days outside.

10. Movie Marathon

Who doesn’t love having a good old movie binge session, especially on a cold winter day?

You can make it even more fun by hosting a marathon for a specific series such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, or The Avengers. Or you could do a themed marathon such as all Christmas movies or all horror movies.

You can make it a solo activity or you can invite family and friends to join in on the fun. And, of course, be sure to have plenty of snacks and drinks on hand!

11. DIY Project or Craft

Spend some time this winter getting creative and trying your hand at a DIY project or craft.

There are tons of great craft ideas on Pinterest, but some of my favorites include making your own candles and soap. There are also tons of great DIY projects that you can do for your home like building a homemade bookshelf, creating DIY home decor, and more.

Take some time to redecorate your house during the winter.

12. Learn A New Hobby

When you need some indoor winter activities, it can be really nice to take the time to learn a new hobby. This will introduce you to new things, help you improve your skills, and spend time doing something that you truly enjoy.

There are so many different hobbies that you can learn, and the Internet makes it easier than ever to get started. For example, you could learn how to knit or crochet, how to play an instrument, or how to bake bread.

There are tons of places you can look online for tutorials including YouTube, Pinterest, Craftsy, Artist Academy and more!

If you prefer reading printed material, head over to your local library and grab some books on hobbies. You should be able to find detailed tutorials and lessons in book format to help you master that next skill.

Read: 51 Inspiring Hobbies for Moms to Begin TODAY!

13. Workout

It can be really tough to find the motivation to exercise during the winter, but it’s so important to take care of your body and mind to avoid boredom and the winter blues.

To work out from home, you could set up a little home gym for yourself. It may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be elaborate and doesn’t have to be expensive either. You don’t actually need a lot of equipment in order to have an effective workout. Some resistance bands, a yoga mat, and free weights are all you need to get started.

Alternatively, you can also do no-equipment workouts which are really popular on YouTube and TikTok, or on fitness platforms like such as Get Healthy U TV which often has fantastic savings when you sign-up for the first time!

14. Read A Book

One of the best indoor activities that you can do during the winter is to curl up with a good book. This is a great way to relax and escape from the cold weather outside.

If you don’t have any books at home, you can always head over to your local library and check some out. You could also join a book club which is a great way to connect with others and share your love for the written word.

Or if you’re a parent, you could do an activity together such as this Dad and Daughter Journal idea!

A fun thing to do in the winter inside is reading in your cozy bed.

Read: 10 Thrifty Tips to Save Money on Books

15. Organize Your Space

One of the most practical indoor winter activities that you can do this winter is taking on an organization project. To get started, pick one room like one room your bedroom, closet, bathroom, kitchen, etc. This is much more effective than trying to do everything at once.

Organizing your space is not just a way to fill your winter days. There are so many extra benefits. Getting organized helps you take stock of what you have (so you don’t overbuy), creates efficiencies in your daily routine, and helps with mental clarity.

16. Pajama Night

One of my favorite indoor activities to do during the winter is to have a pajama night. This is a great way to relax, unwind, and just take some time for yourself.

If you are looking for a cozy pair of pajamas, take a look at these fleece pajamas for women. They are super soft and comfortable. Plus, they come in several different patterns, so you can choose the style you like most.

To have a successful pajama night, make sure you have everything that you need including comfy clothes, your favorite blanket, some snacks, and a movie or show to watch.

You could also add in some self-care activities such as taking a bath, doing a face mask, painting your nails, etc.

17. Spa Night

Another indoor activity that you can do during the winter is to have a spa night. This is a great way to pamper yourself and relax.

To have a successful spa night, you’ll need some candles, bath bombs or bath salts, a face mask, a comfy robe, and some music.

You could also add in other self-care activities such as giving yourself a manicure or pedicure, reading a book, etc.

Enjoy an at home spa night during the winter to rest and pamper yourself.

18. Plan Your Future

With the extra downtime that you have during the winter, you can set aside some time to plan for your future. This can include things like setting goals, reviewing your finances, or creating a vision board.

It’s important to take some time to plan for your future so that you can stay on track and achieve what you want to achieve.

19. Plan A Vacation

While you are enduring the cold winter, it can be fun to plan a warm winter getaway or your summer vacation. This will give you something to look forward to and is a great way to occupy your time.

To start planning your vacation, you’ll need to decide where you want to go and when. Once you have those details figured out, you can start looking into flights, hotels, and activities.

20. Write A Book

If you’ve ever wanted to write a book, winter is the perfect time to do it.

If you already have some ideas, start by outlining your book. Once you have a general idea of what you want to write about, start writing the actual book.

If you don’t have any ideas, spend some time brainstorming a few potential topics that you could write about. Once you have a few ideas, choose your favorite, make your outline and start writing.

A good indoor winter activity is to write the book you've been dreaming about.

I hope that this blog post has given you some ideas of fun things to do in the winter inside. If you make a plan to do at least one of these things weekly, you are much more likely to avoid those pesky winter blues and actually enjoy your time hibernating on those cold days.

20 Creative Indoor Winter Activities to Do When You’re Bored